HUMR5150 – The Philosophy of Human Rights
Course content
While the concept of human rights today plays an important role both in law and in politics (domestic and international), it is also a concept which is firmly grounded in philosophical discussions of rights, in at least two ways. On the one hand, there is a long philosophical tradition discussing rights in general, and natural rights in particular, and which is arguably a precursor of the contemporary concept of human rights. On the other hand, the philosophy of human rights has in the last decade seen a turn away from the natural rights tradition and towards examining and providing a philosophical justification for the contemporary practice of human rights, in particular as this practice takes place in international law and politics.
Indeed, one of the main topics of discussion within the contemporary philosophy of human rights is whether human rights are best understood according to the so-called "orthodox" or "naturalistic" approach, where human rights are seen as belonging inherently to the natural rights tradition in philosophy, or according to the so-called "political" or "practical approach", according to which the philosophy of human rights must take as its point of departure the role human rights actually play in contemporary politics, with the result that human rights might turn out to be quite different from natural rights. The course will cover both approaches to human rights, examining the merits of each approach, and discussing what is at stake in the debate between orthodox and political approaches to the philosophy of human rights.
In addition to discussing the question of how the concept of human rights should be understood, the course will also discuss other core questions in the philosophy of human rights, such as how human rights claims can be justified, the role human rights play in normative theory, how to deal with conflicts of rights, the relationship between moral human rights and legal human rights, and the relation between human rights and relativism. The course will also examine how the debate over different concepts of human rights is relevant for the discussion of these further questions. Finally, the course will address the legitimacy of the international human rights system and consider moral criticisms of this system.
Learning outcome
The course will provide the students with an understanding of some of the main philosophical debates about human rights, concerning how the concept of human rights should be understood, how human rights can be justified and the moral relevance of human rights. After having taken the course the student will be able to critically participate in these debates and will have the foundation for understanding new questions arising within the philosophy of human rights.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
You may register for this course if you have admission to a Master`s programme at UiO. All applicants must fill the formal prerequisites.
External students may apply for guest student status.
Recommended previous knowledge
Students with no background in human rights studies are strongly advised to read the introductory readings.
Teaching
Lectures
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
Students are graded on the basis of a written home examination with the duration of 10 days.
Maximum length for written home exam?is 5000 words. Front page, contents page (optional) and bibliography are not included. If footnotes are used in the text (at the bottom of each page), they are included in the word limits.?
Papers that exceed the word limit may be rejected.
You must familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to exam support materials, and?the use of sources and citations.?If you violate these rules, you may be suspected of cheating or attempted cheating.?You can read about what the university considers cheating, and the consequences of cheating here.
Examination support material
All available exam resources are allowed when answering this exam. Rules for source referencing are crucial for determining whether the use of resources is permitted.?
You are allowed to discuss the examination topics with your course colleagues, but your exam paper must be an independent work.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
This guide is used by examiners for grading this course.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.