Selected Topics in International Relations: Gender and International Human Rights

Are human rights women’s rights? Are women’s rights human rights? This course examines the international human rights system (treaties, conventions, institutions and case law) through the lens of gender, exploring the ways in which they are organized around gendered assumptions that shape and limit their ability to reach and remedy the reality of women’s lives.  The course also considers the tension between international human rights law and local gender justice as well as how international human rights have evolved in response to the rise of global feminisms.  The course explores these issues through a series of case studies examining such issues as sexual violence, human trafficking, religious freedom and women’s access to education, health care and employment.