About

Introduction to Human Rights is a blog for students in HR 200, the Introduction to Human Rights course at Hunter College, CUNY.

The goal of the course is explore the meaning of human rights, how they are formulated, and how they are enforced.  Students in the course will address these questions by examining human rights both in theory and in practice.  They will learn about the historical and philosophical origins of contemporary human rights standards, the uses and limitations of the international human rights treaty system, and the relationship between international human rights obligations and domestic human rights enforcement.  They will explore a range of substantive topics, including genocide, women’s rights, immigrants’ rights, the rights of noncombatants, and economic and social rights.

The purpose of the blog is to give students a forum to discuss the course readings, comment on current human rights developments, and engage in intellectual dialogue with their peers.