Human Rights and the Politics of Inequal

This course investigates the relationship between human rights and key policies affecting economic and social equality and equity issues. In particular, the course will focus on how human rights criteria have been integrated into economic governance in various arenas, including trade, labor, development, and environmental policy. The course will introduce students to both theory and practical points of leverage for advancing human rights in the public and the private sector. Students will learn about the strengths, weaknesses and impacts of grievance mechanisms that are tied to economic policies, such as free trade agreements or World Bank complaint mechanisms. They will analyze the impacts of development and investment policies on human rights and strategies for incorporating human rights criteria into governmental and non-governmental decision-making processes.