Courses

OSUN Theme: Human Rights

Human Rights Theory, Activism, and Art

Term: June 5, 2023 – July 14, 2023
Level: 100-Level
Day/Time: M/T/Th 10:00 AM EST - 12:15 PM EST
Instructor: Ziad Abu-Rish, Bard College
All Summer Courses are accredited through Bard College.
This course offers undergraduate students an introduction to the theory of human rights and the practice of advocating for human rights, with a particular emphasis on artistic forms of activism. The first part of the course will provide students with a grounding in the history and theory of human rights as both an emancipatory framework and a central tenant of an aspired-to international order. The second part of the course will tackle particular human rights issues (e.g., working conditions, economic inequality, gender discrimination, etc), focusing on specific locations to understand both the contours of the violations as well as that of the artistic activism to challenge them. To this end, weekly reading/viewing assignments include academic monographs, research and advocacy reports, and various artistic works (e.g., films, performances, and illustrations). Course assignments will combine regular synthesis of assigned readings/viewings with student-led research and presentation. The OSUN Center for Human Rights and the Arts will sponsor a number of guest lectures and panels featuring activists working in/on locals where OSUN partner institutions are located so that the majority of case-studies draw from those geographies.
Credits: 4 U.S./8 ECTS