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Regular version of the site
Master 2019/2020

Human Rights in Authoritarian Societies

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type: Elective course (Comparative Politics of Eurasia)
Area of studies: Political Science
When: 1 year, 3, 4 module
Mode of studies: offline
Instructors: Dmitry Dubrovsky
Master’s programme: Comparative Politics of Eurasia
Language: English
ECTS credits: 6
Contact hours: 48

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Human Rights violation is the common argument in the current debates The content of it is seriously different depends on the who is pronounced the sentences about human rights. It has become quite popular among political elites to explain foreign and domestic politics in terms of human rights, but at the same time human rights and the human rights movement are both in serious crises, especially in concern with authoritarianism, which is “goes global”.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • • Understand different conceptualizations and operationalizations of authoritarian regimes • Explore the strengths and weakness of different authoritarian governing styles and strategies in emulation human rights agenda • Assess the role of international human rights law and NGO in promoting human rights in authoritarian countries and theirs limits • Understand the origin of human rights and debate their universality and specificity for various cultural backgrounds • Examine the role of international institutions and norms in promoting human rights • Explore various approaches in quantifying human rights • Analyse the determinants of repression and the actors involved in human rights violations • Understand mechanisms to improve human rights practices around the world • Be able to critique readings, analyse evidence and construct informed arguments
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Understand relationship between democracy and human rigths, and idenfity the current challenges for democracy.
  • Explain the relationship between the crises of democracy and human rights violations
  • Know the types and forms of autoritarianism
  • Understand the complexity of the autoritiarianism in the local and international political context
  • Classify the functions of diffferent political institutions under autoritarian regime
  • Understand the function of the political institutions under dictatorship
  • Identify the role of dissent in authoritarian regime and logic of authoritarian repression and coercion
  • To identify the methods of authoritarian regimes manipulation with human rights
  • To define what is the soveregnty and how it is limited the international human rights law
  • Discuss the current situation with democracy VS authoritarian regimes and human rights debates
  • To understand the role of international human rights law and international NGO in the international human rights regime
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Introduction. Human rights and democracy.
  • Polyarchy, Autoritarian regimes - types and varieties. Competitive authoritarianism.
  • Democracy, crisis, and human rights
  • Political institutions and autoritarianism
  • Mimicry, whataboutism and emulation: dictatorship strategy of protecion and human rights
  • Sovereignty, human rigths and dictatorship: limitiation of international law
  • Dissent, repression and its explanation
  • Socializing states: International law and international NGO in the promotion of human rights in authoritarian countries
  • Government performance under dictatorship
  • Autoritarianism goes global?
  • Autoritarian institutions and international human rights
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Essay Human Rights, Democracy and Authoritarianism
  • non-blocking Presentation "Human rights in {country}: political institututions and international criticism
  • blocking Written Exam
  • non-blocking Active participation
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (4 module)
    0.3 * Essay Human Rights, Democracy and Authoritarianism + 0.3 * Presentation "Human rights in {country}: political institututions and international criticism + 0.4 * Written Exam
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • De Mesquita, B. B., Downs, G. W., Smith, A., & Cherif, F. M. (2005). Thinking Inside the Box: A Closer Look at Democracy and Human Rights. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.99C3AE43
  • Diamond, L. J., Plattner, M. F., & Walker, C. (2016). Authoritarianism Goes Global : The Challenge to Democracy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1083537
  • Gandhi, J. (DE-588)138685657, (DE-576)285538829. (2008). Political institutions under dictatorship / Jennifer Gandhi. Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge Univ. Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.285538837
  • Goodman, R. (DE-588)137100671, (DE-576)185558658. (2013). Socializing states : promoting human rights through international law / Ryan Goodman and Derek Jinks. Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.40856802X
  • Svolik, M. W. . (DE-588)1028019874, (DE-576)363646817. (2012). The politics of authoritarian rule / Milan W. Svolik. New York, NY [u.a.]: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.36364699X
  • Vreeland, J. R. (2008). Political Institutions and Human Rights: Why Dictatorships Enter into the United Nations Convention Against Torture. International Organization, (01), 65. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.cup.intorg.v62y2008i01p65.101.08

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Hitchens, C. (2005). Letters to a Young Contrarian. New York: Basic Books. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=584078