SOC 251 Sociology of Human Rights

3 hours 

This course is an introduction to the sociology of human rights. It will enable students to understand major sociological debates surrounding the topic, mainly how human rights became part of social expectation, how they vary in socio-cultural space, and how they are distributed across different categories of people. It will enable them to think critically about human rights issues in a global world. The focus will be on the role of non-state actors, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, multi-national companies and the media, in both promoting and violating human rights.