This course studies and critically assesses the rules, institutions, and legal and political theories that seek to protect basic liberties for all human beings. The course emphasizes (1) specific "hot button" subjects within human rights law (such as the death penalty, hate speech, women's rights, and lesbian and gay rights); (2) the judicial, legislative, and executive bodies in international and domestic legal systems that interpret and implement legal rules relating to these subjects; and (3) the public and private actors who seek redress for those whose rights have been violated.
