This course aims to provide students with an overview of the way human rights laws, norms, and institutions have evolved. In the first half of the class, we will examine the legal institutions and human rights regimes around the world, both global and regional. In the second half, we will take a bottom-up view by exploring how human rights become part of contentious politics. Special attention will be given to how human rights law transform with mobilization from below and how it is used to contest, challenge and change hierarchical power relationships. The case studies from the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and the US aim at placing human rights concerns in a broader sociopolitical context.

Area of Focus: International Relations