The world of human rights are being redefined as a result of changes in the contour of engagement because of how changes in information and communications technology have, over the past two decades, fundamentally transformed the practices of actors engaged with human rights issues. Social media tools such as Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, blogs, and Facebook have altered the ways in which human rights practitioners advocate for the constituencies they serve. Some of the methods used by human rights organizations across the world have included the use of social media tools to communicate with their followers and seek to influence public debate.

This course examines international human rights theory and practice through a consideration of three key concepts: Transnationalism, ethnic nationalism, and social media practices. Each of the central concepts will be considered in depth and linked to the emerging field of transnational governance and the growing interest in Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in using social media to shape local and global practices. The central goal is to use an interdisciplinary approach to human rights combining legal scholarship, political theory, and social science research - to engage some of the most pressing issues regarding the application and enforcement of human rights. We will raise key philosophical and analytical questions regarding the interconnections between transnational formations and local practices in an attempt to ask how the idea of human rights operates as a moral limit on how human beings may live their lives; and how these standards are shaped by the logics that undermine the choices we make.

Class Format:

My online class will include both synchronous and asynchronous elements, but I will generally expect students to “attend” my class at its currently scheduled time.