Human Rights in Latin America

This course will examine the evolution, approaches and debates regarding Human Rights in Latin America during the 20th and 21st centuries, paying particular attention to the Chilean case. Since the end of WWII, we have seen "human rights" evolve from a more abstract theoretical concept to an increasingly compelling and influential moral and legal instrument in confronting human suffering, injustice and collective memory. Yet, numerous challenges remain to the prevention and eradication of human rights violations globally. For instance, the very idea of "universal" human rights remains controversial, and debates over what issues can legitimately be considered under the umbrella of human rights persist. This course provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of human rights as a concept, as a set of laws and institutions, and as a set of political and cultural practices. We will examine the historical, political, legal, social and cultural aspects of the topic.
Thus, we will begin with a study of the philosophical foundations of human rights that seeks to answer questions such as What are human rights? and How and why do we have these rights?, as well as a revision of the concept through western history. We will then move to the practice of human rights and examine the political structures that enable us to address human rights violations around the globe. Finally, we will consider some of the most salient, and often controversial, contemporary human rights challenges we face today in Latin America and Chile.