This free online course explores human rights, both individual and collective, and justice from a global perspective.

How do we interpret, define, and defend justice values in the context of international politics? Some think we cannot accomplish universal justice in a frantic and complex world. Others argue that justice, by definition, requires a global context and a consistent breadth of implementation. This course investigates political philosophy, international and global relations, past times, realistic argumentation, and the difficulty of establishing and upholding equitable societies in an increasingly interconnected world.

We commence by going over the evolution of human rights throughout history in light of present-day international politics. Then, we offer a brief overview of the circumstances that brought birth to contemporary international human rights law and a summary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Articles. Following that, we explore the International Covenants and queries regarding balancing and bringing together economic, social, and cultural rights with civil and political rights.

Next, we lay out an analytical structure for researching global justice that leverages our broad grasp of political theory and philosophy. You will learn about the distinctions between universal and relative rights and individual and collective rights. Subsequently, we explain the dichotomy between cosmopolitan or universal understandings of human rights and relativist principles. Finally, we juxtapose civil and political rights with economic, social, and cultural rights.