“The course of International Justice and Human Rights offers an excellent structure of teaching and discussion related to the topics of international justice, international human rights norms, and human rights laws.
The teaching structure allows the students to build the foundation on international justice and human rights by reading and exploring the seminal and significant books and other references on the topics. The instructor allows the students to spend time in class discussing the main arguments of the references. This foundation is very useful when the students shift the focus to a more contemporary reading. Although, the classical readings are sometimes difficult to comprehend, but the instructor guides the students to read through by giving more simple way to understand the main argument of each reading.

This structure of course also offers the students to engage an in-depth discussion related to issues of international justice and human rights. During the discussions, the students are welcome to freely express their ideas and their critics towards the course-related references or any related contemporary issues occurred in the global sphere. The instructor also gives freedom for the students to work on their interests of international justice and human rights for the class assignments.

All in all, the course broaden the student’s knowledge of international justice and human rights.”

This course will focus on the tension, if any, between international justice and human rights norms and human rights laws. To this end, we will work through statements that argue for, and statements that argue against, the proposition that human rights norms, laws and treaties at the local, regional, and international levels serve to advance justice for the individual, groups, member-states of the United Nations, humanity as a whole, and all the species on the planet. In particular, we will consider if, whether, and how human rights serve justice, and what sort of justice, justice for whom? or does justice mean “just ‘us’”? So do human rights help or hinder justice? What, if any, is the relationship between justice and human rights? Should the two institutions, regimes, and categories be theorized in parallel to one another, never overlapping at all, or might the two be equated as the same? Finally, and most importantly, in Asian countries, for example, China, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, how are human rights received? Are human rights accepted and championed, criticized and rejected, fudged and/or “contextualized”? If so, by whom? for what purposes? who benefits? loses? In short, do human rights apply to Asian countries that have traditionally upheld values said to be at odds with the universal values embodied and/or expressed by international human rights principles? The values enshrined in international human rights documents, we are told, are not universal values but “individualistic” and “Western” values. Do you agree? If so, why, if not, why not?
By nature, some texts are theoretical, philosophical, and analytical, others concrete and empirical. There will be arguments that you may find disappointing. There are too many materials to read and not enough time to discuss them. We will never pay enough attention to the materials you like; we will spend too much time on work you don’t like. Some students will find some approaches and theories objectionable, while others will embrace the same approaches and theories that others find objectionable.