Courses / Module

In Caritas in Veritate (2009), Benedict XVI observed: “Globalization is a multifaceted and phenomenon which must be grasped in the diversity and unity of all its different dimensions, including the theological dimension (42).” In particular, globalisation provides the context for contemporary debates in human rights. The aims of this module area are as follows: to examine human rights discourse; to identify current trends in globalisation, and to integrate such a reflection within a theological horizon.

Indicative Syllabus
This course will explore
• Philosophical and Theological approaches to Human Rights
• Contemporary Human Rights Documents, Instruments and Institutions
• Contemporary challenges within a globalised world, including national security, economic development, information technology, and religious freedom.

Indicative Bibliography
Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate. (2009).
Brownlie, Ian and Guy S Goodwin-Gill, Basic Documents on Human Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Dounzinas, Costas, The End of Human Rights. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2000.
Regan, Ethna, Theology and the Boundary Discourse of Human Rights. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2010.
Steiner, Henry J. and Philip Alston, International Human Rights in Context: Law, Politics and Morals. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Witte, John and M. Christian Green, Religion and Human Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.