Course directory

KDEC 9680 - Globalizing Rights

KDEC 9680 · Fall semester 2026-2027

Language of tuition
English
Course type
Cours séminaire
Number of hours
24
Credits
4

Information

Description

This course explores the evolution of human rights law and the ways in which it has been shaped by—and, in turn, influences—the broader forces of globalization in an interdependent world. It considers how the movement of goods, people, and norms across borders has transformed our understanding of state sovereignty under international law and the rights of persons within them, while also creating distinctive challenges that require international regulation with far-reaching consequences. Wider debates about globalization and the historical trajectories of rights will be addressed through case studies on slavery and human trafficking, humanitarian law and international criminal justice, torture and the ‘war on terror’, labour exploitation and transnational corporate responsibility, refugee protection and border control, pandemics and international health rights, and poverty and economic and social rights.

Teaching format

Instruction is through lectures, interactive discussions, applied class exercises and group presentations. The teaching methodology presumes that enrolled students will not have any background in human rights law. As students will be expected to acquire skills associated with working with primary international legal source material in human rights law, guidance on how to approach reading assigned international instruments and caselaw will be provided continuously throughout the course.

Assessment

Panel Assignments 10 (5% x 2)

Midterm 30% (1 hour in class)

Final 60%. (2 hours -administered by central office)

Workload

Students will be assigned to groups that will present human rights case studies related to a range of topics designated in the syllabus from Session 5 onwards. Case study analyses will include both an engagement with legal framework(s) and a consideration of the implications of relevant processes of globalization-(i.e. economic, political, social/cultural, technical, etc). AI may be used to support initial case study research, but students must include a final slide specifying how AI was used and should expect questions that test their direct engagement with the sources, facts, concepts, and reasoning presented.

Readings

Main readings 5

  1. Antony Anghie, ‘International Human Rights Law and a Developing World Perspective’ in Scott Sheeran and Nigel Rodley (eds), Routledge Handbook of International Human Rights Law (Routledge, 2013), 386-402.

  2. David J. Bederman, “Globalization and Human Rights,” Globalization and International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2008), chapter 6

  3. J. Rehman, International Human Rights, (Longman, 2010), 3-16, 400-413

    Borrow

  4. Samuel Moyn, ‘Basic Needs and Human Rights,’ Human Rights in an Unequal World (2018), 120-146, Conclusion

  5. Stephen Hopgood, The Endtimes of Human Rights, (Cornell University Press, 2013), chapters 1-2, 8.

    Read online

Further readings 24

  1. Antonio Cassesse, ‘Reflections on International Criminal Law’ 9 (1)

  2. Antony Anghie, ‘International Human Rights Law and a Developing World Perspective’ in Scott Sheeran and Nigel Rodley (eds), Routledge Handbook of International Human Rights Law (Routledge, 2013), 386-402

  3. David J. Bederman, “Globalization and Human Rights,” Globalization and International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2008), 43-51

  4. International Bar Association, No Arrests, No Trials, No Justice: A Strategic Framework for Strengthening Efforts to Execute International Criminal Court Arrest Warrants (July 2025)

  5. International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Trade Unions Take Saudi Arabia to UN Labour Body Over Exploitation and Deaths of Migrant Workers (4 June 2025)

  6. J. Rehman, International Human Rights, pp. 3-16

  7. Javaid Rehman, International Human Rights Law, 716-721

  8. Jeanne, L. et al., “Economic Globalization and the COVID 19 Pandemic: Global Spread and Inequalities,” 88 (1) Geo Journal 88 (2023), 1181–1188

  9. Jeremy Moon, Corporate Social Responsibility: A Very Short Introduction, pp. 73-100 Amnesty International, The ugly side of the beautiful game: Exploitation of construction workers on Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup infrastructure (2021)

  10. Journal of International Criminal Justice (2011), 271-275

  11. Kathleen McKendrick, Artificial Intelligence, Prediction and Counterterrorism (International Security Department, Chatham House, August 2019)

  12. Manos Tsakiris, ‘Refugees in the media: how the most commonly used images make viewers dehumanise them’, The Conversation, 19 November 2021

  13. Patricia Viseur Sellers, Anne Marie de Brouwer and Eefje de Volder, ‘Disentangling to Fortify: The Crimes of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Human Trafficking’ (2024) 5(1) Journal of Human Trafficking, Enslavement and Conflict Related Sexual Violence

  14. Roojin Habibi & Alexandra Phelan, Building the Ship while Sailing: The Unexpected Journey to a New WHO Pandemic Agreement, ASIL Insights, vol. 29, issue 11 (14 Aug. 2025)

  15. Rosemary Byrne and Andrew Shacknove, The Safe Third Country Notion in European Asylum Law, 9 Harvard Human Rights Journal (1996), 185-199

  16. Rosemary Byrne, ‘Extraterritorial Migrant Labor Regimes: Revolving Door Mobility and Rights in the GCC Migration Corridor,’ AJIL Unbound 120 (2026)

  17. Samuel Moyn, ‘Basic Needs and Human Rights,’ Human Rights in an Unequal World (2018), 120-146

  18. Stephen Hopgood, The Endtimes of Human Rights (2013) ch. 1

  19. Stephen Hopgood, The Endtimes of Human Rights, (2013), chapters 2, 8

  20. Sterio, Milena, “Globalization, State Sovereignty, and the Development of International Criminal Law”, 54(3) The George Washington International Law Review. (2023), 423 440

  21. Steve Peers, “Asylum Pact 2.0: the EU amends the rules on ‘safe third countries’ and ‘safe countries of origin’” (EU Law Analysis blog, 22 February 2026)

  22. Tirana Hassan, ‘The Human Rights System is Under Threat: A Call to Action: Key Note Essay’, Human Rights Watch 2024 World Report

  23. U.S. State Department, 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), , 9–32. (see Understanding Human Trafficking and Looking forward after 25 Years)

  24. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ‘Impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID 19) pandemic on the enjoyment of human rights around the world, including good practices and areas of concern’, (18 January 2021)

Teaching units

Unit no.Unit type Teaching unitsTeachers Number of hoursCredits
19333Cours séminaire Globalizing Rights Rosemary Ann BYRNE244

Teachers

  • Rosemary Ann BYRNE