U.S. and Global Civil Rights

Course code: IRS280/580   

Term and year: Spring 2026

Day and time: Thursday, 15-17.45

Instructor: doc. PhDr. Francis Raška, PhD.

Instructor contact: francis.raska@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: Before and after class

 

Credits US/ECTS	3/6	Level	BA / MA
Length	15 weeks	Pre-requisite	None
Contact hours	42 hours	Course type	PS Req/ Elective; IR Req/Elective CEA IR Elective (MA)

1.   Course Description

The goal of this seminar course is to familiarize students with the concept of human rights, its origins, and evolution in the context of United States policy. The topic will be tackled mainly from a historical and political perspective, but philosophical and legal aspects need to be discussed as well for students to appreciate the topic fully.

2.   Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

·      Understand why the issue of human and civil rights became so urgent in the aftermath of the Second World War.

·      Understand and analyze the actors and processes involved in American human and civil rights policy.

·      Understand the evolution and expansion of human rights into different spheres.

·      Understand the role played by the Cold War in the furtherance of human and civil rights both domestically and internationally.

·      Explain the linkage between nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and US policy

·      Place in context and lend perspective to the ongoing debate on human and civil rights.

 

3.   Reading Material

Required Materials (relevant readings derived from texts below will be sent to students electronically)

TEXTS

 

Amstutz, Mark R., International Ethics: Concepts, Theories, and Cases in Global Politics, Plymouth (UK), 2025.

 

Apodaca, Clair, Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy: Prevarications and Evasions, New York, 2019.

 

Dudziak, Mary L., Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy, Princeton, 2025.

 

Iriye, Akira, Goedde, Petra, and Hitchcock, William I. (eds.), The Human Rights Revolution: An International History, Oxford, 2012.

 

Jensen, Steven L.B. and Walton, Charles (eds.), Social Rights and the Politics of Obligation in History, Cambridge and New York, 2022.

 

Laber, Jeri, The Courage of Strangers: Coming of Age with the Human Rights Movement, New York, 2002.

 

Mingst, Karen A. and Karns, Margaret P., The United Nations in the 21^st Century, Boulder, 2022.

 

Neier, Aryeh, The International Human Rights Movement: A History, Princeton, 2012.

 

Rosenberg, Jonathan, How Far the Promised Land: World Affairs and the American Civil Rights Movement from the First World War to Vietnam, Princeton, 2006.

 

Snyder, Sarah B., From Selma to Moscow: How Human Rights Activists Transformed U.S. Foreign Policy, New York, 2018.

 

Sondergaard, Rasmus Sinding, Reagan, Congress, and Human Rights: Contesting Morality in US Foreign Policy, Cambridge and New York, 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

4.   Teaching methodology

This course follows a standard format in terms of teaching methodology. The first part of each session features a lecture on the weekly reading(s), concepts, and theories that are assigned for each class. This is followed by students’ verbal account of their commentary for the readings. The second part of each session features more deliberative interactions between students and lecturer. Overall, this course is reading intensive while at the same time, it is of crucial importance to note that this is a very collaborative course when it comes to the student-teacher environment. Students are required to respond to lecture material not only with questions, but with well-thought-out commentary that they will write via “Forum” posts through NEO. As such, there is a strong interactive component in this course, with students being required to make weekly verbal commentary on readings, and likewise students are required to team up with another student to carry out a presentation on a topic of their choice related to a given set of readings on the syllabus. Finally, this course has quite a lot of video content that students will be required to watch at the tail-end of class. Students who hold hybrid status will be required to participate synchronously in discussions and also watch the same amount of video content through online accessible/stream links.

5.   Course Schedule

Date	Class Agenda
Session 1 5 February 2026	Topic: Introduction Description: Review of the course requirements Reading: NONE Assignments/deadlines: NONE
Session 2 12 February 2026	Topic: The Ethics of International Human Rights Description: A discussion of how human rights became an ethically-grounded international issue Reading: Amstutz, Mark R., International Ethics: Concepts, Theories, and Cases in Global Politics, pp. 127-152 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 3 19 February 2026	Topic: The United Nations and Human Rights Description: A discussion of how the pursuit of human rights and the establishment of norms were priorities for the United Nations Reading: Mingst, Karen A. and Karns, Margaret P., The United Nations in the 21st Century, pp. 215-265 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 4 26 February 2026	Topic: The Holocaust and Human Rights Description: A discussion about how the horrors of the Second World War (especially the genocide that occurred) resulted in a campaign for international human rights law Reading: Iriye, Akira, Goedde, Petra, and Hitchcock, William I. (eds), The Human Rights Revolution: An International History, pp. 3-71 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 5 5 March 2026	Topic: The Post-World War II Push for African American Civil Rights Description: A discussion concerning the impact of the emerging Cold War and decolonization on the African American struggle for equality in the United States Reading: Rosenberg, Jonathan, How Far the Promised Land?: World Affairs and the American Civil Rights Movement from the First World War to Vietnam, pp. 156-213 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 6 12 March 2026	Topic: International Public Opinion and the Realization of Desegregation in the United States Description: A discussion on how international public opinion influenced the cause of desegregation during the Cold War Reading: Dudziak, Mary L., Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy, pp. 115-151 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 7 19 March 2026	Topic: Communism in the Soviet Union and East-Central Europe and Human Rights Description: A discussion of the role played by rights abuses in Communist Europe in galvanizing the international human rights movement Reading: Neier, Aryeh, The International Human Rights Movement: A History, pp. 138-185 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 8 26 March 2026	Topic: The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (1966) Description: A discussion of the International Covenant n Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights of 1966 and the expanded definition of human and civil rights. Reading: Jensen, Steven L.B. and Walton, Charles (eds.), Social Rights and the Politics of Obligation in History, pp. 287-326 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
	SPRING BREAK
Session 9 9 April 2026	Topic: United States Foreign Policy and Human Rights Description: A discussion of how human rights activists shed light on the dissident movement in the Soviet Union and East-Central Europe and, in turn, made international human rights a pillar of United States foreign policy in the 1970s Reading: Snyder, Sarah B., From Selma to Moscow: How Human Rights Activists Transformed U.S. Foreign Policy, pp. 1-41   Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 10 16 April 2026	Topic: The Role of US-Based Non-Governmental Organization Helsinki Watch (later Human Rights Watch) in the Collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union and East-Central Europe Description: A discussion of how the Helsinki Process in Europe was perceived in the United States and how the NGO, Helsinki Watch (later Human Rights Watch, helped dissidents in the Soviet Union and East-Central Europe Reading: Laber, Jeri, The Courage of Strangers: Coming of Age with the Human Rights Movement, pp. 245-305 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 11 23 April 2026	Topic: Case Study: The United States and South African Apartheid Description: A discussion of the evolution of US policy towards the racist South African regime and the role played by American non-governmental organizations, American celebrities, and the media in forcing the US government to adopt sanctions in 1986. Reading: Sondergaard, Rasmus Sinding, Reagan, Congress, and Human Rights: Contesting Morality in US Foreign Policy, pp. 164-214 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 12 30 April 2026	Topic: Case Study: The United States and Nicaragua in the 1980s Description: A discussion of how the Reagan Administration, in its quest to overthrow the Sandinista government through counterinsurgency policies, violated international human rights law. Reading: Sondergaard, Rasmus Sinding, Reagan, Congress, and Human Rights: Contesting Morality in US Foreign Policy, pp. 215-260 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s)
Session 13   7 May 2026	Topic: Inconsistencies in United States Foreign Policy with Regard to Human Rights Description: A discussion of how American foreign policy in the 21st century is not consistent when it comes to human rights and how other interests often prevail in the formulation of American policy towards other countries Reading: Apodaca, Clair, Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy: Prevarications and Evasions, pp. 145-196 Assignments/deadlines: Class presentation (s); Term papers due in NEO TurnItIn by 11 PM on 7 May 2026
Session 14 14 May 2026	ORAL EXAMS

 

 

 

 

6.   Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

 

Assignment	Weight in Final Grade	Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes	Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*
Class Participation	20%	Regular contribution to class discussions; critique of readings	1; 2; 3
Class Presentation	25%	Critical thinking; Effective communication	1; 2; 3
Term Paper	25%	Critical thinking; Effective written communication	1;2
Oral Exam	30%	Ability to answer questions related to the topic of the term paper in a logical and coherent matter	1;2
TOTAL	100%

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

 

[Assignment 1]: Attendance and Participation

It goes without saying that students are expected to attend classes and participate constructively in class discussions of the assigned readings. It is crucial that students attend individual class sessions and are prepared to discuss the given assigned reading. All readings will be placed on the internet by me, so that you can upload them. Students will be expected to attend classes regularly and read the assigned materials. Failure to attend classes and/or failure to prepare the assigned readings will be brought to the attention of competent administrative officials and sanctions will be imposed in accordance with general AAU policy. I repeat that all students should come to class prepared. Absences should be excused prior to the given class session. (See Section 8 of this syllabus.) An e-mail should be sent to me explaining any planned absence.

 

7.    

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Presence	25%
Preparedness	25%
Participation in Discussion	25%
Respectfulness of Participation	25%

[Assignment 2]: Class Presentation  

Each student will deliver a class presentation on an approved topic of his or her choice and the student’s performance will be evaluated. Presentations should be 10-15 minutes long. Students may opt to use Powerpoint, but it is not a requirement. A schedule of class presentations will be agreed upon and rigidly adhered to. Barring documented medical or family emergencies, students who do not deliver their presentations on the agreed date will be awarded a failing grade for the assignment.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Preparedness	25%
Strength of Argument	25%
Clear communication and appropriate use of time	25%
Ability to engage with discussion/questions	25%

[Assignment 3]: Term Paper

Each student will be required to submit a term paper in double-spaced format. B.A. students will submit term papers containing 3000-3500 words and M.A. students will submit term papers containing 4500-5000 words. In order to avoid any problems, I will need to know term paper topics beforehand. If a student repeatedly fails to read the assigned materials and/or does not attend the course regularly, I reserve the right not to accept his/her term paper at the end of the term. This translates into “No work, no credit.” Past experience has taught me that, largely on account of other university requirements and responsibilities, students need help with time management and guidance in their work. Therefore, I have decided upon several courses of action. First, I will insist that students let me know how they are getting on with their work throughout the course of the semester. Second, some time will be spent during the first session(s) discussing what is expected in a term paper. The utlilization of others’ ideas must be cited. Failure to cite the words and/or ideas of others constitutes plagiarism. Anglo-American University has strict penalties for academic dishonesty. I ask each of you to be very careful and make sure that you cite all sources consulted. It is in your interest. PLEASE REFER TO SPECIFIC AAU GUIDELINES AND POLICY CONCERNING PLAGIARISM CONTAINED IN SECTION 8 OF THIS SYLLABUS.

 

The term paper must be submitted via NEO-Turnitin by 11 PM on Thursday, 7 May 2026.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Technical requirements (time, length, approved topic)	25%
Strength of the argument	25%
Utilization of quality resources	25%
Full and proper citation	25%

 

[Assignment 4]: Oral Exam

The oral exam (10-15 minutes) will involve each student defending the main arguments and conclusions presented in their submitted term paper and, if necessary, an explanation of methodology/research methods employed.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Presence	25%
Ability to engage in discussion on topic	25%
Ability to clarify and defend argument	25%
Ability to explain the components of the argument	25%

8. General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work.

Electronic communication and submission

The university and instructors shall only use students’ university email address for communication, with additional communication via NEO LMS or Microsoft Teams.

Students sending e-mail to an instructor shall clearly state the course code and the topic in the subject heading, for example, “COM101-1 Mid-term Exam. Question”.

All electronic submissions are through NEO LMS. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take-home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of NEO LMS.

Attendance

Attendance, i.e., presence in class in real-time, at AAU courses is default mandatory; however, it is not graded as such. (Grades may be impacted by missed assignments or lack of participation.) Still, students must attend at least two thirds of classes to complete the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are excused, they will be administratively withdrawn from the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are not excused, they will receive a grade of “FW” (Failure to Withdraw). Students may also be marked absent if they miss a significant part of a class (for example by arriving late or leaving early).

Absence excuse and make-up options

Should a student be absent from classes for relevant reasons (illness, serious family matters), and the student wishes to request that the absence be excused, the student should submit an Absence Excuse Request Form supplemented with documents providing reasons for the absence to the Dean of Students within one week of the absence. Each student may excuse up to two sick days per term without any supporting documentation; however, an Absence Excuse Request Form must still be submitted for these instances. If possible, it is recommended the instructor be informed of the absence in advance. Should a student be absent during the add/drop period due to a change in registration this will be an excused absence if s/he submits an Absence Excuse Request Form along with the finalized add/drop form.

Students whose absence has been excused by the Dean of Students are entitled to make up assignments and exams provided their nature allows. Assignments missed due to unexcused absences which cannot be made up, may result in a decreased or failing grade as specified in the syllabus.

Students are responsible for contacting their instructor within one week of the date the absence was excused to arrange for make-up options.

Late work: No late submissions will be accepted – please follow the deadlines.

Electronic devices

Electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) may be used only for class-related activities (taking notes, looking up related information, etc.). Any other use will result in the student being marked absent and/or being expelled from the class. No electronic devices may be used during tests or exams unless required by the exam format and the instructor.

Eating is not allowed during classes.

Cheating and disruptive behavior

If a student engages in disruptive conduct unsuitable for a classroom environment, the instructor may require the student to withdraw from the room for the duration of the class and shall report the behavior to the student’s Dean.

Students engaging in behavior which is suggestive of cheating will, at a minimum, be warned. In the case of continued misconduct, the student will fail the exam or assignment and be expelled from the exam or class.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism obscures the authorship of a work or the degree of its originality. Students are expected to create and submit works of which they are the author. Plagiarism can apply to all works of authorship – verbal, audiovisual, visual, computer programs, etc. Examples are:

·               Verbatim plagiarism: verbatim use of another’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source and designation as a verbatim quotation,

·               Paraphrasing plagiarism: paraphrasing someone else’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source,

·               Data plagiarism: use of other people’s data without proper acknowledgement of the source,

·               False quotation: publishing a text that is not a verbatim quotation as a verbatim quotation,

·               Fictious citation: quoting, paraphrasing, or referring to an incorrect or a non-existent work,

·               Inaccurate citation: citing sources in such a way that they cannot be found and verified,

·               Ghostwriting: commissioning work from others and passing it off as one’s own,

·               Patchwriting: using someone else’s work or works (albeit with proper acknowledgement of sources and proper attribution) to such an extent that the output contains almost no original contribution,

·               Self-plagiarism: unacknowledged reuse of one’s own work (or part of it) that has been produced or submitted as part of another course of study or that has been published in the past,

·               Collaborative plagiarism: delivering the result of collective collaboration as one’s own individual output.

At minimum, plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment and shall be reported to the student’s Dean. A mitigating circumstance may be the case of novice students, and the benefit of the doubt may be given if it is reasonable to assume that the small-scale plagiarism was the result of ignorance rather than intent. An aggravating circumstance in plagiarism is an act intended to make the plagiarism more difficult to detect. Such conduct includes, for example, the additional modification of individual words or phrases, the creation of typos, the use of machine translation tools or the creation of synonymous text, etc. The Dean may initiate a disciplinary procedure pursuant to the Academic Codex. Intentional or repeated plagiarism always entail disciplinary hearing and may result in expulsion from AAU.

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Tutoring Center

The use of artificial intelligence tools to search sources, to process, analyze and summarize data, and to provide suggestions or feedback in order to improve content, structure, or style, defined here as AI-assisted writing, is not in itself plagiarism. However, it is plagiarism if, as a result, it obscures the authorship of the work produced or the degree of its originality (see the examples above).

AAU acknowledges prudent and honest use of AI-assisted writing, that is, the use of AI for orientation, consultation, and practice is allowed. For some courses and assignments, however, the use of AI is counterproductive to learning outcomes; therefore, the course syllabus may prohibit AI assistance.

A work (text, image, video, sound, code, etc.) generated by artificial intelligence based on a mass of existing data, defined here as AI-generated work, is not considered a work of authorship. Therefore, if an AI-generated work (e.g. text) is part of the author’s work, it must be marked as AI-generated. Otherwise, it obscures the authorship and/or the degree of originality, and thus constitutes plagiarism. Unless explicitly permitted by the instructor, submission of AI-generated work is prohibited.

If unsure about technical aspects of writing, and to improve their academic writing, students are encouraged to consult with the tutors of the AAU Academic Tutoring Center. For more information and/or to book a tutor, please contact the ATC at: http://atc.simplybook.me/sheduler/manage/event/1/.

Course accessibility and inclusion

Students with disabilities should contact the Dean of Students to discuss reasonable accommodations. Academic accommodations are not retroactive.

Students who will be absent from course activities due to religious holidays may seek reasonable accommodations by contacting the Dean of Students in writing within the first two weeks of the term. All requests must include specific dates for which the student requests accommodations.

9. Grading Scale

Letter Grade	Percentage*	Description
A	95 – 100	Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.
A–	90 – 94
B+	87 – 89	Good performance. The student has mastered the material, understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort.
B	83 – 86
B–	80 – 82
C+	77 – 79	Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course, but has not succeeded in translating this understanding into consistently creative or original work.
C	73 – 76
C–	70 – 72
D+	65 – 69	Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the material and subject matter covered during the course. The student’s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to
D	60 – 64	allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives.
F	0 – 59	Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course.

* Decimals should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Prepared by and when: Francis D. Raška, 22 January 2026

Approved by and when: