SUMMER PROGRAM IN AMSTERDAM
The
five-week program (June 24–July 26) offers two courses, worth 3 credits
each.
Students will enroll in both courses through the University of Notre
Dame’s
Summer Session. Jaleh Dashti-Gibson, director of academic programs at
the Kroc
Institute for International Peace Studies, will teach Human Rights and
the
Quest for International Justice. Students will also enroll in a fine
arts
course, taught in English by a Dutch professor. Students will receive
Notre
Dame credit for these courses and they will be calculated into a
student’s GPA.
Students
will live in furnished apartments with other program participants.
Since the
apartments have kitchens, students will be responsible for their own
meals.
Students will likely live near Centraal Station, the main train station
in Amsterdam.
Additionally,
students will receive a transportation pass to get around the city by
metro.
The
cost
of the program is $6,000. This fee includes tuition, housing, local
transportation, field trips, cultural activities, and guest lectures.
Participants will make their own flight arrangements and will be
responsible
for their own meals in Amsterdam.
IIPS 34401. Human Rights and the
Quest for International Justice
The
primary theme of this course is the tension between sovereignty and
human
rights in world politics. The international legal principle of state
sovereignty has been a defining element of international relations for
centuries. In contrast, the concept of human rights did not enter the
popular
discourse until after World War II. What place, then, does the
international
protection of the human rights of individuals and groups have? Does the
near-universal rhetorical acceptance of the existence of human rights
suggest a
challenge to a state-centric understanding of international affairs, or
does
state practice vis-à-vis human rights actually reinforce such an
understanding?
We will begin by considering the historical, philosophical, and legal
underpinnings of the concept of human rights. What are human rights?
Are they
(or should they be) universal? How has the international human rights
law
evolved? We will turn to the question of protecting international human
rights
by considering “top-down” (international and state) and “bottom-up”
(non-state)
mechanisms for addressing violations of human rights and for promoting
respect
for human rights. We will examine topics of particular relevance given
the
location of the courts in The Netherlands and the rich resources
available
there for our study, such as the International Criminal Court, European
mechanisms
for promoting and protecting human rights, and the human rights
concerns of
immigrants, among others. This course will count towards the Peace
Studies Area
A requirement for majors and minors. Additionally, the course will be
cross-listed as POLS 34259, fulfilling a political science major
requirement.
Students
will also take a fine arts course. The details of this course are still
being
finalized, but the goal is to find a course that would expose students
to the
world-renowned art in Amsterdam
while satisfying a University fine arts requirement.