Course Descriptions
PHL 210 - Democracy and Human Rights
3 Credits
This course introduces students to (i) the general conceptual and normative claims of democracy and the modern human rights movement and (ii) specific problems of democracy and human rights. General issues include the role and limits of national sovereignty and the moral and legal bases of human rights. Specific problems are drawn from among the following: genocide and humanitarian intervention, global poverty, religious liberty and religious tolerance, feminism and the roles of women, cultural differences in conceptions of democracy and human rights. We study both conceptual and practical issues in democracy and human rights.
Learning Attributes: WR, GR
New SUNY General Education: SUNY - Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, SUNY - World History and Global Awareness
Retiring SUNY General Education: SUNY-OWC - Other World Civilizations (SOW2)
MCC General Education: MCC-GLO - Global Understanding (MGLO), MCC-SSD - Social Science and Diversity (MSSD), MCC-VE - Values and Ethics (MVE)
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Explain how democratic practices cohere or conflict with the values of more than one civilization.
2. Explain how democratic ideals and institutions promote increased access to positions of authority and autonomous citizen participation for members of different races, genders, classes, religions, or ethnic groups.
3. Recall central concepts of political philosophy and political theory.
4. Explain how different understandings of rights, legitimacy, or membership influence concepts of group identity, privilege, or oppression.
5. Demonstrate the ability to moderate deliberative dialogues that include members of multiple classes, races, genders, religions, and ethnic groups.
6. Compare theories of rights in more than one civilization that influence understandings of privilege, opportunity, or oppression.
Course Offered Spring
Use links below to see if this course is offered:
Fall Semester 2025
Spring Semester 2025
Summer Session 2025