PCR 201: Fundamental Human Rights in Peace and Conflict

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

1. appraise the human rights discourse as it  applies to conflict resolution and peace building;
2. comparatively assess human rights phenomena vis-a-vis its application in the modern world and specifically, the Nigerian context;
3. identify the basics of human rights, personal liberties and social individuality; and
4. distinguish human rights and autocratic ethos and impositions.

Course Contents

The values and norms underlying the concept of universal human rights, and the issues raised in promoting human rights in contemporary society. The rise of nationalism as a key form of political identity in the modern world and the nature of security and the evolution of military technology and warfare, analysing the dynamics of such phenomena as militarisation and arms proliferation. The rise of nationalism as a key form of political identity in the modern world.

Competing theories of nationalism and ethnicity, conceptualising the problems dealt with in case-study form. Extreme forms of nationalism and destructive inter-group conflicts, illustrated by examples from the North and the South. The nature of security and the evolution of military technology and warfare, analysing the dynamics of such phenomena as militarisation and arms proliferation.