RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS AND CONTEMPORARY HUMAN RIGHTS
A Proposed Syllabus
Primary Books
Tad Stahnke and J. Paul Martin, eds., Religion and Human Rights: Basic Documents, [BDHR].
Michael J. Perry, The Idea of Human Rights [IHR].
Natan Lerner, Religion, Beliefs, and International Human Rights [RBHR].
Abdullahi An-Na'im, ed., Proselytization and Communal Self-Determination in Africa [PCSA].
Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Islam and Human Rights: Tradition and Politics, 2nd Edition [IsHR].
Brian Barry, Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism [CE].
Joseph Runzo, Nancy M. Martin and Arvind Sharma, eds., Human Rights and Responsibilities in the World Religions [HRR].
Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice: Rights and Wrongs [JRW].
Johannes Morsink, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins, Drafting, and Intent [JMUD].
Thomas F. Farr, World of Faith and Freedom: Why Religious Liberty is Vital to American National Security [WFF].
Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular: Christianity, Islam, and Modernity [FS].
Abdullahi An-Na'im, Islam and the Secular State [ISS].
Elizabeth M. Bucar and Barbara Barnett, eds. Does Human Rights Need God? [HRNG].
Jyette Klausen, The Cartoons that Shook the World [CSW]
Part I: Contemporary Human Rights Language and the Status and Role of Religion
BD, "International Bill of Rights," pp. 56-85.
JMUD, ch. 1, "The Drafting Process Explained"; ch. 2, "World War II as Catalyst"; ch. 8, "Article 1, the Preamble and the Enlightenment."
Henry J. Steiner and Philip Alston, eds., International Human Rights in Context: Law, Politics, and Morals, 2nd edition, pp. 56-85; 126-146.
Sumner Twiss, "History, Human Rights, and Globalization," Journal of Religious Ethics 32.1 (Spring 2004), pp. 39-70
Todd Landman, Protecting Human Rights: A Comparative Study [selections].
HRR, ch. 4, Arvind Sharma, "The Religious Perspective: Dignity as a Foundation for Human Rights Discourse"; Part III, "A Declaration of Human Rights by the World's Religions," pp. 131-205.
Response to the Declaration by Sumner Twiss in Frances S. Adeney and Arvind Sharma, eds., Christianity and Human Rights: Influences and Issues.
David Little, "Religious Liberty," in Christianity and Law, John Witte, Jr. and Frank Alexander, eds., pp. 298-327.
BD, "International Standards of Human Rights Related to Religion and Belief," pp.87-138; "Documents on the Rights of Religious Minorities," pp. 161-181.
RBHR, Introduction; ch. 1, "Religious Human Rights under the United Nations"; ch. 2, "Regional Protection of Human Rights."
Ch. 5, "Rights, Duties, and Cultural Relativism," in Henry Steiner and Philip Alston, eds., International Human Rights in Context: Law, Politics, and Morals, 2nd edition.
Bhikhu Parekh, "Cultural Diversity and Liberal Democracy," in Gurpreet Mahajan, ed., Democracy, Difference, and Social Justice, pp. 207-227.
FS, chs. 3, 4, and 6.
IHR, Introduction, ch. 1, "Is the Idea of HRs Ineliminably Religious?"; ch. 2, "Rights Talk: What Does It Mean and Is It Problematic?"; ch. 3, "Are Human Rights Universal?", and ch. 4, "Are Human Rights Absolute?"
JRW [selections].
Max Stackhouse, "Human Rights and Public Theology," The Basic Validation," and reply by Louis Henkin, "Human Rights: Religious or Enlightened?" chs. 2 and 3 in Religion and Human Rights, Competing Claims?
HHR, Philip Quinn, "Christian Ethics and Human Rights," ch. 17.
HRNG, David Novak, "God and Human Rights in a Secular Society," ch. 3 in
HRR, Eliot N. Dorff, "A Jewish Perspective on Human Rights," ch. 16
Peter J. Haas, Human Rights and the World's Major Religions, vol. I, Jewish Tradition [selections].
IsHR, ch. 1, "Comparisons of Rights Across Cultures"; ch. 2, "International and Islamic Human Rights"; ch. 3, "International Human Rights: The Historical Background"; and ch. 9, "An Assessment of Islamic Human Rights Schemes."
HRR, Khaled Abou El Fadl, "The Human Rights Commitment in Modern Islam," ch. 21.
ISS, chs. 1, 2, 3, 7.
Part II: Issues of Special Concern
Heather Payne and Norman Doe, "Public Health and the Limits of Religious Freedom"; Ingvill Thorson Plesner, "Legal Limitations to Freedom of Religion or Belief" in The Permissible Scope of Legal Limitations on the Freedom of Religion or Belief, Emory International Law Review 19, 2 (Summer 2005).
RBHR, ch. 4, "Proselytism and Change of Religion."
IsHR, ch. 8, "Freedom of Religion in Islamic Human Rights Schemes."
CE, ch. 1, "Introduction," ch. 1, The Strategy of Privatization, and ch. 2, "Dynamics of Identity: Assimilation, Acculturation, and Difference."
T. Jeremy Gunn, "Adjudicating Rights of Conscience under the European Convention on Human Rights," in Religious Human Rights in Global Perspective: Legal Perspectives, pp. 305-330.
PCSA, ch. 1, "Introduction," ch. 2, "Religious Proselytization," ch. 4, "Church and State Relations," ch. 7, "Returning to My Roots," ch. 8, "Scramble for Souls."
Resolutions on "Defamation of Religion," UN Human Rights Council (on line).
CSW [selections]
Jean Bethke Elshtain, "Thinking about Women, Christianity and Rights," in Religious Human Rights: Religious Perspectives, John Witte Jr. and Johan D. van der Vyver, eds., pp. 143-156.
Michael S. Berger and Deborah E. Lipstadt, "Women in Judaism from the Perspective of Human Rights," Religious Human Rights: Religious Perspectives, pp. 295-32.
IHR, ch. 5, "Discrimination against Women and Non-Muslims," and ch. 6, "Restrictions on the Rights and Freedoms of Women."
Diane Bell, "Considering Gender: Are Human Rights for Women, Too? An Australian Case," in Abdullahi An-Na'im, ed., Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspectives, pp.339-362.
HRNG, ch. 8, Courtney W. Howland, "The Challenge of Religious Fundamentalism to the Liberty and Equality Rights of Women: An Analysis under the United Nations Charter."
CE, ch. 4, "Theories of Group Rights," ch. 5. "Liberal States and Illiberal Religions," ch. 6. "Public Stake in the Arts and Education," and ch. 8, "Politics of Multiculturalism."
IsHR ch. 7, "Islamic Human Rights Schemes and Non-Muslims."
RBHR, ch. 3, "Protecting Groups from Persecution and Incitement."
Nathan Glazer, "Individual Rights against Group Rights," pp. 123-138; Darlene M. Johnston, "Native Rights as Collective Rights: A Question of Group Self-Preservation," pp. 179-201;
Chandran Kukathas, "Are There Any Cultural Rights," pp. 228-256; Leslie Green, "Internal Minorities and their Rights," pp. 257-272, in Will Kymlicka, ed., Rights of Minorities.
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UDHR: Background, Elaboration, and Implementation
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A New Declaration? Suggested Alterations and Some Responses from the World's Religions
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"Religious Human Rights"
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Philosophical and Theological Issues I
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Philosophical and Theological Issues II
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Religious Perspectives I: Christianity
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Religious Perspectives: Judaism
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Religious Perspectives II: Islam
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Religious Freedom I
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Religious Freedom II
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Religion, Gender, and Rights
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Rights of Minorities
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Conclusion: Religion, Human Rights, and Foreign Policy
WFF [selections].
Alternative Religious Traditions
Religious Perspectives: Confucianism
Joseph Chan, "A Confucian Perspective on Human Rights for Contemporary China," and Yash Ghai, "Rights, Social Justice, and Globalization in East Asia, in Joanne R. Bauer and Daniel A. Bell, eds., The East Asian Challenge for Human Rights.
HRR, Sumner B. Twiss, "Confucian Values and Human Rights," ch. 20.
HRNG, Anthony C. Yu, "Enduring Change: Confucianism and the Prospect of Human Rights," ch. 5.
Religious Perspectives: Buddhism
Robert E. Florida, Human Rights and the World's Major Traditions, vol. V, The Buddhist Tradition.
HRR, ch. 18, James Fredericks, "Buddhism and Human Rights: The Recent Discussion and Its Implications for Christianity."
Religious Perspectives: Hinduism
Harold Coward, Human Rights and the World's Major Traditions, vol. IV, The Hindu Tradition.
Arati Rao, "Speaking/Seeking a Common Language: Women, the Hindu Right, and Human Rights in India," and Julie Stone Peters, "Reply: Reconceptualizing the Relationships between Religion, Women, Culture, and Human Rights," in Carrie Gustafson and Peter Juviler, eds., Religion and Human Rights: Competing Claims?







