This course will be concerned with a range of philosophical issues relating to rights. It will include: (a) discussion in the history of philosophy about the origins and early character of ideas concerning rights, including ideas about rights and their relation to natural law; (b) discussion of a range of arguments about the existence and status of rights, including attempts to 'justify' them; (c) discussion about what the character of rights and correlative obligations should be, and who should be the bearers of these obligations; (d) discussion of current controversies about rights - such as aboriginal land rights, or rights and 'Asian values'. Our prime concern will be with philosophical consideration of normative issues - i.e. about what rights should be - and issues about rights and customary or positive law (national or international) will be discussed in that context.

Short exercise (10%), 2 x 1,500 word essays (80%) and tutorial performance (10%).

One Philosophy, Law or Political Science course or permission of the Coordinator.

* Cranston, M, What are the Human Rights?, Bodley Head, 1973
* Haakonssen, Knud and Lacey, Michael, A Culture of Rights, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.