Teaching Human Rights in Political Science

This insightful book provides practical guidance for teaching human rights in post-secondary education political science courses. Leading and emerging scholars present a variety of pedagogical approaches, exploring major debates in the field and covering cutting-edge human rights research.

Each chapter is co-authored by a senior and early-career political scientist with clear learning outcomes identified and integrated practical exercises throughout. Chapters cover key topics such as international organizations, international law and courts, domestic political institutions, public policy mechanisms and the spaces in which human rights defenders take action. Contributing authors also address approaches grounded in theory, political economy, and qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research, enabling instructors to demonstrate the roles of ideas, actors and institutions in realizing human dignity. Ultimately, Teaching Human Rights in Political Science provides a varied toolkit of learning techniques such as discussions, simulations, policy briefings and debates to help instructors maximize student engagement.



This book is an essential guide for political science instructors looking to build and enrich their teaching of human rights as well as educators across other disciplines seeking to engage with human rights in their classrooms. It is also a valuable resource for students and scholars in human rights law and international politics.