SOC 2045 THE HOLOCAUST, LAW & HUMAN RIGHTS
The Holocaust is among the most systematic and blatant violations of human rights in recorded history. It was rationalized and justified by an elaborate Nazi doctrine which denied the humanity of its victims. The global reaction to this dehumanization accelerated international human rights legislation as no previous events had ever done. One immediate result was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the United Nations in 1948, in which the relationship between being human and having rights was drawn for everyone. This course examines issues relating to the assault on human rights in the modern world, focusing primarily on genocidal practices by nations in the 20th century. In dealing with some of these issues, the course will focus on the Holocaust its relationship to prior and subsequent human rights abuses in this century.