You need to activate javascript for this site.
Menu Conteúdo Rodapé
  1. Home
  2. Courses
  3. Political Science and International Relations
  4. Ethics, Human Rights and Politics

Ethics, Human Rights and Politics

Code 15462
Year 2
Semester S2
ECTS Credits 6
Workload OT(15H)/TP(45H)
Scientific area Ciência Política
Entry requirements Not applicable.
Learning outcomes This course aims to introduce the student to an in-depth reflection on the topic of contemporary ethics and its tools for analyzing aspects of value in the political sphere. The course will focus on a phylogenetic perspective on the topics addressed, seeking to encourage active and positive reflection on the present. The course will be eminently theoretical-practical, with blocks of theoretical exposition, with practical reading units of excerpts from fundamental texts on the subjects, as well as with the reading of comments and the respective promotion of the students' ability to reflect and argue on the topics advanced in class.
Syllabus 1. Introduction to Ethics and the roots of Contemporary Ethics;
2. Human dignity and the question of the foundations of Ethics;
3. The political sphere: natural rights and civil rights;
4. Limits and challenges of Contemporary Ethics;
5. Ethics and Human Rights: from Philosophy to Political Science;
6. Historical analysis of the Bill of Rights (1689) and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789), Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Protocols, American and European Conventions on Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, Portuguese legislation relevant in the area of Human Rights;
7. Criticism towards human rights;
8. Ethics and politics - the issue of ethics for the public space.
Main Bibliography - ARISTÓTELES. Ética a Nicómaco (Lisboa: Quetzal Editores, 2009)
- CLAPHAM, A., Human Rights – A Very Short Introduction. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007)
- DONNELLY, J. Universal Human Rights – In Theory & Practice (2nd edition) (Cornell: Cornell University Press, 2003)
- FAGAN, A., Human Rights: Confronting Myths and Misunderstandings. (Cheltenham UK: Edward Elgar Publishers, 2009)
- HAYDEN, P., LANSFORD, T. (Edts.), Politics and Ethics in Review (NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2005)
- Kant, I. Crítica da Razão Prática (Lisboa: Ed. 70, 2013)
- MACKIE, J.L. Ethics – Inventing Right and Wrong. (London: Penguin Books, 1990)
- MILL, S. Utilitarismo. (Lisboa: Gradiva, 2005)
- OREND, B., Human Rights: Concept and Context (Ontário: Broadview, 2002)
- POLLIS, A. & SCHWAB, P. (Edts), Human Rights – New Perspectives, New Realities. (Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000)
- THOMPSON, D. F., Political Ethics and Public Office (Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1987)
Teaching Methodologies and Assessment Criteria 1. Written Test;
2. Written work, divided into 3 distinct moments (exercises) throughout the semester, with the aim of promoting continuous and formative assessment of students;
3. Attendance and active participation in class.
Language Portuguese. Tutorial support is available in English.
Last updated on: 2024-02-26

The cookies used in this website do not collect personal information that helps to identify you. By continuing you agree to the cookie policy.