12029 Freedom of Religion and Belief in International Law 1
Credits: 3 graduate credits in Democracy Studies / Society and Politics
Prerequisites: Democracy: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Israeli Democracy: Selected Issues, Contemporary Democratic Theories; one of the following: Democracy and Democratization, Selected Problems in the History of Western Democracies, Education Policy: Education for Democracy in Democratic Societies, Democracy and Mass Communication,2 Selected Topics in Public Administration; and exemption from bibliographic assignments on computer searches in the “Alef” catalog and databases.
The course is based on a reader (mainly in English) edited by Natan Lerner.
In the past, granting and ensuring religious rights was a difficult goal to achieve. The course deals with attempts to anchor rights that relate to religion in international law, attempts which began immediately after the establishment of the United Nations. In the last decade, as a result of the war in the former Yugoslavia and the events of September 11th, the need to find a resolution to the question of freedom of religion and belief within international law has come to the forefront.
The course focuses on declarations and treaties published by the UN and other international bodies in order to attempt to establish an efficient canon of rights in the area of freedom of religion. Focusing on these primary sources acquaints students with the major bodies involved in international law, the varied aspects of the issue of freedom of religion and belief, and the obstacles to well-defined legislation and its effective implementation.
Topics: Protection of religious groups; Religious rights and race; Religious rights and gender; Religious rights and children; Religious rights and education; Religion and immigrant groups; Religious rights of minorities; The question of conversion.
1Students may write a seminar paper in this course, although it is not required.
2or Liberalism: Texts, Contexts, Critiques (12005), for students who took it as a required course in the Culture specialization before Spring 2010.