Instructor: Sebastian Wogenstein

This course examines philosophical discourse on human rights from the Enlightenment to the present as well as literature and other art forms related to human rights. Literature and the arts have early evoked and discussed the idea of natural and universal rights while communicating experiences of the violation of human dignity. Such works provide the basis for a discussion of ethical dilemmas and provide insight into the complex history of the struggle for human rights. Using various media, we will analyze theoretical and legal documents, documentary sources, literature and films related to Germany’s colonial history, the women’s rights movement, the Holocaust, human rights in divided Germany and current debates on citizenship, multiculturalism and political asylum. While the course introduces students to the history of human rights from the Enlightenment to the present in Germany, it also aims at raising the students’ awareness of related issues in their own lives.

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