COURSE DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION
| Course Name | Code | Semester | T+A+L (hour/week) | Type (C / O) | Local Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contemporary Theories of Right | KH 536 | Fall-Spring | 03+00+00 | Elective | 3 | 7.5 |
| Academic Unit: | Law |
| Mode of Delivery: | Face to face |
| Prerequisites: | None |
| Language of Instruction: | Turkish |
| Level of Course Unit: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Reyda ERGÜN |
| Course Lecturer(s): | Reyda ERGÜN |
| Course Objectives: | The objective of this course, 1. To introduce students to the theoretical basis of human rights discourse, which is essential for today, 2. To provide students with the ability of critical thinking on possibilities and limits of modern theories of right, 3. To broaden and enrich the students in respect of new conceptualizations on the notion of right, 4. To equip the students with instruments that help them conduct theoretical and innovational discussions related to the recent struggles for rights. |
| Course Contents: | Within the scope of this course, the origins and importance of natural rights discourse will be emphasized within the stage of transition to political modernity as a determining factor in constituting the political values of this new era. Then, the course will examine the theoretical background of the dominant tension within the relation between the individual and the political organization of modern society: the state. After addressing possibilities and improvements of the liberal theory of rights that substantially supports today’s human rights discourse, a discussion on its dilemmas and boundaries will be held. As constructing this critical approach, we will especially refer to feminist theory, queer theory, and Marxist theory. And then, to go beyond the dilemmas and limits discussed, Spinoza’s theory of conatus and his approach on passions will be suggested as a method for discussion within the frame of relevant reading materials. Finally, we will give examples that constrain modern theory of rights theoretically, focusing on new movements that differ from mainstream struggles for rights and their new conceptualizations. |
| Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit (LO): |
|
| Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods: | Lectures and discussions through active participation of students |
WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATIONS
| Week | Subjects | Related Preperation | LO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | 1-2-3 | |
| 2 | From Natural Law Theory to Theory of Natural Rights: The Origins of Modern Concept of Right | 1-2 | |
| 3 | Human’s Natural Rights within the scope of Freedom vs Security | 1-2 | |
| 4 | Theoretical Foundations of Positive Human Rights Law | 1-2-3 | |
| 5 | Liberal Theory of Right and Its Limits | 1-2-3 | |
| 6 | Feminism, Queer Theory and the Theory of Right | 1-2-3 | |
| 7 | Marxism and the Theory of Right | 1-2-3 | |
| 8 | Beyond Modern Political-Legal Conceptual Framework, The Possibility of a Theory of Right | 1-2-3 | |
| 9 | Rethinking Rights Within the Category of Politics | 1-2-3 | |
| 10 | Spinoza and the Theory of Right (Part I) | 1-2-3 | |
| 11 | Spinoza and the Theory of Right (Part II) | 1-2-3 | |
| 12 | Through a Conceptualization of Right which is not human-oriented | 1-2-3 | |
| 13 | The Notion of Collective Right | 1-2-3 | |
| 14 | The Right to the City | 1-2-3 |
At Kadir Has University, a Semester is 14 weeks; The weeks 15 and 16 are reserved for final exams.
REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READING
| Due to the subject, a number of readings are assigned during the course. |
OTHER COURSE RESOURCES
| Cemal Bâli Akal, Varolma Direnci ve Özerklik, Dost Kitabevi, Ankara, 2010. Fatmagül Berktay, Politikanın Çağrısı, İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları, Istanbul, 2010, p. 11-40. Tülin Bumin, “Demokrasi Karşısında Hukukun İki Hali”, Aydınlanma ve Hukuk, Osmanlı Bankası Arşiv ve Araştırma Merkezi, Istanbul, 2008, p. 17-21. Ekrem Ekici, “Antonio Gramsci ve Louis Althusser: Hukuk İdeolojisinin Eleştirisi”, Marksist Devlet ve Hukuk Teorisi, NotaBene, Ankara, 2013, p. 247-278. Tuna Erdem, “Hizadan Çıkmaya, Yoldan Sapmaya ve Çıkıntı Olmaya Dair”, Cinsellik Muamması, Metis Yayınları, Istanbul, 2012, p. 37-71. Reyda Ergün, Cemal Bâli Akal, “Teolojik-Politik İnceleme’den Politik İnceleme’ye Özgürlük ve Güvenlik Bilmecesi”, Kimlik Bedenin Hapishanesidir, İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları, Istanbul, 2014. Reyda Ergün, “Kent Hakkı”, Güncel Hukuk, No: 118, October 2013, p. 12-13. Luc Ferry, Ekolojik Yeni Düzen, YKY, Istanbul, 2000. Marcel Gauchet, Yurttaşını Arayan Demokrasi, İletişim Yayınları, Istanbul, 2013. Catharine A. MacKinnon, “Liberal Devlet”, Feminist Bir Devlet Kuramına Doğru, Metis, Istanbul, 2003, p. 183-197. David Harvey, Asi Şehirler, Metis, İstanbul, 2013. Henri Lefebvre, Kentsel Devrim, Sel, İstanbul, 2011. Ali Murat Özdemir, Ebubekir Aykut, “Marksizm ve Hak Kavramı: Kuramsal Bir Yaklaşım Denemesi”, İnsan Hakları Yıllığı, Vol. 28, 2010, p. 23-44. Anne Phillips, Demokrasinin Cinsiyeti, Metis, İstanbul, 1995. Leo Strauss, Doğal Hak ve Tarih, Say, İstanbul, 2011. Tolga Şirin, “Doğa Ananın Hakları”, Güncel Hukuk, No. 128, Doğan-Burda, Istanbul, 2014. Oktay Uygun, “İnsan Hakları Kuramı”, İnsan Hakları, YKY, İstanbul, 2000, p. 13- 44. |
ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA
| Semester Requirements | Number | Percentage of Grade (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Midterms / Oral Exams / Quizes | 1 | 40 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 60 |
| Total: | 2 | 100 |
WORKLOAD
| Events | Count | Duration (Hours) | Total Workload (hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours | 14 | 4 | 56 |
| Extra-Class Activities (reading,individiual work, etc.) | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Midterms / Oral Exams / Quizes | 1 | 54 | 54 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 57.5 | 57.5 |
| Total Workload (hour): | 187.5 | ||
1 ECTS = 25 Hours Workload
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (LO) AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS (PQ)
| # | PQ1 | PQ2 | PQ3 | PQ4 | PQ5 | PQ6 | PQ7 | PQ8 | PQ9 |
| LO1 | |||||||||
| LO2 | |||||||||
| LO3 |
Contribution: 1 Low, 2 Average, 3 High