Mark R. Shulman

History is replete with rabid pogroms, merciless religious wars, tragic show trials, and even genocide. For as long as people have congregated, they have defined themselves, in part, as against an other—and have persecuted that other. But history has also yielded systems of constraints. So, how can we hope to achieve a meaningful understanding of the human experience without examining both the wrongs and the rights? Should the human story be left to so-called realists, who claim that power wins out over ideals every time? Or is there a logic of mutual respect that offers better solutions? This lecture will examine the history of international human rights and focus on the claims that individuals and groups make against states in which they live. 

In a global landscape pocked by genocide, wars of choice, piracy, and international terrorism, what good is international law? Can it mean anything without a global police force and a universal judiciary? Is “might makes right” the only law that works? Or is it true that “most states comply with most of their obligations most of the time”? These essential questions frame the contemporary practice of law across borders. This lecture will provide an overview of international law—its doctrine, theory, and practice. The course addresses a wide range of issues, including the bases and norms of international law, the law of war, human-rights claims, domestic implementation of international norms, treaty interpretation, and state formation and succession.

History is replete with pogroms, religious wars, show trials, and genocide. For as long as people have congregated, they have defined themselves against an other—and have persecuted that other. Yet history has also produced the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international tribunals, truth and reconciliation commissions, and movements demanding dignity. Can we hope to understand the human experience without examining both the wrongs and the rights? Do power and interest always triumph over principle, as realists claim? Or does a logic of mutual respect offer better solutions? This course will examine the history and practice of international human rights, focusing on the claims individuals and groups make against states. Students will master both rights doctrine and the practical techniques of human rights advocacy, learning how activists, lawyers, and movements have wielded human rights discourse to challenge oppression—and when those efforts have fallen short. Through this exploration, students will develop their own informed perspective on how the world works: how states respond to moral claims, how international and domestic politics intersect, and how ordinary people can drive meaningful change in the face of entrenched power.

In a global landscape marked by genocide, wars of choice, piracy, and international terrorism, what use is international law? Can it mean anything without a global police force and a universal judiciary? Is "might makes right" the only law that works? Or is it true that "most states comply with most of their obligations most of the time"? These essential questions frame the contemporary practice of law across borders. This course examines international law from its historical foundations through today's most pressing challenges: When can states legally use force? How do human rights claims constrain sovereignty? When does law actually bind? How do international norms become domestic reality? Students will engage with both doctrine and practice, learning to analyze how international law functions—and fails—in a multipolar world. Beyond mastering legal frameworks, students will develop critical skills for understanding how states behave, how power and principle interact in global affairs, and how individuals and organizations can leverage international law to effect change—or when other tools prove more effective.