In this course, we will explore the tension between the law’s dual obligation to protect individual rights and uphold the state’s right to govern, especially during times of crisis. Students will first consider the question, “where do rights originate?” while they simultaneously consider excerpts from the U.S. Supreme Court opinion, Roe v Wade (1973) and excerpts from utilitarian Jeremy Bentham’s critique of the French Declaration of Rights (which wholly rejects the existence of natural rights). Students will then consider primary sources that examine important concepts related to human rights: equal protection in wartime (the internment camp cases), protest (Martin Luther King, Jr.), patriotism (Frederick Douglass), identity (Audre Lorde), and even, technology (Ruha Benjamin). Students will reflect upon these important perspectives and concepts and design a creative piece that addresses the question, “what does it mean to be a citizen?”
- Teacher: Patricia Kennedy