Law, Culture and the International

Subject 732-722 (2009)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook

Credit Points:
Level: Graduate/Postgraduate
Dates & Locations: For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: 24 - 26 contact hours per subject.
Total Time Commitment: The time commitment for this subject depends on the candidates background and experience.
Prerequisites: N.A.
Corequisites: N.A.
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements: N.A.
Subject Overview:

Objectives:

A student who has successfully completed this subject should:

  • Understand and be able to critically interrogate the concept of ‘culture’
  • Understand how discourses of human rights, international policy and development operate as cultural processes
  • Understand the historical links between cultural constructions of others and practices of law and politics in international and domestic jurisdictions
  • Integrate recent scholarship in cultural studies within the existing frameworks of international law
  • Be familiar with various methodologies and theoretical perspectives that seek to examine the production of cultural identity in the context of legal engagement.

Syllabus:

This subject examines the relationship between international law, the international/global arena, and the politics of cultural formation and identity. What will be stressed is that this relationship is constitutive and highly politicised. A central question will be how does culture and cultural identity get defined in the context of international law, particularly as it relates to human rights and development practices? Drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives and recent scholarship in cultural studies, anthropology and sociology, the subject will engage in contemporary debates informing the cultural dimensions of the international.

Principal topics will include:

  • Historical genealogies of ‘culture’, ‘human rights’ and ‘development’
  • Constituting the ‘international’ arena
  • Colonial and postcolonial paradigms
  • Women, culture and human rights
  • Indigenous peoples and human rights
  • New technologies and media
  • Globalisation and identity politics.
Assessment:
  • Take-home examination (100%) (16–19 October)
Prescribed Texts: Core subject materials will be provided free of charge to all students. Some subjects require further texts to be purchased. Please visit the subject homepage on the Melbourne Law Masters website by following the link at the bottom of this subject entry.
Breadth Options:

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.
Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills: Please see the Subject Objectives for this information.
Links to further information: 732-722Law, Culture and the InternationalMelbourne Law Masters, postgraduate law, post-graduate law, graduate law2009P

Objectives:

A student who has successfully completed this subject should:

  • Understand and be able to critically interrogate the concept of ‘culture’
  • Understand how discourses of human rights, international policy and development operate as cultural processes
  • Understand the historical links between cultural constructions of others and practices of law and politics in international and domestic jurisdictions
  • Integrate recent scholarship in cultural studies within the existing frameworks of international law
  • Be familiar with various methodologies and theoretical perspectives that seek to examine the production of cultural identity in the context of legal engagement.

Syllabus:

This subject examines the relationship between international law, the international/global arena, and the politics of cultural formation and identity. What will be stressed is that this relationship is constitutive and highly politicised. A central question will be how does culture and cultural identity get defined in the context of international law, particularly as it relates to human rights and development practices? Drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives and recent scholarship in cultural studies, anthropology and sociology, the subject will engage in contemporary debates informing the cultural dimensions of the international.

Principal topics will include:

  • Historical genealogies of ‘culture’, ‘human rights’ and ‘development’
  • Constituting the ‘international’ arena
  • Colonial and postcolonial paradigms
  • Women, culture and human rights
  • Indigenous peoples and human rights
  • New technologies and media
  • Globalisation and identity politics.
  • Take-home examination (100%) (16–19 October)
N.A. N.A.24 - 26 contact hours per subject.Core subject materials will be provided free of charge to all students. Some subjects require further texts to be purchased. Please visit the subject homepage on the Melbourne Law Masters website by following the link at the bottom of this subject entry.Please see the Subject Objectives for this information.The time commitment for this subject depends on the candidates background and experience.N.A.Please see the subject homepage on the Melbourne Law Masters website for up to date timetable information.LawLawYNNNParkvillePARKVILLEFor the latest information on this subject, please visit: http://www.masters.law.unimelb.edu.au/subject/732722732-7222

Download PDF version.