We sometimes make claims about “human rights,” but why? This course will cultivate an understanding of the origins and development of the human rights idea over time. Why do states engage in political violence, and how did the language of human rights emerge in response to that violence? Where did the concept of human rights originate, and how did it get written into law? Are human rights truly universal? After confronting these questions, the course will shift to theories of how the global human rights regime is meant to operate. For example, how might it work to shame, sanction, or used armed intervention to advance the cause of human rights?