S. Human Rights in the Americas and the Inter-American System

This course is co-taught by Professors James Cavallaro and Thomas Becker.

This course provides an in-depth introduction and overview of human rights issues in the Americas through study of the doctrine and practice of the Inter-American Human Rights System (“IAHRS”) together with case studies in the region. Students will examine the underlying challenges to human rights in the hemisphere, as well as the norms and oversight bodies that protect human rights in the IAHRS. The seminar will evaluate the jurisprudence of the system and the practice of the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights. The course will also examine the engagement, obstacles and opportunities the system provides for civil society groups, victims, and advocates. Class sessions will consider not only the norms of the system, but also its internal dynamics that present both challenges and opportunities for advocates. In addition, we will explore the influence of the system, evaluating case studies of abuse as well as the impact of decisions and intervention by IAHRS bodies. Students will also consider the inter-American system in comparative perspective, comparing rulings, implementation and impact to those of regional and universal counterparts.

JD Minor Writing Credit awarded automatically upon successful completion of course. (Requires written work totaling 6500-800 words ovr the course of the semester,
JD Major Writing Credit available upon consultation with instructor. (Requires student to submit two complete drafts of a paper of 6500-8000 words in length, with the second draft responding satisfactorily to the instructor’s comments and suggestions on the first.)
LLM Writing Project Credit available upon consultation with instructor. (Requires a paper of at least 20-25 pages based on the student’s own original legal research.)

James Cavallaro is the executive director of the University Network for Human Rights. He has been a professor of law at Harvard, Yale and Stanford, and has served as President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He is the author of scores of reports, articles and books on human rights in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Thomas Becker has documented human rights abuses throughout the world. He launched the first successful human rights lawsuit in the United States against a living former head of state, Mamani v. Sánchez de Lozada. He previously taught at Harvard Law School and now is an attorney at University Network for Human Rights.