HIST 538

Sports, Human Rights, & U.S. Foreign Relations - CUE, WR

How have U.S. athletes and government officials used sports as a platform to promote human rights? What has been the relationship between U.S. athletes' efforts and human rights movements in the United States and abroad? How have members of the U.S. public foreigners responded to these efforts? On what bases have people argued that sports should or should not be a platform for discussing human rights? In this course, we will use sports as a lens to explore human rights activism and U.S. foreign relations. Through case studies, we will examine how people have defined human rights, how the U.S. government has incorporated human rights concerns in formulating its foreign policy, and how athletes and others outside of the government (non-state actors) have promoted human rights. Our readings will include foreigners' responses to, and involvement in, these debates as well

Units: 3.0