Content

Both the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) consider human rights and the rule of law as belonging to their founding values, and both emphasize the centrality of human rights and rule of law in their internal and external policies. Yet, despite their joint commitment to human rights and the rule of law, and a seemingly large potential for common transatlantic approaches to human rights and rule of law issues in external relations, the EU and the US have diverged considerably in their positions on the conceptualization and promotion of human rights and the rule of law.

In this course we will study the EU’s and the US’ respective approaches towards human rights and the rule of law from a comparative perspective, exploring similarities and differences, as well as the potential for stronger transatlantic cooperation.

In a first part, we will consider the constitutional frameworks of both the EU and the US, in order to understand the place they give to human rights and rule of law.

In a second part, we will focus on human rights and familiarize ourselves with the legal, institutional and policy backgrounds of both actors and with the domestic, regional and international human rights protection systems available to individuals in the EU and the US.

In a third part, we will zoom in on the rule of law and its manifestations in the US and EU context, including the EU Member States. We will (a) look into the nexus between rule of law and democracy in both the US/American and EU context and (b) how both actors promote the rule of law in third countries/regions as well as a guiding principle of international relations.

In a fourth part, we focus on a number of comparative case-studies, each time comparing the EU and the US from a human rights and rule of law lense: the fight against corruption and organized crime; trade policy; the fight against terrorism; and migration.

Course material

Primary Sources, Secondary Literature, PPTs

Format: more information

This course may work with (in-class) live-streamed online lectures, online knowledge-clips and/or webinars.