CPO 3990: Human Rights
Review Sheet Exam 3, Spring 2022
Key Concepts, Idea, and Questions
On the exam, you will be asked to define and identify the significance of 6 of the following items. Your answer for each should be one to two paragraphs and should demonstrate that you understand the concept/idea/question and how it relates to the material covered in this course. You will also be asked 10 fill-in-the-blank questions about these concepts/ideas as well.
Every question on the exam is somehow linked to the concepts/ideas listed below. If it’s not listed below, you don’t need to know it.
Tips: Identify the author from which the concept, idea, or question comes. In one paragraph, define the concept or directly answer the question. In a second paragraph, explain the significance of this concept, idea, or question from the perspective of this course and the course readings.
Sikkink (2011) Chapter 6
- What is comparison to the ideal and counterfactuals? What are the problems with them?
- What is the difference between prosecutions improving human rights through punishment and by communicating norms? What is the deterrence model and what is the normative model?
- What is the diffusion effect of prosecutions?
- Why might prosecuting human rights be a bad thing?
Hafner-Burton (2005)
- What are preferential trade agreements?
- What is the link between preferential trade agreements and human rights?
- When are preferential trade agreements more likely to improve human rights? When are they less likely to improve human rights?
Hafner-Burton (2008)
- Why might naming and shaming just be seen as cheap talk?
- Why might naming and shaming make human rights worse?
- Why is it that governments may grant more rights yet still continue to abuse them?
Simmons (2009) Chapter 2
- What are the three factors that have increased the development of human rights in international law?
- What is the role of democratization, accountability, and international civil society in this story?
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Sikkink (2011) Chapter 4
- Why is individual accountability important? How does international law shift to reflect international accountability?
- Why is the CAT important for Sikkink?
- What are the two streams Sikkink discusses?
- How do the streams converging impact the ICC?
Simmons (2009) Chapter 4
- How does treaty ratification affect compliance?
- What are self-enforcing agreements? How are human rights agreements different?
- Why do traditional IR theories struggle to help us understand human rights agreements?
- How do human rights agreements impact domestic politics?
- What are the three domestic factors that Simmons focuses on? Which one seems to be the most important?
Vreeland (2008)
- Why do governments torture? What is the role of control in torture?
- What types of autocracies are more likely to torture?
- What’s the impact of control on signing the CAT? What types of autocracies are more likely to sign the CAT?
Powell and Staton (2009)
- Why is the judiciary important?
- How does the judiciary impact whether a state signs the CAT?
- How does the judiciary impact whether a state continues to engage in torture?
Schulz (2009)
- What was key to early Greek/Roman torture?
- Who tortures? Why might everyday people begin to torture?
- What is the role of power in why societies may engage in torture? What is the role of scapegoating in torture?
- What is the ticking time bomb scenario? What are the issues? ● How might universal jurisdiction play a role in torture?
Rejali (2007) Chapters 1 and 2
- What is the national security model?
- What is the juridical model?
- What is the civic discipline model?
