Sample/practice exam 25 February Winter 2020, questions PDF

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Download Sample/practice exam 25 February Winter 2020, questions PDF

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1 McMaster University Department of Political Science

Professor Nibaldo Galleguillos Winter 2020

Pol Sci 3Y03 Human Rights and Democratization Preparatory Mid-Term Examination Preparatory questions with which students need to become familiar for the mid-term examination. Some of these questions will appear as stated here in the actual mid-term examination. Answers must be based on all required readings and class and tutorial discussions. The format of the exam is explained in the Course Outline. Notions: 3 things required in your answer: Identify, explain the meaning, and discus the significance of three of the following notions: 1. Reformation Movement 2. Individualism 3. Organic view of society 4. Magna Carta 5. First generation rights 6. Social Constructionism 7. Dialectics 8. Democracy 9. Human Rights 10. Cyrus Cylinder 11. Enlightenment 12. National Security Doctrines 13. Universal Jurisdiction Essay questions: 1. An argument made in class is that democracy and human rights experienced both regression and progress following the first 9/11 event, to be followed for, again, regression, as a result of the second 9/11 event. What evidence is there to support said argument? Would you agree or disagree with this claim that democracy and human rights have deteriorated since 9/11, 2001? Elaborate fully, citing relevant examples. 2. Without the invention, development, and consolidation of the notion of the individual it would not have been possible for citizens’ rights to become human rights. How did the notion of the individual evolve from a historically particularistic experience to become an universal and abstract notion associated with inalienable rights? Moreover, which historical events contributed to consolidate the notion of the abstract individual? How do politics relate to the consolidation of human rights? Elaborate fully, citing relevant examples.

2 3. Can human rights be measured? Is it correct to measure them? In turn, what are the main theoretical and methodological challenges from measuring human rights? Elaborate fully, citing relevant examples. 4. It was argued in class that the meaning of democracy is contested because ancient Greece bequeathed not just one but two models of democracy: which models were those? How did they diverge/converge over time? Which type of political regime did their coalescence in the 19 th century create? Elaborate fully, citing relevant examples. 5. It was argued in class that societies transitioning towards democracy have adopted democracy as a common place term. What is it meant by it? In turn, what are the implications of adopting the Western meaning of democracy without first asking some relevant questions? Which questions are these? Lastly, why it was argued that the meaning of democracy has become distorted through the use of a series of adjectives? Elaborate fully, citing relevant examples. 6. What are the criteria discussed in class that make possible for claims of rights to become human rights? In turn, how do human rights and politics intersect? Elaborate fully, citing relevant examples....