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Strategies for Achieving Human Rights

  • Module code: PO7016
  • Year: 2018/9
  • Level: 7
  • Credits: 30
  • Pre-requisites: None
  • Co-requisites: None

Summary

This module is one of two core modules for the students on the MA Human Rights, and can be taken as an option by some students in related fields who are interested in learning about practical strategies for campaigning for human rights. The main premise of this module is to critically assess the possibility of achieving human rights in various different contexts. Students will explore what is meant by human rights and the protection of human rights. They will consider, in detail, the scope and content of a number of core rights. Through case studies illustrating various campaign methods and strategies, students will gain practical knowledge of how to design and deliver campaigns that have impact. They will simulate practitioners in the field and gain relevant expertise in campaign design. This module blends contemporary debates and contested issues with practical strategies of how to achieve the protection of human rights.

Aims

  • Develop an advanced understanding of the scope and content of core human rights;
  • Critically assess a set of contemporary human rights problems concerning strategies for achieving human rights;
  • Evaluate methodologies of particular strategies for change;
  • Critically reflect on the impact and effectiveness of campaign strategies employed by a range of human rights practitioners.

Learning outcomes

  • Critically assess the possibility of achieving human rights;
  • Analyse the strategic choices human rights workers make through case studies from a range of professional practices;
  • Articulate, present and defend an evaluation of a strategy for change in a specific area of human rights practice;
  • Reflect critically and analytically on the competing pressures and challenges faced by human rights organisations in the contemporary world.

Curriculum content

  • Introduction: thinking about rights
  • Torture
  • Slavery
  • Freedom of expression/ assembly/ protest
  • Economic, social and cultural rights
  • The right to development
  • Groups rights /indigenous peoples
  • Campaigning for impact
  • Tactics and techniques in human rights campaigning
  • Strategy and planning
  • Monitoring and evaluation
  • Case studies: lessons learnt

Teaching and learning strategy

The teaching and learning strategy will involve a mix of lectures, debates, presentations, simulations and seminars. The module will begin with an introductory lecture and seminar exploring what we mean by human rights and the protection of human rights. Students will then consider in detail the scope and content of a number of core rights, which will include investigation of a number of debates on contested conceptual issues. Students will then be presented with a series of case studies illustrating a variety of strategies for change, which they will evaluate in groups and individually.

Breakdown of Teaching and Learning Hours

Definitive UNISTATS Category Indicative Description Hours
Scheduled learning and teaching Lectures and seminars 48
Guided independent study Seminar preparation, group work, revision 252
Total (number of credits x 10) 300

Assessment strategy

Formative Assessment

There will be formative activities for students to practice the appropriate study and critical debating skills, and get feedback on their work at intervals during the module. Formative assessment is non-assessed (no formal marks); the emphasis is on feedback to identify areas for improvement.

On three separate occasions students will be placed into different study groups and will work together outside the formal class setting to compile a group presentation, and participate in a class simulation and debate. The presentation will be on a particular rights issue, whilst the simulation will be focused on a conflicting rights dilemma and/or debate.  The Module Leader will provide direction to the content of all formative assessment exercises.  The exercises will get feedback comments as a group from both the Module Leader and all students within the class (through varying processes of peer assessment). This formative assessment will provide students with the conceptual and analytical basis for the Position Paper.

Summative Assessment

The Position Paper (2000 words) is designed to assess the development of students' knowledge and critical understanding of key human rights principles and standards, and their awareness of some of the conceptual tensions surrounding the notion of human rights. Students will be expected to demonstrate a critical and analytical engagement with both the topic and the associated literature. This assessment provides the conceptual platform for the Campaign Strategy and Rationale.

The Campaign Proposal (3000 words) is practice based and designed to test students' ability to identify and assess the strengths and weaknesses of particular strategies (methodologies) for change adopted by human rights practitioners in a defined scenario from one of the module's case studies.  The assessment will be divided into the Campaign Strategy (1000 words), which articulates the proposed strategy, and the Campaign Rationale (2000 words), which details the rationale for the strategy with supporting documentation. 

Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment Strategy (Indicative)

Learning Outcome Assessment Strategy
1) Critically assess the possibility of achieving human rights; Formative Assessment & Position Paper
2) Analyse the strategic choices human rights workers make through case studies from a range of professional practices; Campaign Proposal
3) Articulate, present and defend an evaluation of a strategy for change in a specific area of human rights practice; Campaign Proposal
4) Reflect critically and analytically on the competing pressures and challenges faced by human rights organisations in the contemporary world. Campaign Proposal

Elements of Assessment

Description of Assessment Definitive UNISTATS Categories Percentage
Coursework Position paper 25
Coursework Campaign proposal 75
Total (to equal 100%) 100%

Achieving a pass

It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.

Bibliography core texts

Kingham and Coe (2005), The Good Campaigns Guide, NCVO Campaigns Effectiveness Unit 

Bibliography recommended reading

Chapman, J. and Fisher, T., The effectiveness of NGO campaigning: lessons from practice, Development in Practice, Vol. 10, No. 2, May 2000

Colley, A. and Ron, J., The NGO scramble: Organisational insecurity and the political economy of transnational action, International Security, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Summer 2002), pp.5-39

Green, M., What we talk about when we talk about indicators: current approaches to human rights measurement, Human Rights Quarterly 23 (2001), 1062-1097

Hannum, H. Implementing Human Rights: An Overview of NGO strategies and Available Procedures in Hannum, H. (3rd ed.), Guide to International Human Rights Practice

Weissbrodt, D. and Kruger, M., (2005) Human Rights Responsibilities of Businesses as Non-State Actors in P. Alston (ed.), Non-State Actors and Human Rights

Report of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and related business enterprises with regard to human rights (2005)

Interim Report of the UN Special Representative on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (2006)

International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, UN Human Rights Norms for Business: Briefing Kit (2005)

Sarah Shimmin, Challenges to effectiveness and impact, NCVO Campaigning Effectiveness Unit 2007

Auditing for Rights, Developing Scrutiny Systems for Human Rights Compliance, Justice 2001

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