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Human Rights, Human Wrongs
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Length Length

11 modules, available at any time

Effort Effort

2-4 hours per module

Price Price

FREE

Languages Languages

English

Video Transcripts Video Transcripts

English, Pусский

Prerequisites Prerequisites

None

Requirements Requirements

An internet connection to access course materials

THE FRAMEWORKS
International agreements in place to support

marginalized groups

THE FRAMEWORKS
INTERSECTIONALITY
Gender, ethnicity and other factors that intersect – and interfere – with rights worldwide

INTERSECTIONALITY
POLITICAL IMPACT
How global politics shape the conversation – and the law

POLITICAL IMPACT
NEW HUMANITARIANISM
How new approaches to humanitarian assistance hurt and help

NEW HUMANITARIANISM

Overview

This course is self-paced – you can enroll immediately and complete the course materials at any time before August 31, 2024.

From women to children to indigenous peoples, the rights of marginalized groups the world over are violated daily. These injustices affect not just these groups, but also the stability of our world – and our collective future.

Join this massive open online course to learn about the establishment of human rights and their linkages to many other global issues in sustainable development. Using legal frameworks as the lens, the course explores the barriers that prevent rights from becoming reality in different societies.

structure

  • Pre-recorded lectures
  • Readings
  • Quizzes and final exam
  • Discussion forum

Lead Faculty

  • Faculty Image

    Joshua Castellino

    Middlesex University

  • Faculty Image

    Sarah Bradshaw

    Middlesex University

This course is for

Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students studying human rights, law, sustainable development, international relations and related fields

Human rights practitioners working on the ground who want to improve the efficacy of intervention programs

Lawyers and policymakers interested in the context of existing and past human rights legislation and the current issues at play in revising legislation or adapting new legislation

Private-sector actors, such as those who work in corporate sustainability and responsibility, who are interested in labor rights, gender equality and more

Sustainable development practitioners who want to understand human rights in the context of a range of issues, such as forced migration

Questions?

Course logistics and requirements

This course is self-paced. All course components are available now and can be completed at any time that is convenient for the students. Please note that this course is not facilitated by a course team. We encourage students to engage with one another via the discussion forum. Any specific questions can be sent to the SDG Academy team at courses@sdgacademy.org.

Certificates

Learners who successfully complete the course will be eligible to purchase a Verified Certificate signed by the instructors.

syllabus

Module 1: Why Does the World Need Human Rights?

1.1

What are Human Rights and Why Do We Need Them?

1.2

From Economic Growth to People-Centered Development

1.3

The “Rise of Rights” in Development

1.4

How are Human Rights Created?

1.5

Rights are Nice, but Are They Enough?

Module 2: How Do International Legal Frameworks and Institutions Interact with the Development Agenda?

2.1

Underlying Concepts of International Law

2.2

United Nations Vision and Institutions

2.3

International Law and the Codification of Standards

2.4

Regional Systems for Human Rights

2.5

Social Inclusion: A Litmus Test for the Efficacy of Human Rights?

Module 3: International Human Rights Frameworks and Marginal Groups

3.1

If Rights Are for All, Why Special Rights for Some?

3.2

Convention on the Rights of the Child

3.3

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

3.4

International Human Rights Treaties

3.5

Limitations of Existing Standards

Module 4: What are the Basic Underlying Frameworks for Social Inclusion?

4.1

Subject in Law vs. Object in Law

4.2

Equality of Opportunity

4.3

Affirmative Action and Special Measures

4.4

Autonomy as a Means of Protection

4.5

The Role of Law in Combatting Inequality

Module 5: Contested Rights and the Co-option of the Rights Discourse

5.1

The Hierarchy of Rights

5.2

Collective vs. Individual Rights

5.3

The Co-option of Rights

5.4

Intellectual Property Rights

5.5

Contested Rights: The Right to Life

Module 6: Sites of Gendered Poverty and Inequality

6.1

Ideas of Poverty and Wellbeing

6.2

Roots of Gender Inequality

6.3

Households as Sites of Inequality

6.4

The Gendered Experience of Poverty

6.5

Attacking Gender Inequality Within Development

Module 7: Gendered Rights and Violence

7.1

Advancements in Women’s Rights

7.2

Conceptualizations: Sexual and Reproductive Rights

7.3

Conceptualizations of Violence and Legal Frameworks

7.4

The Gender Agenda in the UN Human Rights Framework

7.5

Root Causes and Lived Realities: VAWG

7.6

Social Communication for Social Change: Puntos De Encuentro

Module 8: The Nature of Social Exclusion: Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

8.1

Who are Minorities and Indigenous Peoples?

8.2

What Are the Key Issues Facing Minorities and Indigenous Peoples?

8.3

Global Snapshots of Social Exclusion by Continent

8.4

Tools to Overcome Structural Inequalities

8.5

Social Policies to Combat Social Exclusion

Module 9: Who Will Advocate for the Vulnerable at Their Most Vulnerable?

9.1

Vulnerability and “Natural” Disasters

9.2

Gendered Experiences of Disaster

9.3

Social Protection: Problematizing Conditional Cash Transfers

9.4

Culture v. Rights: The Case of Female Genital Mutilation

9.5

Equalizing the Encounter: Free Prior Informed Consent

Module 10: From Exclusion to Inclusion: Responding to Crisis and Conflict

10.1

Humanitarian Response to Crisis

10.2

“Do No Harm”: The Rise of “New Humanitarianism”

10.3

International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

10.4

Democratization and Political Participation: The Situation Room

10.5

Responding to Crisis: Mediating for Peace

Module 11: New Directions: Rights and the SDGs

11.1

Sustainable Development and Rights

11.2

A Vision of Rights for the Future

11.3

Pathways to Sustainable Development and Human Rights

11.4

Human Rights and the Economy

11.5

The SDGs and Beyond

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