Human Rights in Globalising World 2015 update

All-university Department of Public PolicySyllabus of the course “Philosophy and Theory of Human Rights in Globalizing World” for Master degree in Political Science 030200.68 for Master

All-university Department of Public Policy

Syllabus of the course

“Philosophy and Theory of Human Rights in Globalizing World”

for Master degree in Political Science (030200.68) for Master degree program “Political Analysis and Public Policy”

Author of the syllabus: (full name, degree, academic title, e-mail)

Ksenia Gerasimova, PhD in Land Economy klg37@cam.ac.uk

Zinaida Pogosova, PhD in Law, Associate Professor, zpogosova@hse.ru

Approved by the meeting of the all-university Department of Public Policy

on (day/month/year) «28» August 2014

Head of department:

Prof.Nina Belyaeva (signature)

Рекомендована секцией УМС [Введите название секции УМС] « _» 200 г Председатель [Введите И.О Фамилия]

Утверждена УС факультета [Введите название факультета] « _» _200 г Ученый секретарь [Введите И.О Фамилия] [подпись]

Moscow, 2014

Настоящая программа не может быть использована другими подразделениями

1 Scope of Use

The present syllabus is aimed at faculty teaching this course, their teaching assistants, and students of the degree program 030201.68 ‘Political Science’, master’s program ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’, studying human rights

This syllabus meets the standards required by:

• Higher School of Economics,

• degree program 030201.68 ‘Political Science’, master’s program ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’,

• and the curriculum of the master’s program ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’ as of 2011

2 Learning Objectives

- After explaining how the concept of human rights has a history marked by philosophical controversies, and how understanding those controversies within an interdisciplinary framework helps us to illuminate the state of human rights today, we track the development of a liberal and secular perspective on human rights

- We also survey various theories of human rights (giving special attention to contemporary sociological theories of human rights), and highlight their many unresolved tensions to explain why the practice, and not just the theory, of human rights matters

- We also determine and assess relationships among societies, institutions, and systems in terms of reciprocal – though not necessarily symmetrical – interactions, benefits, and costs This will be accomplished with the help of a common set of readings which discuss the various institutions, national policies, and systems which create and sustain reciprocal and non-reciprocal interactions

- We then discuss the role of the social sciences in understanding human rights, and explain why we cannot reduce human rights to legal analysis We also discuss the relationship between culture and human rights – including the problems of cultural imperialism and cultural relativism, and the relationship between human rights and minority rights, the rights of indigenous people, women’s rights and the right to self-determination Another important area of focus in this course is the politics of human rights, and the influence of human rights on politics

- We examine not only nation-state centered paradigms but also those that give greater attention to transnational networks of actors, including social movements, and NGOs

- Generally, we attempt to assess how globalization and development is impacting human rights today, and the power (if any) that human rights have to shape the unfolding process of globalization and the institutions sustaining it

3 Students’ Competences

By the end of the course, the students are expected to:

• Know the major concepts of public policy and social discourse, as well as human rights theories;

• Be able to discuss and reproduce these concepts and theories, be able to find relations between them and analyze them;

• Be able to recognize important human rights problems, analyze them and suggest possible ways of solving them;

• Be able to apply those analytical tools to various stages of policy process and to various institutions, that define a framework of policy process;

• Be able to distinguish between infringements of law and human rights violations;

• Be able to identify targets, decision-makers, benefactors and other actors involved into human rights issues, their motives, strategies and methods;

• Understand who gains, and what are the motives, for framing particular issues as human rights issues;

• Understand to what extent cultural differences in the conception of human rights affect the universality

of those rights as philosophical values or legal obligations

Students’ competences expected by the end of the course:

Competence Code Descriptors Teaching methods andforms

Is able to update and

develop his/her level of

culture and intelligence

level

ОК-1 Makes definitions on his/her own,

possesses skills to select and adopt new literature on his/her topics of specialization or on interfaces, interprets subjects under the study in cultural, political, social context considering historical and technological changes

Work without assistance with literature, home works on bibliography and abstracting the literature practice Classroom discussions, Data retrieval practice using data bases and Internet, essay writing

Is able to study new

research methods without

assistance

ОК-2 Selects and adopts up-to-date scientific

literature on research topic without assistance Has formed the habit to observe regularly new information on the research topic from different sources

Can apply knowledge he/she has adopted through literature or distant education

Working on his/her own with the course teachers periodical control, writing essays, home works preparation

Is able to use skills and

knowledge to conduct

researches, to manage a

team, to influence the group

goals formulation, to

evaluate the results

ОК-5 Is able to work in team, to manage work

stage, to control the tasks are done in time, to set goals precisely and work up phased research plan according to the goals, to complete tasks in time the others charged him/her, to foresee the risks for the plan realization and work up strategy to mitigate it Is able to evaluate objectively the other colleagues do their job

Participation in the group work

ПК-2 Chooses those informational

technologies which could be applied to the research, possesses the tools, uses in

a creative way contemporary national and foreign experience

Participation in the group work, writing essays, home works preparation

ПК-3 Performs the research results according

to professional requirements and type of research work

Homework and team

presentations

ПК-6 Chooses appropriate common and

specific methods to analyze a research subject

Participation in the group work, writing essays, home works preparation ПК-7 Is able to give definitions for subjects

under research, to interpret them referring to the context, to determine processes and issues Demonstrates the skill to unveil cause-effect relation, is able to prove the goals and research plan chosen for research or expert work

Participation in the group work, writing essays, home works preparation

Students should also be able to write joint papers with students and professors from partnering universities and blogs on contemporary, relevant human rights issues, to present and defend their opinions clearly and cogently

4 The course in structure of the master’s program

This course is a foundational one, taught in the first semester of the first year of master’s program ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’ for both specializations: ‘Political Analysis and Public Policy’ and ‘Human Rights and Democratic Governance’ This is a core course that welcomes but does not require prior knowledge in human rights or political science

This course is crucial for mastering the degree program on the whole and some of its courses in particular, including:

• Global Actors in Public Policy

• International Relations & Governance in Global Security

• National and International Mechanisms of Human Rights Protection

• Human Rights in the non-Westerm Countries, etc

It is also crucial for the students’ research papers and master’s dissertation, especially for those studying human rights

5 Course Plan

I Theory-oriented part

Topic

Total hours

Contact hours Independent

students’ work Lectur

es

Semina

rs

1 Introduction to the concept of Human Rights and

Discussion of Globalisation (Lecture 1)

2 Main Institutions and Instruments of Protection of

Human Rights (Lectures 2, 3)

3 Main Concepts in Understanding Human Rights

(Lectures 4 and 5)

4 Discussion of Specific Areas of Human Rights

(Lectures 6, 7 and 8)

II Practice-oriented part

Topic

Total hours

Contact hours Independent

students’ work Lectur

es

Semina

rs

1 How to analyse advocacy campaign? 10 4 2 4

6 Requirements and Grading

Type of work Year 1 Department Indicators **

Semester

1

Joint writing project

Human Rights Network

Written contributions on the topic of the assigned group in October

Blogs and blog response

Public Policy, Human Rights Network

Blog comments

PowerPoint Presentations/Ho mework

1 6

Public Policy Group work according to requirements

Human Rights Network

10 written questions based on the material

of the course

6.1 Grading Criteria

Grade Calculation:

Homework presentations 50%

Written Exam 50%

Outstanding activities which count as homework include blogging (writing and responding to blogs) and joint projects with international partners Below you can find details of these activities

Blogs

To comment on the blog, please, follow the link below:

http://globalizationandhumanrights.ning.com/

You are required to write a weekly blog This blog should critically reflect on the material discussed and read for that week This is, however more than just a simple summary of the material For this you are to identify at least 3 news articles that explicitly deal with some aspect of the week discussions or readings Only one of these news articles can come from the U.S and Russia Your critical reflection of the class material will use these articles as a means by which you explore, evaluate and utilize the material presented

You are required to respond to at least one featured blog per week You don't have to respond to the same blog each week, and keep in mind that you may have to a get a free username to other sites in order to view all blogs Comments for a week's posts are due by Sunday by 11:59 pm each week These will be posted on our NING site They should be a minimum of 500-700 words, and critically reflect on not only the blog but relevant class material (Note: These will not start till Sept 25.)

Joint Project

You will be assigned to work with an international team exploring a specific issue/problem with global, social justice and human rights implications This project is intended to be a briefing paper which explores the problem (historically, across various national/cultural and disciplinary boundaries) and proposes sustainable solutions which critically reflects and operationalizes this course contents The mark will be assessed by the respective leader of the group you are assigned to

Examination

Examination will consist of two parts, based on the material of the course

Written papers, including exam, criteria:

1) Logical coherence

-Organize your thoughts and information in a clear order

-State your observations and conclusions clearly

-Use evidence to support your conclusions

2) Engagement with course issues and concepts

-In every paper, make use of concepts/methods of analysis discussed in class

-Be sure to incorporate at least three course readings/lectures into any research paper you write

- Shorter critical essays must incorporate the key concepts from at least one course reading/lecture

3) Quality of your particular analysis

-Try to make your paper interesting and unique

-Try to go beyond simply re-stating someone else's argument

-Always make sure that your paper ends with a clear and interesting conclusion

Mark Scheme for Homework

PowerPoint Presentations

Beginning Satisfactory Excellent Score

PowerPoint Presentation

Slides 15 points

There are 1 – 3 slides

30 point There are 4 –7 slides

50 points There are 8 - 10 slides 50

Bullet

points

2 points

0 – 3 slides have building

bullets May have spelling /

grammatical errors Content

may not be logically

organized

5 points Most slides have bullets that build May have few

grammatical errors

Content is logically organized

10 points All of the bullets on each slide build No spelling or grammatical errors Content

is logically organized

10

Graphics

or Video

0 points

There are no graphics or

video

10 points There is only one graphic

20 points There are at least two graphics or one graphic and a video

20

Fonts 0 pointsThere are no words

5 points Font is too hard to read or

is not suited with slide or background colors

10 points Font is colorful and appropriate

10

Resources

and

External

link

0 points

No resources or external

links were listed

5 points Not all resources or external links were listed

External links worked

10 points All resources and external links were listed External links worked

0

Oral presentations

Criteria Below expected level At expected level Above expected level

Introduction of

topic

Topic introduced Topic introduced clearly,

and purpose of talk was made clear

Topic introduced clearly and

in an interesting way Purpose of talk was made clear Outline of points was given

Development of

topic

Some understanding of topic shown Some links and connections made between ideas Points are usually developed with

Information is usually relevant

Good understanding of topic

connections between ideas made clear Information was relevant and expressed in own words Points were developed with sufficient and appropriate details

A very good understanding

of the topic shown Links and connections between

Information was relevant and well expressed in own words Points were well organized and developed with sufficient and appropriate details

Ability to engage

and involve

audience

Some eye contact was made

Techniques used to engage audience were minimal, or mainly ineffective

An interesting approach taken to topic Speaker used techniques such as visual aids and props, anecdote, surprising facts, direct audience participation

Speaker monitored audience and adapts presentation accordingly An interesting

or original approach taken to the topic Speaker used techniques such as visual aids and props, anecdote, humor, surprising facts, direct audience participation

Suitability of

presentation for

purpose and

audience

Attempts were made to tailor the presentation content to the intended purpose of informing, interesting or persuading

The presentation content and structure was tailored to the audience and to the intended purpose of informing, interesting or persuading

The presentation content, structure and delivery were closely tailored to the audience and to the intended purpose of informing, interesting or persuading

Voice: clarity,

pace, fluency

Presenter occasionally spoke clearly and at a good pace

Presenter usually spoke clearly to ensure audience comprehension Delivery was usually fluent

Presenter spoke clearly and

at a good pace to ensure audience comprehension Delivery was fluent and expressive

Vocabulary,

sentence

structure,

grammar

The vocabulary of the presentation was mainly appropriate for the topic

The presentation content

grammatically correct

The vocabulary of the presentation was appropriate for the topic Sentence structures were usually correct The presentation content was usually grammatically correct

The vocabulary of the presentation was appropriate for the topic A variety of phrases and sentence structures were used The presentation content was grammatically correct

Pronunciation

Pronunciation occasionally correct, but often hesitant and inaccurate

Pronunciation and intonation

is usually correct

Pronunciation and intonation

is correct and confident

Cultural

conventions for

oral presentation

Greetings and general presentation are not culturally inappropriate

Greetings are culturally appropriate Questions are answered appropriately

Greetings are culturally appropriate Gestures, stance and eye contact are appropriate Questions are answered appropriately

Use of visual aids

No visual aids were used;

OR Visual aids were occasionally appropriate and related to the spoken message

Visual aids supported the presentation effectively

They clarified and reinforced the spoken message

Visual aids were carefully prepared and supported the presentation effectively They clarified and reinforced the spoken message The aids added impact and interest to the presentation

Conclusion of

topic

An attempt was made to conclude the presentation

The presentation was summed up clearly

The presentation was summed up clearly and effectively, with key points emphasized

Answering

questions from

audience

Not all questions could be answered Questions answered with difficulty, and little knowledge of the topic was demonstrated

Most questions answered

Answers showed good

understanding of the topic

Language was mainly correct

Questions answered with little difficulty Very good knowledge of the topic was demonstrated Language was correct and fluent

Content – Structure / Ideas

Introduction Comments

Introduced the topic clearly Yes To some

extent

No Outlined the main areas to be

covered

extent

No Created interest in the topic Yes To some

extent

No

Body of presentation

Main idea /thesis was communicated

clearly

extent

No

communicated clearly

extent

No

Backed up ideas with examples

Ideas well linked / sequenced Sign

posted sections of talk well (eg

First, Next, etc.)

extent

No

Visual aids

extent

No Added to presentation, relevant Yes To some

extent

No

extent

No

Conclusion

extent

No

extent

No

extent

No

Language

Used language appropriate to

discipline

extent

No Used appropriate level of formality

for audience / situation

extent

No Explained specialist vocabulary

where necessary

extent

No

Delivery

Spoke at appropriate volume Yes To some

extent

No Spoke at appropriate speed (didn’t

rush, used pauses well)

extent

No Spoke fluently (not too many

hesitations, appropriate word and

sentence stress)

extent

No

Used lively / appropriate intonation Yes To some

extent

No

extent

No

Body language

Stood or sat appropriately Yes To some

extent

No Used appropriate facial expressions Yes To some No