Module: Masters- Human Rights, social justice and advocacy
Assignment Two: 3,000-word case study, 70% weight
What am I required to do?
Students will write a 3,000 – word case-study paper in which they give an exposition of one social justice issue that is relevant to social work contexts internationally. Students will give an empirical account of the issue and contextualise it within the context of social justice and advocacy, explaining why it is a social justice and advocacy issue, linking to concepts and theories of social justice and advocacy. Students will then identify one human rights framework that is relevant to the social justice issue they have chosen, and explain the interpretative value of it, with reference to the different provisions of the framework, and how it can function to make better their chosen social justice issue, linking it to social justice and advocacy, and the role of ‘social work’ in that context.
You are expected to develop and demonstrate your own thinking drawing from and informed by academic, legal, international institutional and governmental sources. You must be appropriately referenced, using at least 30 references.
What you need to do to pass?
1) Systematic and deep knowledge of the concepts of human rights, including definitions, theoretical models and common critiques
2) Good understanding of and critical engagement with how theoretical frameworks of human rights intersect with social work practice in contexts of social development and humanitarian aid
3) Written and verbal expression is clear and structured; arguments can be followed without undue difficulty and all evidence is appropriately referenced
4) Good evidence of reflection and evaluation of the application of a human rights framework at both social micro and macro levels, along with a satisfactory range of issues selected for discussion and analysis
5) Good range of literature is accessed, including important primary sources. Analysis occurs with a high level of critical appraisal.
6) Comprehensive and critical engagement with the basic and particular instruments of human rights and the complexities associated with how these function at regional levels
- Please focus on Syria and Human Rights;Introduce the history, development and the (volatile) dynamics of the Syrian civil war. Introduce the ‘atrocity crimes’ and mass human rights violations being perpetrated. Introduce the complexities of the response to the Syrian conflict by the International Community
- Reflecting on the Role of International Social work and Social development work with Syrian population in and across borders.(I will send ‘support group’ an email of a lecture slide with plenty of notes and some references to give you an idea of what needs to be covered). It will also help you structure the assignment i.e. intro, main body and conclusion (Please sub- head throughout the assignment) – Please include definition of ‘Human Rights’
- Please focus on either the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights or 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. (Pick one out of the two and make reference to specific articles within the convention- whatever you are comfortable with)
- Please have a look at Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court – Part 2. Jurisdiction, admissibility and applicable law(I will also email this to ‘support group’ to forward to you for your reference)
- Conclude accordingly
Some useful References on Human Rights
Anderson, B. 1991. Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso.
Ignatieff, M., Gutmann, A. and Appiah, K.A. 2001. Human Rights as Politics And Idolatry. Princeton University Press.
Donnelly, J. 2007. ‘The Relative Universal of Human Rights’ Human Rights Quarterly. Vol. 29 (2): 281-306.
Grugel, J. And Piper, N. 2009. ‘Do Rights Promote Development?’ Global Social Policy. Vol. 9(1): 79-98.
Hathaway, O. 2002. ‘Do Human Rights Treaties Make a Difference?’ Yale Law Journal, Vol. 111.
Levitt, P., Merry, S., Rajaram, N, Zararia, V. 2009. ‘Culture in Motion: The Vernacularization of Women’s Human Rights in India’ Unpublished paper.
Merry, S. 2006. ‘Transnational human rights and local activism: mapping the middle’. American Anthropologist 108:38-51.
Todd, L. 2006. Studying Human Rights. Routledge.
Woodiwiss, A. 1998. Globalisation, Human Rights and Labour Law in Pacific Asia. Cambridge University Press.
Social work and Human Rights
Androff, DK (2010) Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRC’s) : An International Human
Rights Intervention and Its Connection To Social Work. British Journal of Social Work, Vol
Wronka, J., and Bernasconi, S.S. (2012) ‘Human Rights’ in Lyons, K., Hokenstad, T., Pawar,
M., Huegler, N., and Hall, N. (eds) The SAGE Handbook of International Social Work, Sage
Publications: London. Chapter 4.
Hugman, R. and Bowles, W. (2012) ‘Social Work Values, Ethics and Professional
Regulation’ in Lyons, K., Hokenstad, T., Pawar, M., Huegler, N., and Hall, N. (eds) The
SAGE Handbook of International Social Work, Sage Publications: London. Chapter 9.
Hynes, P., Lamb, M., Short, D. and M. Waites, (2013), (Eds.), New Directions in the
Sociology of Human Rights, Routledge, London
Katiuzhinsky, A and Okech, D (2012) Human rights, cultural practices, and state policies:
Implications for global social work practice and policy. International Journal of Social
Welfare. Volume 23, Issue 1, pp 80-88.
Preis, A.S. (2002) ‘Human Rights as Cultural Practice: An Anthropological Critique’ in
Staub-Bernasconi, S. (2012) ‘Human Rights and Their Relevance for Social Work as Theory
and Practice’ in Healy, L. and Link, R. (eds) Handbook of International Social Work: Human
Rights, Development, and the Global Profession, Oxford University Press: Oxford. Chapter 5.
Holscher, D. (2012) ‘Social Justice’ in Healy, L. and Link, R. (eds) Handbook of International
Social Work: Human Rights, Development, and the Global Profession, Oxford University
Press: Oxford. Chapter 7.
Wronka, J. (2012) ‘Overview of Human Rights: The UN Conventions and Machinery’ in
Healy, L. and Link, R. (eds) Handbook of International Social Work: Human Rights,
Development, and the Global Profession, Oxford University Press: Oxford. Chapter 66.
United Nations Centre For Human Rights. Human Rights And Social Work: A Manual For
Schools of Social Work and The Social Work Profession. United Nations, Geneva.
Lawrence S, Lyons, K, Simpson, G and Huegler, N (2009) Introducing International Social
Work. Transforming Social Work Practice Series. Learning Matters.
M Payne, M. and GA Askeland, G.A. (2008) Globalization and international social work:
postmodern change and challenge Aldershot: Ashgate.
Mapp, S. (2008). Human rights and social justice in a global perspective. NY: Oxford
University Press, Inc.
Reichert, E (2003) Social Work and Human Rights: A Foundation for Policy And Practice.
Columbia University Press.
Please identify useful references on Syria (war and conflict related/ genocide) – Some will be available on lecture slide I send via ‘support group’.