Human Rights Skills and Advocacy

This course equips students with practical skills for designing and implementing human rights advocacy strategies. Through a mix of case studies, simulations, and applied writing assignments, students will learn how to identify advocacy goals, analyze targets and power structures, and select effective tactics. The course explores advocacy with governments, legislatures, and UN bodies, as well as the use of media, digital tools, and coalition-building to advance human rights.

Students will develop and refine an advocacy strategy on a current human rights issue of their choosing, supported by assignments such as op-eds, advocacy letters, and submissions to UN mechanisms. Emphasis is placed on ethical research methods, effective messaging, and impact evaluation. Class sessions are interactive and include mock advocacy meetings, guest speakers, and structured feedback on peer work.

Taught by two experienced human rights advocates, the course draws on real-world campaigns and encourages critical reflection on challenges to human rights work in restrictive and high-risk environments.