| Call Number | 17136 |
|---|---|
| Day & Time Location |
M 6:10pm-8:00pm 409 International Affairs Building |
| Points | 3 |
| Grading Mode | Standard |
| Approvals Required | None |
| Instructor | Andrew C Heinrich |
| Type | SEMINAR |
| Method of Instruction | In-Person |
| Course Description | In the global context of the rise of anti-rights populism, human rights activism requires increasingly sophisticated approaches on the part of human rights activists. Technological developments have enabled new kinds of cybersurveillance and other threats to human rights; as well as new methodological approaches for documenting human rights violations from geo-spatial analysis to open source investigations. Emerging areas of work from disability rights to a growing focus on economic and social rights has created demands for new approaches to identifying, documenting and rights violations. The seasoned human rights activist needs quantitative skills as well as the ability to sensitively interview victims and witnesses or assess a morgue report. An ever more hostile environment for human rights with “fake news” deployed as rebuttal by autocrats – as well as the possibility of creating “deep fakes” through artificial intelligence - has intensified the stakes for research and the need for rigor. This course seeks to introduce practical skills of a human rights investigator: how to identify and design a research project, how to conduct the research, and how to present compelling findings and principled but pragmatic recommendations to the public, media and advocacy targets. There will be a strong emphasis on practical engagement, and students will be expected, in group work, to develop project concepts and methodological approaches to contemporary human rights problems. Each week, they will review and discuss in class new reporting from human rights investigations by journalists and human rights activists. They will also hone their writing skills to present human rights findings in a clear, concise and compelling manner, whether in internal memos, press releases, or detailed public reports. Guest speakers from diverse parts of the global human rights movement will present their experiences and advice. |
| Web Site | Vergil |
| Department | International and Public Affairs |
| Enrollment | 26 students (30 max) as of 1:06PM Saturday, May 11, 2024 |
| Subject | International Affairs |
| Number | U6489 |
| Section | 001 |
| Division | School of International and Public Affairs |
| Open To | Architecture, Schools of the Arts, Business, Engineering:Graduate, GSAS, SIPA, Journalism, Law, Public Health, Professional Studies, Social Work |
| Campus | Morningside |
| Section key | 20233INAF6489U001 |