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Politics of Human Right Practice - POL00078H

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  • Department: Politics and International Relations
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

This module equips you to respond to key challenges in human rights practice, from the politics of framing and funding the work, to addressing inequalities within the sector. It centres the conversations and debates that activists around the world are having now, and gives you the opportunity to engage with visiting human rights defenders at York.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2024-25

Module aims

This module equips you to respond to key challenges in human rights practice, from the politics of framing and funding the work, to addressing inequalities within the sector. It centres the conversations and debates that activists around the world are having now, and gives you the opportunity to engage with visiting human rights defenders at York.

The module is rooted in the work of York’s Centre for Applied Human Rights, and work that staff and visiting fellows are doing to advocate for rights and social justice in the UK and beyond. We will reflect on ongoing debates related to politics of framing, politics of power and power relations, and politics of knowledge and collaboration, and work out together what this means for strategies responding to different contexts and challenges. The module provides training in key skills - from campaign framing to anti-racist governance - using scenarios and case studies to explore how human rights advocacy plays out in different political and institutional contexts. We will draw on practitioner-oriented resources and cutting-edge reflections - podcasts, toolkits, and comment pieces - to reflect together about how the sector is changing, and how human rights advocates of the future might need to respond.

Module learning outcomes

To apply insights from practitioner resources in developing policy recommendations for work related to human rights (PLO2)

Draw on theories on human rights practice to propose policy solutions to problems relating to human rights (PLO4)

To advise human rights organisations and movements about the advantages and disadvantages of particular strategies in specific contexts (PLO5)

Demonstrate a reflective and critical approach to the politics of human rights practice and how human rights advocates of the future might need to respond (PLO6)

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.

Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 25 working days; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.

Indicative reading


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.