爆料王

Unit outline_

HSTY2616: The Human Rights Revolution

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

What accounts for the spectacular rise of human rights movements and norms from 1945 to the present? This unit investigates the causes and consequences of this radical global transformation in transnational activism, foreign policy and international law. The first portion of the unit explores the early history of natural rights, minority rights, women's rights and humanitarianism. The second portion examines the impact of domestic politics, gender politics and geopolitics on the postwar 'human rights revolution'.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit History
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 Junior credit points in History or Ancient History or Asian Studies
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Marco Duranti, marco.duranti@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Participation Participation
n/a
15% - n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO5
Assignment Take home exam
1500 words take home exam
30% Formal exam period
Due date: 09 Jun 2020 at 23:59

Closing date: 10 Feb 2020
1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Assignment Essay draft
Essay draft
15% Week 06
Due date: 02 Apr 2020 at 10:51

Closing date: 02 Apr 2020
1000wds
Outcomes assessed: LO7 LO8
Assignment Final research essay
Final research essay
40% Week 12
Due date: 21 May 2020 at 10:57
2000wds
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO6 LO7 LO8

Assessment summary

Attendance is required at lectures and tutorials.

Assessment criteria

ESSAY PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

You will be required to submit via TurnItIn both an essay draft and a final essay on one of the topics found in the list of essay questions (found at the end of this unit outline) 鈥 or your own original topic (requires unit coordinator approval). The length of your essay must be within 10% of the word count either way.听Citations in footnotes and the bibliography are not included in the word count.

NOTE: When you submit your work via TurnItIn, you will receive an听email receipt. You must keep this receipt as proof of your submission.听No hardcopies will be accepted.

You must attach a听bibliography听to both your essay draft and final essay. Review听the听Essay Presentation Guide,听which explains when and how to cite your sources, as well as听the Essay Writing Guide. Remember to include听references to specific听page numbers听from your sources听in your footnotes.听We expect a substantial bibliography that lists primary and secondary sources you have actually used.听

How many sources should you include?听As a rule of thumb, we expect you to draw on听at least tenitems听(books, chapters from edited books, scholarly articles).听This is a major听research听essay. It stands to reason that in order to construct your essay draft you need to have completed quite a lot of research. The depth and extent of your research is what you are being graded on, in addition to the viability and originality of your project. If you list only a small handful of works (say four or five), we will conclude that you have done minimal research and grade you accordingly. Use your common sense. Six relevant citations is a bare minimum, while at least ten is advisable. Note, however, that the most critical thing we are looking for is not the quantity of your citations but your ability to select appropriate resources. Aim to cite reputable scholarly sources, that is, those published by university presses or in academic journals. To help focus your research, you should conduct library catalogue and database searches. Consult the books located in Fisher 2 hour loan under Unit of Study in the catalogue. Links to these are provided on Blackboard.听Regard Internet sources with skepticism, unless these are reliable transcripts of primary sources.听

How many primary and secondary sources should you cite?听That depends on the nature of your project. Some projects will be heavily dependent on primary source material. Others might be more historiographical or conceptual. Either type of project is fine.听Ultimately, though, you will need to read as much as necessary for you to answer the question to your satisfaction. Focus on听published sources听(scholarly books and articles). Regard听internet sources听with scepticism unless you are assured of the reliability of the information. You will need to refine your expertise in using the library catalogue, especially regarding database searches for scholarly articles. Do not rely on听听or听. The promiscuous use of internet sources will reflect badly on your essay.

In this essay,听we expect you to show us (and yourself)听what you have learned in lectures and tutorials, not just what you have learned over the course of your own research.听We expect you to听not just describe听material from your sources, but to听analyse听and听critically engage听with this material. You should put forward your own听original argument听in your introduction and then compare it to arguments made by other scholars working on your topic (historiography).听Make sure to听avoid vagueness at all costs and provide as many specifics as possible听throughout the essay, whether this be in your descriptions, analyses or argumentation. This tells us that you have read your sources carefully and critically.

YOUR ESSAY DRAFT

Your essay draft should be written in the same format as your essay. State the research question you are addressing and argument you are making (thesis statement) clearly in your introduction. Always try to be as precise as possible in your argumentation, presentation of evidence and analysis, avoiding vagueness at all costs. Address as much as possible the questions and themes we have been discussing in lectures and tutorials in relation to the phenomenon you are investigating.

The essay draft is not an outline or a proposal. You should write your paragraphs in complete sentences with citations in footnotes just as you would a standard history essay. Do not use bullet points. Do not just tell the reader what you are going do in your essay 鈥 instead, go ahead and starting writing the essay itself. You can think of the essay draft as half of your final essay or a condensed version of your final essay. In your introduction, put forward a broad tentative argument and then tell the reader which areas will be the focus of your draft. In your conclusion, tell the reader what additional topics and sources will be included in your final essay.听

The point of the essay draft is to convince a grader that you have a viable and interesting approach to a question. Graders are unlikely to know much about the subject you are discussing, or to have read the books that you are citing. You should thus explain, succinctly but explicitly, the nature of your sources and why they are relevant for your project.听You need to place your argument within the context of existing secondary literature relating to your topic. Your aim should be to do more than describe the focus of this literature. Rather, take the time to skim each work so that you can identify major debates in the field, points of agreement and contention among scholars, differences in approach and method, etc.

It stands to reason that in order to construct your essay draft you need to have completed quite a lot of research. You should still aim to include as many sources as possible in your draft, even if you won鈥檛 have as much space to elaborate on your source descriptions and analyses. A large component of the mark on your draft will be the amount of reading and research you have done. The depth and extent of your research is what you are being graded on, in addition to the viability and originality of your project. It does not matter if the arguments you present in your essay draft are significantly different than from those in your final essay. Nor does it matter if you decide to include different sources at a later date. Occasionally, students realize after completing a draft that, in fact, they want to be working on a different theme or topic altogether. This is all fine.

You听can reuse as much of your essay draft for this unit as wish in your final essay for this unit, as long as you take into account the critiques and suggestions made on your essay draft.听Do not recycle essays that you wrote in other units of study. However, you can write an essay on a theme related to another essay topic you have worked on, as long as you are drawing on new sources, make new arguments, avoiding duplicating passages and tailoring your essay to this unit of study. If unsure, consult the academic honesty resources online.

You will submit via Turnitin a 1,500 word take home exam answering a question that draws on material from the lectures, tutorials, and readings. The exam questions will be circulated in Week 12 and the final lecture in Week 13 will include an exam review.

The deadline is strict.听We will not accept any exams after the due date unless you have received a Special Consideration or Disability Services extension.

You must submit this take-home exam via听Turnitin. You are allowed a 10% margin on the word count. The length of the take home exam should be no less than 1,350 words and no more than 1,650 words.

Your take-home exam should be听structured like a standard history essay, with an introduction in which you clearly state your answer, followed by arguments and examples drawn from the unit materials. The criteria for marking the exam are the same as those for an essay, including an evaluation of the originality of your argumentation and analysis. Present specific examples and make concrete points rather than fall back on vague generalities.

You must provide examples from a wide array of听both听lectures and tutorial readings. You are required听at a minimum听to cite examples from at least听five lectures听and听five tutorial readings.听Do not draw on materials other than those found in the lectures and tutorial readings.听The point of the exam is for you to comment on the material we have discussed in lectures and tutorials, not to draw on knowledge that you have gained from elsewhere. A sophisticated response will draw comparisons between a variety of topics we have studied in this unit, take into consideration a broad spectrum of historical factors and sources, and consider possible objections and counter-examples.

Do not recycle your research essay. Your exam answer should not duplicate the work that you did for your essay project. This includes examples, arguments, and wording from your research essay. Choose a question that allows you to say something different than what you wrote in your essay. Remember that Turnitin checks all submissions for originality.

You should use听footnotes听in the exam when drawing on examples from the readings. You do not need to use all of the publication information for the readings as long as you specify the author of the reading in the footnote. You do not need to use footnotes for examples from the lectures. Your footnotes are not included in the word count.听Do not include a bibliography.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Participation mark will be adversely affected by absences from lectures and tutorials.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the .

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the .

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a听simple extension.鈥 The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can鈥檛 complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for听special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students,听听includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance will be taken at both lectures and tutorials. Students who cannot attend lecture due to an unavoidable clash should email the unit coordinator at the start of the semester and explain the nature of the clash.听

Every week by Monday 10am听students are expected to post a response to that week鈥檚 readings on Canvas on the听discussion board for their tutorial group. There is no word minimum for discussion posts, but failure to submit a discussion post will impact negatively on the final participation mark.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

HSTY2616: The Human Rights Revolution

LECTURE AND READING SCHEDULE

Week

Lecture topics

Tutorial topics (with readings)

1

Introduction

No tutorials

2

Humanitarianism

The Humanitarian Response to the Armenian Genocide (Required Readings: Jones, Balakian, Tusan)

3

Minorities & Refugees

The Postwar Refugee Crisis (Required Readings: Salvatici, Cohen)

4

Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

Conservative and Socialist Visions in Cold War Europe (Required Readings: Duranti, Betts)

5

Self-Determination

Anti-Colonialism in Africa and Asia (Required Readings: Moyn, Burke)

6

Foreign Policy and Transnational Advocacy

Amnesty International and US Human Rights Foreign Policy in the 1970s (Required Readings: Keys, Simpson)

7

Transitional Justice

Truth Commissions in Latin America and South Africa (Required Readings: Grandin, Posel)

SEMESTER BREAK

SEMESTER BREAK

8

No lecture

No tutorials

9

Gender and Human Rights

Women鈥檚 Rights and International Organizations (Required Readings: Lake, Quataert)

10

Indigenous Rights听

Indigenous Rights and Land Rights (Readings: Johnson, Davis)

11

Sexuality and Human Rights

Race, Religion, and LGBTIQ+ Rights (Readings: Mumford, Cheney)

12

New Digital Tools: Text and Data Mining

A Digital History of LGBTIQ+ Rights in the US听Media听

13

Conclusion and Exam Review

A Digital History of Refugee Rights and Indigenous Rights in the Australian Media

Week 1: No tutorials

Textbook

Paul Gordon Lauren,听The Evolution of International Human Rights, Chapters 1 and 2

Week 2: The Humanitarian Response to the Armenian Genocide

Required Readings

Adam Jones,听Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction, Chapter 4听: The Ottoman Destruction of Christian Minorities, pp. 149-178.

Michelle Tusan, 鈥樷淐rimes Against Humanity鈥: Human Rights, the British Empire, and the Origins of the Response to the Armenian Genocide鈥,听American Historical Review听119, no. 1 (2014): 47鈥77.

Peter Balakian, 鈥淧hotography, Visual Culture, and the Armenian Genocide,鈥 in Heide Fehrenbach and Davide Rodogno, eds.,听Humanitarian Photography: A History听(New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 89-114.

Textbook

Paul Gordon Lauren,听The Evolution of International Human Rights, Chapters 3 and 4

Online Primary Sources

1945 Nuremberg Charter (Charter of the International Military Tribunal)

1948 UN Genocide Convention (Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide)

Week 3: The Postwar Refugee Crisis

Required Readings

Daniel Cohen,听In War鈥檚 Wake: Europe鈥檚 Displaced Persons in the Postwar Order听(New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), Chapter 2 (鈥榃ho is a Refugee?鈥), pages 35-57.

Silvia Salvatici, 鈥淪ights of Benevolence: UNRRA鈥檚 Recipients Portrayed鈥 in Heide Fehrenbach and Davide Rodogno, eds.,听Humanitarian Photography: A History听(New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 200-222.

Textbook

Paul Gordon Lauren,听The Evolution of International Human Rights, Chapters 5 and 6

Online Primary Sources

1945 UN Charter: Preamble, Article 1, Article 2, UN Trusteeships

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration

1951 Refugee Convention

Week 4: Conservative and Socialist Visions in Cold War Europe

Required Readings

Marco Duranti,听The Conservative Human Rights Revolution: European Identity, Transnational Politics, and the Origins of the European Convention听(New York: Oxford University Press, 2017), Chapter 10 (Human Rights and Conservative Politics), 361-384.

Paul Betts, 鈥楽ocialism, Social Rights, and Human Rights: The Case of East Germany鈥,听Humanity听3, no. 3 (Winter 2012): 404-26.

Textbook

Paul Gordon Lauren,听The Evolution of International Human Rights, Chapters 7 and 8

Online Primary Sources

1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

1950 European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms)

1952 First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights

Week 5: Anti-Colonialism in Africa and Asia听

Required Readings

Samuel Moyn,听Last Utopia: Human Rights in History听(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010), Chapter 3 (鈥榃hy Anticolonialism Wasn鈥檛 a Human Rights Movement鈥), 84-119.听

Roland Burke,听Decolonization and the Evolution of International Human Rights听(Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), Chapter 2, 33-58.

Online Primary Sources

1955 Statement of the Bandung Conference

1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

1963 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Week 6: Amnesty International and US Human Rights Foreign Policy in the 1970s

Required Readings

Barbara Keys, 鈥楢nti-Torture Politics: Amnesty International, the Greek Junta, and the Origins of the Human Rights 鈥楤oom鈥 in the United States鈥, in Akira Iriye, Petra Goedde and William I. Hitchcock, eds,听The Human Rights Revolution: An International History听(New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), pp. 201鈥222.

Bradley R. Simpson, 鈥楧enying the 鈥淔irst Right鈥: The United States, Indonesia, and the Ranking of Human Rights by the Carter Administration, 1976鈥1980鈥,听The International History Review听31, no. 4 (2009): 798鈥826.

Online Primary Sources

1961 鈥楾he Forgotten Prisoners鈥 by Peter Benenson (founder of Amnesty International)

1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

1975 Helsinki Final Act

Week 7: Truth Commissions in Latin America and South Africa

Required Readings

Greg Grandin, 鈥楾he Instruction of Great Catastrophe: Truth Commissions, National History, and State Formation in Argentina, Chile and Guatemala鈥,听The American Historical Review听110, no. 1 (2005): 46鈥67.

Deborah Posel, 鈥楬istory as Confession: The Case of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission鈥,听Public Culture听20, no. 1 (2008): 119鈥141.

Online Primary Sources

1948 American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man

1984 CONADEP Report (National Commission on Disappearance of Persons, Argentina)

1987 UN Convention Against Torture

1995 Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act (South African Parliament)

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa Final Report (Summary)

Week 8: No lectures or tutorials

Week 9: Women鈥檚 Rights and International Organizations

Required Readings

Marilyn Lake, 鈥楩rom Self-Determination via Protection to Equality via Non-Discrimination:

Defining Women鈥檚 Rights at the League of Nations and the United Nations鈥, in Patricia

Grimshaw, Katie Holmes and Marilyn Lake, eds., Women鈥檚 Rights and Human Rights: International Historical Perspectives (Palgrave, 2001), 254-71

Jean H. Quataert, 鈥楾he Gender Factor Since the 1970s: Universality and the Private Sphere鈥, chapter in her听Advocating Dignity: Human Rights Mobilizations in Global Politics听(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009),听149鈥181.

Online Primary Sources

1967 Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women听

1994 International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (Cairo)

1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action听

Week 10: Indigenous Rights and Land Rights

Required Readings

Miranda Johnson, 鈥淪acred Claims and the Politics of Indigeneity in Australia,鈥澨Journal of Religious and Political Practice,听Vol. 4, No. 1: 78-92.

Megan Davis, 鈥淚ndigenous Struggles in Standard Setting: The听United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,鈥澨Melbourne Journal of International Law听2008, Vol. 9: 439-471.

Online Primary Sources

1981 African (Banjul) Charter on Human and Peoples鈥 Rights

2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart

Week 11: Race, Religion, and LGBTIQ+ Rights听

Required Readings

Kevin J. Mumford, "The Trouble with Gay Rights: Race and the Politics of Sexual Orientation in Philadelphia, 1969-1982,"听Journal of American History 98, no. 1听(June 2011): 49-72.

Kristen Cheney, "Locating Neocolonialism, 'Tradition,' and Human Rights in Uganda's 'Gay Death Penalty',"听African Studies R颅颅颅eview听55, no. 2 (September 2012): 77-95.

Online primary sources

2016 UN Human Rights Council Resolution on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity听

ILGA (International Lesbian Gay Trans and Intersex Association) State Sponsored Homophobia Report听

European Court of Human Rights 鈥楽exual Orientation Issues鈥 Factsheet

Week 12: A Digital History of LGTBIQ+ Rights in the US Media

We will make use of the digital tools available at the ProQuest Text and Data Mining website (tdm.proquest.com)

Week 13: A Digital History of Indigenous Rights and Refugee Rights in the Australian Media

We will make use of the digital tools available at the ProQuest Text and Data Mining website (tdm.proquest.com)

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. A historical perspective on contemporary debates in the wider field of human rights scholarship, including over whether human rights are a Western imperial project, whether some categories of rights should take precedence over others, and the conflicting political uses and abuses of human rights
  • LO2. Consideration of the cross-cultural dimensions of human rights through a comparison of their genesis across time and space
  • LO3. Identification of problems with human rights and humanitarian practices in history so as to improve their implementation in the present
  • LO4. Historically informed dialogue with scholars and fellow students on controversies over the human rights of diverse social groups in Australia today
  • LO5. Application of new digital tools such as Text and Data Mining to human rights research
  • LO6. Critical appreciation of new interdisciplinary approaches to human rights that integrate scholarship in fields such as imperial, transnational, and gender history with critical theory, cultural studies, and gender studies
  • LO7. Proficiency in applying these methodologies in a research project of your 驴design
  • LO8. Improved writing abilities and independent research skills resulting from the completion of a research essay on a topic of your choice

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all 爆料王 graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one鈥檚 personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Modifications to the digital tools portion of the unit have been made in response to student feedback.

Disclaimer

Important: the 爆料王 regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an .