Students

LEX 101 – Law, Human Rights and Global Governance

2014 – S1 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Kate Gleeson
Contact via kate.gleeson@mq.edu.au
W3A 622
2-3pm Mondays
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
In this unit we examine systems of global governance and question whether law and other instruments of governance can protect and provide for human rights. We examine Australia's place in the international law system and discuss law, rights and institutions in relation to socio-political and economic issues including questions of self-determination, indigenous rights, sexuality and free speech. In multidisciplinary teams students will be mentored to develop a major socio-legal reform submission addressing challenges for human rights, democracy and justice.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Define and describe Australia’s role in the international law system.
  • Describe the historical development of human rights principles and instruments, in the context of contemporary civil and political, and economic and social rights.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.
  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Quiz 1 15% Midnight Friday 4 April 2014.
Referencing Exercise 20% Midnight Friday 2 May 2014
Quiz 2 25% Midnight Friday 30 May 2014
Major Research Project 40% Midnight Friday 6 June 204.

Quiz 1

Due: Midnight Friday 4 April 2014.
Weighting: 15%

Students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of the material canvassed in the unit so far by answering 15 multiple choice questions online.

You must ensure that you will be available to logon to ilearn  (for no more than half an hour)some time on Friday 4 April. Detailed instructions regarding the time allowed for this quiz etc. will be provided on Ilearn and outlined in the lectures/tutorials.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Define and describe Australia’s role in the international law system.
  • Describe the historical development of human rights principles and instruments, in the context of contemporary civil and political, and economic and social rights.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.

Referencing Exercise

Due: Midnight Friday 2 May 2014
Weighting: 20%

Students will be required to identify appropriate sources (journal articles, books, media sources, government reports and so on) related to current debates in human rights, law and global governance, and produce an annotated bibliography (word length: approximately 800 words)

Detailed instructions regarding this assessment task will be provided on Ilearn and outlined in the lectures/tutorials.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.
  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Quiz 2

Due: Midnight Friday 30 May 2014
Weighting: 25%

Students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of the material canvassed in the unit since the time of the last quiz,  by answering 25 multiple choice questions online.You must ensure that you will be available to logon to ilearn  (for no more than half an hour)some time on Friday 30 May.Detailed instructions regarding the time allowed for this quiz etc.  will be provided on Ilearn and outlined in the lectures/tutorials.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Define and describe Australia’s role in the international law system.
  • Describe the historical development of human rights principles and instruments, in the context of contemporary civil and political, and economic and social rights.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.

Major Research Project

Due: Midnight Friday 6 June 204.
Weighting: 40%

In groups allocated by the tutor, students will develop a 2000 word Law Reform Proposal addressing one of a selection of topics, which consolidates their learning in this subject.

As part of this assessment, students will also each submit a 1000 word Individual Report documenting their contribution to their group's Law Reform Proposal and explaining the processes by which their group worked together.

Both the group Proposal and the Individual Report are due on the same date.

Detailed instructions regarding the formation of working groups and the requirements of both of these tasks will be provided on Ilearn and outlined in the lectures regularly from Week 1.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Define and describe Australia’s role in the international law system.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.
  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Delivery and Resources

This unit requires students to attend or listen online (through Echo360) a weekly one-hour lecture. Students are also required to attend a one-hour tutorial each week.  

Before attending (or  listening to) the weekly live lecture, students are required to access the unit's iLearn page to review online content such as videos (of approximately one hour) and read assigned readings (available through e-reserve linked through iLearn)

 Before you  attend the first lecture on 3 March 2014, you should have logged onto Ilearn and viewed the assigned weekly online content of approximately an hour, and read the assigned weekly reading.  

On Campus sessions for external students will be held on 16 and 17  April.

Student workload, in accordance with university guidelines, is 3 hours per credit point per week (over a 15 week term), and can be estimated as follows:

22 hours - attendance of lectures and tutorials

55 hours - readings, review of online content and self-study 

63 hours - assessment tasks

________

 135 hours total

 

Students will be required to use a computer to interact with online research databases and web-based research tools. This unit's ilearn page will also contain additional lessons with multimedia content to facilitate learning.

 

Unit Schedule

 

Week

Week Starts

Lectures

Tutorials

Reading and Assessment

 

 

1

3 March

Introduction to the course

 Introductions

See Ilearn page for all readings

2

10 March

Which rights are human rights? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

 

3

17 March

Introduction to Law- International and domestic

Introduction to law

 

4

24 March

Global Governance – who makes the rules?

Global Governance

 

5

31 March

How to write and research at university

Discuss your research proposals

 

 

First Quiz due on Friday 4 April

6

7 April

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - the example of speech

Civil and political rights - the example of speech

 

 

Mid Semester Break

 

7

28 April

The International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights

Economic and Social Rights

Annotated Bibliography due Friday 2 May

8

5 May

The right to self determination, and Indigenous Australians.

Self Determination and Indigenous Australians.

 

9

12 May

The rights of refugees

Refugee rights

 

10

19 May

Sexuality, gender and human rights

Sexuality and gender

 

11

26 May

Challenges to human rights norms.

Human rights challenges

Second Quiz due Friday 30 May

12

2 June

What happened to the Australian Bill of Rights?

The Australian Bill of Rights

Group Law Reform Proposal and Individual Reports due Friday 6 June

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz 1
  • Referencing Exercise
  • Quiz 2
  • Major Research Project

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Define and describe Australia’s role in the international law system.
  • Describe the historical development of human rights principles and instruments, in the context of contemporary civil and political, and economic and social rights.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz 1
  • Referencing Exercise
  • Quiz 2
  • Major Research Project

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Describe the historical development of human rights principles and instruments, in the context of contemporary civil and political, and economic and social rights.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.
  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.

Assessment task

  • Major Research Project

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Assessment tasks

  • Referencing Exercise
  • Major Research Project

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Assessment task

  • Major Research Project

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Assessment tasks

  • Referencing Exercise
  • Major Research Project

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Define and describe Australia’s role in the international law system.
  • Describe the historical development of human rights principles and instruments, in the context of contemporary civil and political, and economic and social rights.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.
  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz 1
  • Quiz 2
  • Major Research Project

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Define and describe various conceptions of global governance, human rights and the role of law in each.
  • Define and describe Australia’s role in the international law system.
  • Describe the historical development of human rights principles and instruments, in the context of contemporary civil and political, and economic and social rights.
  • Critique key views concerning the governance of human rights associated with indigenous rights, self-determination, sexuality, free speech and refugee rights.
  • Assess established theoretical frameworks about current responses to human rights claims, and communicate law reform and/or policy critiques effectively in written and verbal form.
  • Develop, in collaboration with other students, a practical law-reform project associated with a key issue in human rights governance.

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz 1
  • Quiz 2
  • Major Research Project