ClassInfo

This is a 3-credit course that meets for the full semester.

This course will familiarize you with core principles and techniques for human rights fact-finding, focusing especially on interview skills. You will learn what fact-finding is and how it is used to advance human rights. You'll also learn how to plan and prepare for fact-finding; coordinate with partners and others; navigate security challenges; conduct interviews with survivors, witnesses, officials, and others; conduct remote interviews; minimize the risk of retraumatization and vicarious trauma; and adapt fact-finding interview approaches for challenging contexts (e.g., emergency or conflict settings, detention facilities, or refugee camps). Readings, discussions and exercises will address specific considerations when interviewing LGBTQI survivors, children, people with disabilities, older people, and other groups.

You will practice interview techniques through many in-class role play simulations. Students in this course should be comfortable with role-plays as a learning method.

While there are many possible approaches to fact-finding, this course will focus heavily on one-on-one interviews. We will touch briefly on other forms of fact-finding, including through the use of various technologies.

The course will draw heavily on my experience conducting fact-finding interviews and training staff at Human Rights Watch. Bear in mind that this is just one of many approaches to investigating the realization or denial of human rights.

This elective course should be considered a supplement to other courses on research methods, not a replacement. I strongly encourage students to take courses on qualitative research methods and social science perspectives on human rights. The approach taught in this course is more like investigative journalism paired with advocacy than like social science research.

Through this course, you will understand what fact-finding is, and how it is used in the human rights field. More specifically, you will have developed skills and knowledge that will enable you to:

• Adhere to core standards and ethical considerations for human rights interviews

• Interview survivors of human rights abuses, and understand best practices for interviewing specific populations

• Interview government officials

• Navigate remote interviews

• Assess and handle security risks for interviews

• Obtain data and information from official sources

• Understand and mitigate risks of retraumatization and vicarious trauma

No exams. Assignments will be practical, aimed at developing skills for planning and executing fact-finding.

Seminar style. Remote instruction with synchronous and some asynchronous sessions.

Comparable to other graduate courses.

This seminar explores live debates and contemporary movements for women's human rights and gender equality globally and in the US, and builds practical communications skills.

We'll learn about foundational gender and human rights principles and mechanisms, and survey ways that advocates are deploying human rights to tackle gender inequality and intersecting forms of oppression in today's world. We'll examine progress and emerging threats to the rights of women, including trans women, and people with non-binary identities.

We'll do this by looking at examples from the topics of workers' rights, sexual and reproductive health, rights to land and water, and gender-based violence. There are, of course, many other important gender and human rights issues. This selection was chosen to complement what is covered in other UMN courses, and avoid duplication (e.g. given that there's a separate UMN course on sex trafficking, that topic isn't a primary focus for this course).

Throughout the course, we'll do short, practical exercises to sharpen your ability to communicate about gender equality and women's human rights, and be able to advocate for change. We'll practice writing for media and advocacy purposes; making short presentations; and other skills. We'll also reflect on stress and burnout in the human rights profession, and ways to foster resilience and wellbeing.

There are no prerequisites. This class is designed to complement other classes on gender, public policy, and human rights.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the seminar will be online. It will involve two class sessions per week for the full semester. In general, there will be one synchronous session per week, typically on Tuesdays from 8:15 - 9:30 a.m., and one asynchronous, pre-recorded session that you can watch any time.

By reading and discussing course materials and doing practical exercises and assignments, you'll improve your ability to:

• Analyze how international human rights law applies to contemporary gender and women's rights challenges.

• Assess and discuss real-life strategies and campaigns to advance gender equality and women's human rights.

• Write and speak persuasively about gender equality as a human rights issue through media and advocacy-oriented communications.

• Apply an intersectional lens to class discussions and assignments, and deepen your understanding of the compounding effects of multiple forms of discrimination, including on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, Indigeneity, immigration status, age, and ability.

• Understand stress and resilience in the human rights field, and strategies to mitigate risk of vicarious trauma in this work.

Grades are based on class participation and a series of short written and verbal assignments.

This 3 credit course will familiarize you with core principles and techniques for human rights fact-finding, focusing especially on interview skills. You will learn what fact-finding is and how it is used to advance human rights. You'll also learn how to plan and prepare for fact-finding; coordinate with partners and others; navigate security challenges; conduct interviews with survivors, witnesses, officials, and others; minimize the risk of retraumatization and vicarious trauma; and adapt fact-finding interview approaches for challenging contexts (e.g., emergency or conflict settings, detention facilities, or refugee camps).

You will practice interview techniques through in-class simulations, and learn to tailor interviews for specific situations and populations. Discussions and exercises will address specific considerations when interviewing LGBTQI survivors, children, people with disabilities, older people, and other groups.

While there are many possible approaches to fact-finding, this course will focus heavily on one-on-one interviews. We will touch briefly on other forms of fact-finding, including through the use of various technologies.

The course will draw heavily on my experience conducting fact-finding interviews and training staff at Human Rights Watch. Bear in mind that this is just one of many approaches to investigating the realization or denial of human rights. This elective course should be considered a supplement to other courses on research methods, not a replacement. I strongly encourage students to take courses on qualitative research methods and social science perspectives on human rights. The approach taught in this course is more like investigative journalism paired with advocacy than like social science research.

There are no prerequisites.

Meets full semester.

Learning objectives: Through this course, you will understand what fact-finding is, and how it is used in the human rights field. More specifically, you will have developed skills and knowledge that will enable you to:

• Plan for fact-finding

• Adhere to core standards and ethical considerations

• Interview survivors of human rights abuses

• Understand best practices for interviewing specific populations

• Interview government officials, UN representatives, and others

• Obtain secondary data and information

• Handle the stress of human rights fact-finding, and minimize the risk of vicarious trauma

• Prevent and handle security risks

• Conduct interviews for multimedia

• Understand options for technology-enabled fact-finding

No exams. Assignments will be practical, aimed at developing skills for planning and executing fact-finding.

Seminar style.

This course explores live debates and contemporary movements for women's human rights and gender equality globally and in the US, and builds practical communications skills.

We'll briefly cover foundational women's human rights principles and mechanisms, then we'll explore how advocates are deploying human rights to tackle new challenges and seize opportunities in today's world. We'll examine progress and emerging threats to gender equality in the areas of health rights, employment and economic rights, and natural resources and assets.

Throughout the course, we'll do short exercises to deepen your knowledge about gender equality and women's human rights, and to sharpen your ability to communicate about these issues. We'll practice project planning; advocacy writing; media and social media communications; presentation skills; and writing for donors. We'll also reflect on stress and burnout in the human rights profession, and ways to foster resilience and wellbeing.

There are no prerequisites. This class is designed to complement, not duplicate, other classes on gender, public policy, and human rights. I encourage you to take other courses on these topics in the Humphrey School, the Law School, CLA, and other schools and colleges.

This course qualifies as an elective for the Master of Human Rights and the Human Rights Graduate Minor at the U, as well as the Global Public Policy and the Gender and Public Policy Concentrations at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

The syllabus in Google Docs is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18W9s0zUmWH_Mkx6ED4Tt95Q70pnqUI-8UPQ5EekeJrk/edit?usp=sharing

And a video intro describing the course is here:

The goals of this course are for students to deepen their understanding of contemporary women's human rights topics, debates, and advocacy strategies, and to hone practical communications skills needed in the human rights field.

By reading and discussing diverse materials, doing exercises to hone practical communications skills, and participating in other activities, you'll improve your ability to:

• Apply human rights principles to current debates on gender and women's rights.

• Analyze gender and human rights problems, and design strategies to address them.

• Operate as versatile, confident, informed advocates for gender equality and women's rights.

• Produce compelling written materials in a variety of formats and for different audiences.

• Speak succinctly and persuasively about gender and human rights issues.

• Recognize distinctive barriers to realization of women's human rights and gender equality for marginalized groups.

• Understand stress and resilience in the human rights field and develop wellbeing practices.

Seminar style. Class meets on Mondays 11:15-12:30 for the full semester.