Course Outline
DEV702 International Human Rights, Peace and Conflict, and Environmental Justice
Course Coordinator:Cathryn Morriss (cmorriss@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
2023Semester 2
UniSC Sunshine Coast |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
What is this course about?
Description
This is an advanced course that provides you with an in-depth and extensive analysis of the theoretical and applied principles of peace and conflict transformation, human rights as a global ethical framework, as well as contemporary environmental issues that come together in specifically contemporary ways. The course will help you gain an in depth understanding of the complex issues within violence, conflict and peace.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Weekly online learning materials | 1hr | Week 1 | 13 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly tutorials | 2hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
Course Topics
- Key concepts & issues: What is Peace?
- Fear, Violence, and the Sociology of Cultures of War or Peace
- Sociology, Peace, and Remembered Grievances
- Cultures of Peace – Attitudes to War
- Conflict Analysis / Conflict Mediation: tracking escalation in environments, people, places
- Ethics & Peace Research: peace research and peace practice
- Peace Communication - Journalism, peace and conflict
- Women, war, and peace: a human rights approach
- Nonviolent action, nonviolent philosophy, nonviolent communication
- Ecologies of Peace: environmental space as a peace project
- REFLECTING ON VIOLENCE structural, cultural, direct
- People on the move: forced migration and environments of violent conflict
- The Future of Peace? Challenges for humanity
What level is this course?
700 Level (Specialised)
Demonstrating a specialised body of knowledge and set of skills for professional practice or further learning. Advanced application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.
What is the unit value of this course?
12 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Critically reflect on concepts of peace and conflict, and environmental justice, to evaluate models and theories associated with these areas of study. | Creative and critical thinker |
| 2 | Critically evaluate complex real life issues using peace and conflict theories, and environmental justice, to demonstrate the potentialities for sustainability and sustainable peace. | Creative and critical thinker |
| 3 | Evaluate, compare and communicate research on peace and conflict, and environmental justice, using ethical and socially responsible strategies. | Engaged |
| 4 | Develop advanced collaborative qualities to mimic that of a worker in an NGO in the fields of peace and conflict, human rights, and environmental justice. |
Knowledgeable Engaged |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
Enrolled in any PGRD Program
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
SCS216
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Not applicable
Microcredential Information
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Details of early feedback on progress
Timely and detailed feedback is provided for each assessment. Feedback is provided both within text and general comments to build scholarly skills. Students are able to seek feedback through face-to-face discussion with the course coordinator. Tutorials will include extended discussion and review of the assessment task requirements
Assessment tasks
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Written Piece | Individual | 15% | 1000 words |
Refer to Format | Online Submission |
| All | 2 | Oral | Individual and Group | 45% | 30 Minutes |
Refer to Format | In Class |
| All | 3 | Essay | Individual | 40% | 3000 words |
Week 13 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Critical Reflection | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | Critically reflect on learning material topics in preparation for task 2 |
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| Product: | Written Piece | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Submit: Week 3-4. This task is a chance to reflect more deeply on the key concepts that will inform your Task 2 presentation. The reflections should demonstrate engagement with the course materials and the application of key concepts to one or more settings that enable you to identify, analyse and evaluate how these concepts aid in broadening your understanding of at least two areas of interest within the scope of the course. The format, negotiated with the Course Coordinator in the first tutorial, may be a written essay, or a combination of both a visual representation (artistic/video/creative work) and accompanying written contextualisation of the work. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| All - Assessment Task 2:Presentation | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | This assessment will give you the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained through engaging with the learning materials and tutorials to an issue that has broader relevance to your degree or to your areas of personal interest. It will enhance your understanding of the relevance of human rights, peace and conflict studies, and environmental justice to a specific contemporary issue or event and how sociological approaches might enable a deeper understanding of the issue at hand. The oral presentation will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of why a creative approach to communicating for peace, especially as this relates to environmental issues, is helpful in engaging society in the processes for peacebuilding by using ethical and socially responsible strategies to engage an audience. |
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| Product: | Oral | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Submit: Week 6-12. In groups of 2 or 3 you will produce a creative and informative presentation for a simulated conference setting based on a case study of your choosing that reflects one of the topics covered in the course. Your group's presentation will be 30 minutes in total. All group members must be involved as active participants. The presentation must demonstrate competency in applying appropriate creative elements of engagement with the audience. All students will then offer a brief individual critique of at least two presentations other than their own. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Analytical Essay | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | This task is designed to demonstrate your ability to integrate personal reflections with theoretical analysis. You will critically apply your knowledge of key concepts and advanced theories of human rights, peace and conflict, environmental justice, conflict resolutions frameworks, social, political, cultural and ethical considerations to a specific self-identified circumstance and develop the capacity to succinctly reflect upon how those factors impact on identifiable or perceived outcomes. This task requires you to critically evaluate diverse real-life issues using peace and conflict, and environmental justice theories to demonstrate the potentiality of sustainable and sustainability in peace engagement, and to communicate your understandings, perceptions and analysis of the content in a well-developed scholarly fashion. |
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| Product: | Essay | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | This task involves preparation of an analytical essay of 3000 words. The topic of the essay is self-identified and may either build upon the task 2 topic or introduce a new topic for analysis. This essay will incorporate theoretical understandings and frameworks to analyse a contemporary conflict situation. The essay structure is negotiable and must be approved by the Course Coordinator during an individual planning meeting to be scheduled no later than week 10. |
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| Criteria: |
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Directed study hours
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
Specific requirements
Nil
How are risks managed in this course?
Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct.Assessment: Submission penalties
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Conduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
- In person:
- UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
- UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
- UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
- UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
- UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
- UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
- Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
- Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au