Human Rights Advocacy and Peacebuilding
Summer 2011
M-F 9am-5pm, $735 for 2 credits (3 credit option)
Professor Julie Mertus
Office: SIS 213
202-885-2215
Email: mertus@american.edu
Course Summary: This course is an intensive forty-hour, one-week training session in
which students meet with leading human rights and peacebuilding advocates, learn
proven advocacy methods, explore cutting-edge issues and practice advocacy skills. The
course seeks to deepen understanding of the role human rights play in peacemaking and
“peace-breaking,” i.e. conflict.
The class is devoted to aspects of advocacy that are the “bread and butter” of human
rights work, however, in spite of their importance they are often left out of traditional
human rights courses. Some of the topics covered will include: how to read your
audience, how to identify stakeholders, how to frame your message, how to use media
effectively and how to create an appealing advocacy strategy. Interviewing, report
writing, monitoring and evaluation are not only discussed – they are practiced.
Who Should Take This Course:
This course will be of special interest to anyone planning an advocacy campaign. The
course may be of particular interest to students of human rights, international law,
journalism, political science, international relations, ethics and philosophy. The design of
the course enables the content to serve several levels and types of students
simultaneously: J.D., M.B.A., B.A. and PhD students.
Course Design and Course Requirements:
The course is broken down into four modules; each module will be accompanied by its
own assignment to be completed by the next class.
1)
2)
3)
4)
Choosing Human Rights: What we put in and what we leave out when we
frame a social justice struggle in human rights terms.
Strategy Development: Setting achievable objectives, identifying and
addressing an audience and creating an action plan.
Advocating for Human Rights in a Peacebuilding Setting: Grassroots
organizing versus top-down change.
Reporting on Human Rights in a Peacebuilding Setting: Obtaining, evaluating
and presenting data in an ethical fashion.
1
Course Requirements and Grading:
1. Attendance/in-class participation: 40% of grade. Students will be asked to
submit a self-evaluation of their performance. Although the instructor will make
an independent assessment, the student assessment will be given due weight.
2. Individual Assignments: 40% of grade. All students complete the 4 assignments
listed in the syllabus. All 3-credit students will also complete their own advocacy
project in which they will develop an advocacy strategy for an issue of their
choice.
3. Group Assignment: 20% of grade (to be presented last class).
Readings
All readings will be provided in a workshop binder.
Modules and Assignments
Module One: Choosing Human Rights: What we put in and what we leave out when
we frame a social justice struggle in human rights terms
Summary:
The first step in human rights advocacy is the decision to use human rights as a strategic
framing mechanism. Many advocacy groups utilize human rights language and adopt
human rights strategies because doing so enhances their ability to influence others as well
as to advance their cause in their home country and region. Human rights framings may
be particularly advantageous for groups seeking to draw attention to a particular type of
wrong (i.e. deprivation of liberty, denial of access to health care, discrimination based on
a prohibited ground). In these cases, reference to human rights triggers the identification
of a class of victims, perpetrators and wrongs for which some kind of relief may be
sought. Invoking human rights can be an effective way of claiming the moral high
ground and asserting affinity with others throughout the world who seek to condemn
wrongs and promote human dignity. Human rights framings thus open doors for
advocates, both at the national and international levels, to institutions with common
interests in human dignity, and enhance their ability to exercise influence on normviolating states.
However, at times human rights framings are not necessarily the best approach. Social
movements may view human rights framings as unduly restrictive and even detrimental
as central organizing factors. Governments may consider human rights to be too sensitive
a topic or fear the scrutiny that human rights discourse may trigger.
This module considers such matters as:
• The decision to use or to avoid human rights framings;
• Cause and effect in human rights narratives;
• Use of the media to draw attention to rights and wrongs;
2
•
•
Planning a human rights video; and
Identifying and analyzing arguments.
Readings:
Advocacy Binder, part 1
Assignment:
Complete either the “Plan a Video” or “Analyze Legislation” exercise in part 1 of the
Advocacy Binder, come to the next class prepared to discuss.
Module Two: Strategy Development: Setting achievable objectives, identifying and
addressing an audience, and creating an action plan
Summary:
Building on the first module on framings, this module examines the core of effective
advocacy efforts, strategic development. Strategic development helps advocates to:
•
•
•
•
•
Assess the terrain that confronts your current resources and capacity for creating
change;
Name your key objectives;
Create an action plan for achieving those objectives;
Identify who has the power to make it happen; and
Evaluate your objectives at specific points in your campaign.
Included in this module is a discussion of the “advocacy cycle” and “advocacy methods.”
Among other issues, the challenge of human rights advocacy within the U.S. will be
discussed.
Readings:
Advocacy Binder, part 2
Assignment:
For two decades, you have been working on civil rights cases for the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU). You went to a world meeting on human rights and have
returned convinced that the ACLU should not only promote U.S.-identified civil rights,
but also international human rights. Write a letter to the ACLU Board of Directors
explaining your new position. Suggest a specific human right for the ACLU to promote.
Explain how you will frame this right in international human rights terms and propose an
advocacy strategy.
3
Module Three: Advocating for Human Rights: Grassroots organizing versus topdown change
Summary:
This module considers a wide spectrum of human rights advocacy strategies in conflict
scenarios--from attempts to influence the U.S. Congress and backdoor White House
lobbying, to grassroots efforts and educational projects seeking to build a human rights
culture. Particular emphasis will be placed on critical examination of advocacy
campaigns.
Readings:
Advocacy Binder, part 3
Assignment:
A large selection of human rights advocacy materials will be provided. From these
materials, choose a specific advocacy campaign to critique. Identify the advocacy
strategies chosen, explain the intended and unintended outcomes, weigh advantages and
disadvantages of the approach selected and consider alternatives.
Module Four: Reporting on Human Rights: Obtaining, evaluating and presenting
data in an ethical (and safe) manner
Summary:
This module explores the collection and evaluation of information on human rights
violations. Significant attention will be paid to processing human rights data--weighing
credibility of witnesses, exposing bias, exploring ways of collecting data from deponents
and documents, types of samples, controlled vocabulary, and using questionnaires,
interviews, documentary and media sources.
The module considers the difficulties inherent in human rights reporting from conflict
zones. It looks at security issues for both the human rights researcher and the informant,
such as: how to sensitively conduct interviews with victims of trauma, obtaining
information without inflicting pain, and how to maintain a reasonable degree of
judgment, integrity, and balance.
Readings:
Advocacy Binder, part 4-5 (selected)
Assignment:
4
If you already have a human rights research agenda planned for a project, refer to it in
this exercise. If not, develop a plan for the purposes of this exercise. State your research
agenda in one clear paragraph and do one of the following:
1) draft a research questionnaire
2) draft terms of reference for human rights fieldwork
3) plan a print journalism project
Group Project: Advocacy Campaign (to be distributed)
5