Course Syllabus
COURSE:
HRTS 5500 Human Rights and Humanitarian Diplomacy
Term:
Day(s): Tuesday (+ 1 x Wednesday)
Time: 18:00 – 22:00
Location:
The Instructor:
Name:
Availability
Mobile Phone:
Office Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Dr. Kelly-Kate Pease
By appointment
peasekk@webster.edu
About the instructor
Dr. Pease was educated at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and the University of
Nebraska, Lincoln. She has published several articles and books on humanitarian intervention,
human rights and international organizations.
Dr. Pease was Chair of International Relations at Webster University, St. Louis and the
founding director of the Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. Most recently,
Dr. Pease served as the 2013 Manitoba Chair for Global Governance.
Guest Speakers
To be announced.
THE COURSE
Course Definition (source: Webster University Graduate Catalogue)
This course is about negotiating and bargaining process related to the promotion and
protection of internationally recognized human rights and humanitarian principles. This process
involves both state and non-state actors. This course will also explore the tools and tactics used
by actors to encourage respect for human rights.
Prerequisite: HRTS 5000
Incoming Competency
Students should have completed HRTS 5000.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will able to:
1. Design and develop a literature review on human rights and humanitarian diplomacy.
2. Synthesize the relevant scholarly literature.
3. Recognize the different actors that participate in human rights diplomacy.
4. Appraise the challenges of actualizing international human rights and humanitarain principles.

Note: APA style for citations is required for all students. All students are encouraged to be consistent with
this in their writing. Please not the all students will be required to provide complete citation, INCLUDING
PAGE NUMBERS (in text and the bibliography).
Materials (Required Textbook)
Pease, Kelly-Kate. Human Rights Diplomacy Negotiating for Human Rights Protection
and Humanitarian Access. New York: Bloomsbury USA Academic, 2015. Print.
Required Material
Readings will be assigned.
Recommended Reading Material
GRADING
Letter Grades:
Instructor’s guidelines for
percentage equivalent of the
letter grade:
Letter grades mean that in the opinion
of the instructor the work was:
A (4.0), A- (3.67)
A (90-100), A- (85-89)
Superior work
B+ (3.33), B (3.0), B-(2.67)
B+ (80-84), B (75-79), B-(70-74)
Satisfactory work
C (2.0)
C (65-69)
Barely adequate as graduate-level work
F (0.0)
F (0-64)
Unsatisfactory. No credit granted.
Other Designations:
Satisfactory graduate work (B- or better). CR is reserved for courses designated by a
CR
department, involving internships, a thesis, practicum or specified courses.
I
IP
NR
W
ZF
Incomplete work
In Progress
Not Reported.
The student withdrew from the course
An incomplete which was not completed within one year of the end of the course. ZF is
treated the same as F or NC for all cases involving GPA, academic warning, probation, and
dismissal.
ASSESSMENT: the Instructor will evaluate students’ work as follows:
Description:
Percentage:
Date due:
20
5
Weekly Attendance
October 8
October 15
1. Literature Review Table
2. Outline
3. First complete draft paper
15
5
10
September 10
October 1
October 8
Mid-term paper: Literature Review
Final Exam
20
25
September 24
October 15
Active Participation /Peer Review
Presentations:
Homework:
Students and Instructors will be asked to evaluate the course in a form to be handed out
during week 7 of the term.
Study load: Students are expected to spend approximately 17 hours per week (21 hours including
class time) on this course.
Assessment Tool (insert learning outcomes and cross reference with the evaluation criteria in
the table above, and assign +, ++ or x’s to reflect your course)
Assessment Tool
Learning Specifics
Learning Outcome 1
Learning Outcome 2
Learning Outcome 3
Learning Outcome 4
General Skills
Presentation skills
Writing skills
Team work skills
Cross-cultural skills
(++ = key tool; + = secondary tool, X = not used)
Active
Participation
20%
Presentations
5%
Homework/
30%
Mid-Term
Literature
Review
20%
Final Exam,
25%
x
x
x
x
X
X
++
X
++
++
++
++
+
++
++
+
++
++
++
++
x
X
++
+
++
++
++
++
++
+
++
++
Activities
Peer Review, Midterm (literature review); Final Exam; Oral defense.
ACADEMIC POLICIES
University policies are provided in the current course catalog and course schedules. They are also available on the university
website. This course is governed by the University’s published policies. Please use the following link to see a complete overview
of Webster Leiden’s Policies and Procedures: http://www.webster.nl/students/policies/academic-policies
Academic Honesty: The University is committed to high standards of academic honesty. Students will be held responsible for
violations of these standards. Please refer to the university’s academic honesty policies for a definition of academic dishonesty
and potential disciplinary actions associated with it.
Drop / Withdraw: Please be aware that, should you choose to drop or withdraw from a course; the date on which you notify
the University of your decision will determine the amount of tuition refund you receive. Please refer to the university policies
on drops and withdrawals (published elsewhere) to find out what the deadlines are for dropping a course with a full refund and
for withdrawing from a course with a partial refund.
Special Services: If you have registered as a student with a documented disability and are entitled to classroom or testing
accommodations, please inform the Instructor at the beginning of the course of the accommodations you will require in this
class so that these can be provided.
Disturbances: Since every student is entitled to full participation in class without interruption, disruption of class by
inconsiderate behavior is not acceptable. Students are expected to treat the instructor and other students with dignity and
respect, especially in cases where a diversity of opinion arises. Students who engage in disruptive behavior are subject to
disciplinary action, including removal from the course.
Student Papers Retained: Student assignments and/or projects will be retained by the University for the purpose of academic
assessment.
Contact Hours: It is essential that all classes meet for the full instructional time as scheduled and that is:
32 contact hours for undergraduate classes; 36 contact hours for graduate level classes.
A class cannot be shortened in length. If a class session is cancelled for any reason, it must be rescheduled.
Study Load per course: 8-week classes - students are expected to spend approximately 17 hours per week (21 hours including
class time). 16-week classes - the average study load per week is 8.5 hours, or 10.5 hours including class time.
Attendance, Participation, Assignments: Students are required to attend all classes and participate actively.
Grading will partly reflect this. Class participation accounts for roughly 20% of the total grade. All classes include assignments
(such as presentations or papers). Students must report to the instructor all assistance they received and all sources they used
in carrying out their assignments. Otherwise they will fail the course and may also face other penalties.
Auditors: are expected to attend all classes and actively participate in all aspects of the course, including mid-term and
final exams, and will be provided with a Certificate of Achievement.
First Class: The first session of a course is very important and cannot be missed. Therefore, in accordance with student
guidelines on attendance, the instructor can request that students missing the first class without valid reason, and without
having obtained permission beforehand, be dropped from the course.
For this course, the instructor has requested that this rule is enforced.
Partial Absence: At the discretion of the Instructor, grading can be reduced for students who regularly arrive late for
class and/or leave class early.
Exam Dates Students must receive permission from the Academic Director in order to take either mid-term or final exams
on a date other than that set by the Instructor.
Incomplete Work Incompletes (grades of "I") will only be allowed if agreed with the instructor and officially documented
with an Agreement to Complete form (available from your advisor). If no such agreement has been documented, incomplete
grades will automatically revert to F two weeks after the end of term.
Instructors are actively encouraged not to accept students' work after the end of term. If a student's work has been delayed by
causes beyond his/her control, an agreement to complete will normally be for a period of two weeks. Further extensions
require the approval of the academic director; graduate-level integrated studies (coded 6000) will be exempt from this rule. It
is the student's responsibility to complete the course within the specified time.
Plagiarism is using another person’s words or ideas without telling the reader. This applies not only to books and articles,
but also to sources from the internet, or copying work from your fellow students. Those who are discovered cheating or
plagiarizing will normally receive a failing grade for the entire course and may even be subject to dismissal. Please don’t fall
into this trap. Use in-text citations and include a bibliography in all your papers. (For more information, use the link to Policies
and Procedures above). Please respect your sources, your audience and yourself.
Note: WIKIPEDIA is NOT a source for academic referencing and can only be used in conjunction with other source referencing.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Homework, subjects to be dealt with in the lesson, assignments, presentations, and examinations
Study load: Students are expected to spend approximately 17 hours per week (21 hours including class time) on
this course.
Required Text: Pease, Kelly-Kate (forthcoming), Human Rights and Humanitarian Diplomacy. New York:
Bloomsbury. Supplementary articles and excerpts available online or on reserve in the library.
Date:
Lesson 1
Prepare for
this session
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
Topics of Research; What is a Literature Review. We will also review proper citation.
 What are International Human Rights?

Why are Human Rights Controversial?

Human Rights and Humanitarianism

The Actors

Types of Diplomacy

Channels of Diplomacy

Tools and Strategies

Read Guillen 2001 (entire); “Is Globalization, Civilizing, Destructive or Feeble” 6
June Annual. Rev. Sociol. 2001. 27:235–60
http://www-management.wharton.upenn.edu/guillen/files/Globaliz.ARS.2001.pdf


Read Pease, Introduction; Chapter 1
David Forsythe (2012). Human Rights in International Relations 3rd. Cambridge:
71-116.
 Literature Review: What is a literature review and how to organize it? Watch,
Video: What a literature review is not! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IUZWZX4OGI
www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-typesof-writing/literature-review

Date:
Lesson 2
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
Centrality of the State
Prepare for
this session

Theory, Worldviews, and Human Rights

The importance of the Helsinki Accords.

Heads of State and Diplomacy

States and the Development of International Human Rights and Humanitarian

Human Rights as a goal of state foreign policy
Read: Pease, Chapter 2
Christian Tomuschat. 2003. Human Rights. Between Idealism and Realism
Oxford University Press: Introduction
Samuel Moyn 2010. The Last Utopia. Human Rights in History (Cambridge): 1-83, 212-277
Date:
Lesson 3
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
Literature Review Table due. Lessons of Cold War Diplomacy
 International Diplomatic Law
 The Foreign Minister or Secretary
 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Rights and Humanitarian Diplomacy
 National Commissions and the Ombudsman Office
Prepare for
this session
Bring a reference list (conforming to APA citation) of at least 15 scholarly sources. Note:
all assignments must be completely and properly cited with APA citation and be
accompanied by a working bibliography
Read: Pease Chapter 3
Reif, Linda C. The Ombudsman, Good Governace and the Internal Human Rights System.
Leiden, Holland: Nijhoff, 2004: Chapters 1 -2
Date:
Lesson 4
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
Multilateral Human Rights and Humanitarian Diplomacy





Prepare for
this session
Multilateral Human Rights and Humanitarian Diplomacy at the United Nations
The United Nations Security Council
The United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations Human Rights Council
The Regional Multilateral Architecture
Pease, Chapter 4
Browse Websites of these organizations
Forsythe, David P. "Human Rights." In The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy, edited
by Andrew F. Cooper, Jorge Heine, and Ramesh Thakur, 658-74. Oxford,
England: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Date:
Lesson 5
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
Literature review due;
Topics:
 IGO Diplomacy:The International Civil Service:
 Role of the Secretary General
 High Commissioners
 Role of Special Rapporteurs and Independent Commissions
Prepare for
this session
Pease, Chapter 5
Forsythe, David P. "The UN Secretary-General and Human Rights." In The Challenging
Role of the UN Secretary-General: Making "The Most Impossible Job in the
World" Possible, by Benjamin Rivlin and Leon Gordenker, 211-32. Westport,
Conn.: Praeger, 1993.
Watch The Ghosts of Rwanda
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/
Date:
Lesson 6
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Time:
Civil Society, NGOs, and Human Rights

Diplomacy or Advocacy

NGOs as Subcontractors
18:00 – 22:00

NGOs as Vehicles for Citizen Diplomacy

Human Rights NGOs

NGO Human Rights Diplomacy: Strategy and Tools

Humanitarian NGOs
Prepare for
this session
Pease. Chapter 6
Terry, Fiona. Condemned to Repeat?: The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. Ithaca, NY:
Cornell University Press, 2002.
Date:
Lesson 7
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
Peer Review of Literature Review; Submit to me at peasekk@webster.edu; and bring
a paper copy to class. (Papers must be printed by the beginning of class [not on a flash
drive]).
The editorial process (the editing assignment requires that each student submit a draft
and be present to participate in the peer review/editing.
Prepare for
this session
Date:
Lesson 8
Simulation
Please read the material Week 7 in the material provided in the Addendum to
this syllabus. Note all assignments must be completely and properly cited with
APA citation and be accompanied by a working bibliography.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
The Human Rights and Humanitarian Professional:





The Professionalization of the Human Rights and Humanitarianism Field
Diplomacy: The Art of Negotiation
The Human Rights Officer
Lawyers
Detention Monitors

The Diplomatic Role of other Professionals
Prepare for
this session
Pease Chapter 7
O'Flaherty, Michael, and George Ulrich. "The Professional Identity and Development of
Human Rights Field Officer." In The Professional Identity of the Human Rights
Field Officer, 7-32. Online-Ausg. ed. Burlington: Ashgate, 2010.
Date:
Lesson 9
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Time:
18:00 – 22:00
Contemporay Challenges to Human Rights and Humanitarian Diplomacy:
Human Rights and Humanitarian Diplomacy Today
 Illiberal States and Ideologies

Failed States

Globalization and Business
Prepare for
this session
Read Pease, Chapter 8.
Zakaria, Fareed. "The Rise of Illiberal Democracy." Foreign Affairs 76, no. 1 (1997): 2243.
Complete and submit paper to me electronically at peasekk@webster.edu and bring 4 hard
copies to class. (Papers must be printed by the beginning of class [not on a flash drive]).
Please read Week 9 in the material provided in the Addendum to this syllabus. Draft and
PRACTICE your 10 minute presentation. Be prepared to defend the organization of your
literature review.
Additional Information on the course:
Please be aware of the following irregular course date(s):

Lesson 8 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, 2013
CONNECTIONS:
A Webster.edu account is set up for each student and all Webster email correspondence to
students will be sent to students’ Webster.edu addresses.