2022-23 MA Applied Human Rights Programme Design Document

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1	1. Admissions/ Management Information
2	Title of the new programme – including any lower awards Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award. See guidance on programme titles in:
3	Masters			MA in Applied Human Rights
4	Postgraduate Diploma			Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Human Rights							Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register or as an exit award, ie. that are only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Exit
5	Postgraduate Certificate			Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Human Rights							Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, or as an exit award, ie. that are only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Exit
6	Level of qualification			Level 7
7	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:							2022-23
8	Awarding institution									Teaching institution
9	University of York									University of York
10	Department(s): Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department									Board of Studies
11	Lead Department		Dept. of Politics							Dept. of Politics
12	Other contributing Departments:		York Law School							Dept. of Politics
13	Route code (existing programmes only)							PMAHRSAHR1
14	Admissions criteria
15	This course is open to all UK and overseas applicants with a good first degree and/or significant relevant practical experience. For applicants whose first language is not English, IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6 in each component (or equivalent) is normally required.
16	Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
17	Programme				Length (years/ months)	Status (full-time/ part-time) Please select	Start dates/months (if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)			Mode
18
19										Face-to-face, campus-based			Distance learning		Other
20	MA in Applied Human Rights				1 year	Full-time	September intake only			Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
21					2 years	Part-time	September intake only			Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
23	Language(s) of study
24	English
25	Language(s) of assessment
26	English
27	2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
28	2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
29	Please Select Y/N:		No	if No move to section 3 if Yes complete the following questions
38	3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
39	Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
40	Please Select Y/N:		No	if Yes, provide details
42	4. Programme leadership and programme team
43	4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
44	Professor Paul Gready (Programme leader 19/20), Alice Nah (prev. programme leader)
45	5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
46	5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the masters programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
47	The term human rights defender (HRD) is used to describe anyone working to promote human rights. It can include those who work in intergovernmental organizations based in the world’s largest cities to individuals working within their local communities. There is increasing recognition of the role of HRDs as key agents in the protection of civil liberties in today’s shrinking civil space, with the proliferation of laws restricting the operations of civil society organisations (CSOs), and the growing global struggle between oppression and self-determination. This current international context provides our students with both challenges and exciting opportunities. The MA in Applied Human Rights trains the next generation of HRDs to do human rights work more effectively and safely. It provides a holistic approach to human rights by being interdisciplinary and integrating knowledge of human rights, development, conflict, humanitarianism and activism. You will learn to analyse the political and legal context in which human rights issues exist, examine the complexity of policy-making processes, critically assess the role of state and non-state actors and apply these to a variety of real-life situations in and out of the classroom. Our programme is outward-looking and incorporates strong links with NGOs, primarily through work placements, both locally and overseas. The Project Placement which takes place either in Cape Town, South Africa, or in York is a key component of the MA and it will give you direct experience of fieldwork. Projects are based on partnerships with civil society organisations working in the field of human rights. York was recently declared the UK’s first Human Rights City and students from the MA programme have been strongly involved in this initiative.
48	5.a.i Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the postgraduate diploma programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
49	(max 300 words)
50	5.a.ii Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the postgraduate certificate programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
51	(max 300 words)
52	5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme can be expected to do. If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements for the PG Certificate and four-eight for the PG Diploma in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
53	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
54	1	Analyse and evaluate human rights issues to develop informed, critical understanding of the ways in which social, political, economic and institutional interests shape human rights problems and responses.
55	2	Design advocacy to enhance the implementation of human rights practice by drawing on an understanding of UN, regional, and state policy-making processes.
56	3	Retrieve and critically assess socio-legal data using appropriate research methods and analytical techniques to investigate complex contemporary human rights issues
57	4	Engage with debates at global, national, and local levels, communicating ideas effectively and in different formats to peers, policy actors, lawyers and human rights defenders across a range of professional settings.
58	5	Apply the values of collaborative, participatory approaches and cultural sensitivity to problem-solving and the shaping of human rights interventions.
59	6	Engage in continual reflective practice by exploring different approaches and theories to particular challenges and critically reflecting on their value and effectiveness in diverse contexts.
60	5.b.ii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Diploma Please provide four to eight statements of what a graduate of the Postgraduate Diploma programme can be expected to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
61	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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63	2
64	3
65	4
66	5
67	6
68	7
69	8
70	5.b.iii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Certificate Please provide four to six statements of what a graduate of the Postgraduate Certificate programme can be expected to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
71	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
72	1
73	2
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76	5
77	6
78	5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
79	i) Why the PLOs are considered ambitious or stretching?
80	The MA in Applied Human Rights provides a holistic approach to human rights. It is interdisciplinary and integrates knowledge of human rights, development, conflict, humanitarianism and activism in a way that our students not only consider the human rights political and legal frameworks; they primarily focus on how best to apply these frameworks to enhance human rights practice at local, national and global levels. The students learn to analyse the political and legal context in which human rights issues exist, examine the complexity of policy-making processes, critically assess the role of state and non-state actors and apply these to a variety of real-life situations. Students are encourged to take ownership of their studies and have the opportunity to work on specific themes and issues that can be applied to their chosen career paths. Our programme is outward-looking and incorporates strong links with NGOs, UN bodies and government offices adding an international perspective to studying human rights.
81	ii) The ways in which these outcomes are distinctive or particularly advantageous to the student:
82	"The course will push students to be critical thinkers that will enable them to tackle complex problems and produce creative solutions by applying a sophisticated theoretical knowledge of human rights frameworks to their area of work."
83	iii) Please detail how you would support students from diverse entry routes to transition into the programme? For example, disciplinary knowledge and conventions of the discipline, language skills, academic and writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
84	"Throughout the autumn term the department runs regular Study Skills sessions for PGT students. Sessions offered are on: Academic research skills, VLE training, Referencing and Developing academic writing skills. For non-native English speakers these study skills sessions are supplemented by English language classes run by the Centre for English Language Teaching. All students participate in department-run Turnitin workshops and complete the University's academic integrity tutorial."
85	iv) Please explain how the design of the programme enables students to progress through to the end of the award? For example, in terms of the development of research skills, enabling students to complete an independent study module, developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills, (See: QAA Mater's degree characteristics http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2977#.WS1JOevyu70).
86	"Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, guest speakers, one-to-one supervision and independent study. Students' academic and personal development is supported and monitored closely through continual supervision and feedback. They are guided on how to think, act, engage, reflect and communicate as a practioner of human rights. Students develop academic and writing skills through written assignments, build their reflexive practioner skills through the Defending Human Rights module and placement, and learn how to conduct independent academic research though their dissertation. The students learn to recognize the importance of collaborative and participatory approaches and graduate with a versatility of knowledge and skills that will enable them to pursue a wide range of careers."
87	v) How the programme learning outcomes develop students’ digital literacy and use technology-enhanced learning to achieve the discipline and pedagogic goals which support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classrooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
88	"All modules are supported by a VLE site on Yorkshare. A module template is used to ensure a minimum standard across the department. This includes: the course announcements tool; module information; seminars; assessments (formative and summative); links to EARL software; and contacts. All summative coursework is submitted via the VLE so the departmental administration team are responsible for ensuring that generic material regarding instructions for submission, marking criteria etc are uniform and in the correct place across all VLE platforms. Students are encouraged to develop the following digital skills: using online research databases; using referencing software (e.g. EndNotes); using collaborative work tools (e.g. GoogleDocs, shared online drive); using social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc); using data security protocols; keeping safe online."
89	vi) How the PLOs support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)? The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
90	Students will gain practical skills though participating in a compulsory Project Placement in South Africa or in York which takes place in the first term enabling students to work alongside local NGOs and human rights defenders on concrete projects. These placements will enhance their employability skills through practical, hands-on learning experiences, as well as through modules tailored to encourage critical reflection and practical skills. Students will be trained how to think, act, engage, reflect and communicate as a researcher and practitioner in a variety of human rights contexts. They will gain the skills and knowledge to play their part in important international problems such as the protection of civil liberties in a shrinking civil space and be prepared for a variety of different careers in the public, private and voluntary sectors. PLO 1.supports the evaluatation of human rights using a multi-disciplinary lens to develop informed, critical understanding of the ways in which social, political, economic and institutional interests shape human rights problems and responses and PLO 2. supports the design of human rights advocacy for effective delivery and outcome, drawing on understanding of UN, regional, and state policy-making processes and applying theories and concepts from law and the social sciences to real world problems.
93	viii) How is teaching informed and led by research in the department/ centre/ University?
94	"The Centre for Applied Human Rights hosts the Human Rights Defenders Research Hub which was launched in February 2016. It aims to become a world-leading provider of training and research on the protection of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and to facilitate dialogue, collaboration and reflection amongst scholars, practitioners, and defenders. The Hub has introduced a new ‘rapid research response’ service, significantly expanding the department’s current research on HRDs, and has established an international network on HRD research. Our academics are internationally recognised in their fields, and all are active researchers. Additional talks and workshops from experts and leading academics in the field of human rights are organised throughout the course."
95	5.d. Progression For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof, and provide appropriate detail of the module diet students will need to complete. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one. Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
96	i) If the Postgraduate Certificate is an exit award only please:
97	Provide a global statement to explain what a student who exits with a PG Cert award will be able to do (this should capture the extent of the achievement of the programme learning outcomes). NB: Where more than one PG Cert is available as an exit award a statement should be provided detailing what a student exiting with each award will be able to do								Detail the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain the PG Cert as an exit award. NB: Where more than one PG Cert is available as an exit award the module diet required for each award should be given
98	Students who exit with a PG certificate will have met PLOS 1,2, and 6: they will have improved their knowledge base, evaluation and interpersonal and communication skills, as well their skills for human rights problem solving . Although the core modules also touch upon PLOs 3,4 and 5, students will develop these to a lesser extent than students completing the MA programme as a whole, as PG Cert students will gain less experience in writing essays and will not write a dissertation. As a result, their critical assessment of socio-legal data (PLO 3), communicating in different formats (PLO 4) their ability to apply the values of collaborative, participatory approaches and cultural sensitivity to problem-solving and the shaping of human rights interventions (PLO5) will be less developed.								To qualify for a Postgraduate Certificate students must pass the following core modules worth a total of 60 credits: The Practice of Fieldwork (20 credits), Project Placement (20 credits), Social Science and Human Rights Practice (20 credits).
99	ii) If the Postgraduate Diploma is an exit award only please:
100	Provide a global statement to explain what a student who exits with a PG Dip award will be able to do (this should capture the extent of the achievement of the programme learning outcomes)								Detail the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain the PG Dip as an exit award
101	Students who exit with a PG Dip will have met PLOs 1,2, 4, and 6: they will have improved their knowledge base, evaluation and interpersonal and communication skills, as well their skills for human rights problem solving. Although the core- and option modules also touch upon PLOs 3 and 5, students will develop these to a lesser extent than students completing the MA programme as a whole, as PG Diploma students will not have successfully completed a dissertation. As a result, their critical assessment of socio-legal data (PLO 3), and their ability to apply the values of collaborative, participatory approaches and cultural sensitivity to problem-solving and the shaping of human rights interventions (PLO5) will be less developed.								To qualify for a Postgraduate Diploma students must complete 4 core modules worth a total of 80 credits (The Practice of Fieldwork (20 credits), Project Placement (20 credits), Social Science and Human Rights Practice (20 credits) and International Human Rights Law Laboratory (20 credits) as well as optional modules worth a total of 40 credits.
102	5.e. Other features of the programme
103	i) Involvement of partner organisations Are any partner organisations involved in the delivery of the programme?
104	Please Select Y/N:		No	if Yes, outline the nature of their involvement (such as contributions to teaching, placement provision). Where appropriate, see also the:
105	Please Select Y/N:		No	University guidance on collaborative provision
107	ii) Internationalisation/ globalisation How does the programme promote internationalisation and encourage students to develop cross-cultural capabilities?
108	The very nature of the universality of human rights means that the curriculum is international, as demonstrated by the module titles and descriptions. All of the modules in the programme promote awareness of international issues, contexts and cultures. The Department runs a Protective Fellowship Scheme and since it began in 2008 has hosted over 70 visiting human rights defenders from over 40 countries. Their work covers civil and political rights as well as social, economic and cultural rights in a wide variety of contexts. Up to ten defenders per year are able to join the Centre for the purposes of research, networking and respite and they make an invaluable and unique contribution to the teaching modules.The department has a very international range of staff allowing students to benefit from a wide range of cultures and approaches. Our student intake at the PGT level is very diverse with students coming from across Europe, Africa, the US, Central and South East Asia and the Middle East. Many of these students join us with a wealth of professional experience spanning many countries, which they share with one another through seminar discussion.
109	iii) Inclusivity How will good practice in ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion be embedded in the design, content and delivery of the programme?
110	This refers to the protected characteristics and duties on the University outlined in the Equality Act 2010
111	The programme complies with the Equality Act of 2010. Human rights are universal. Inclusivity, diversity and equality are embedded in the content of the curriculum which covers a broad range of issues in the field of international human rights. Students are encouraged to think and act as global citizens in order to promote values of tolerance and inclusivity. Through working with others inside and outside the university, including people of different nationalities, religions, cultures, ages, gender and political persuasions, students will learn to respect difference while promoting tolerance and inclusivity. The Department ensures that the recommendations of all disability statements for individual students are implemented in full (eg extra time for assessments, use of computers, lecturer/seminar recording, powerpoint presentations released ahead of the lecture etc).
112	6. Reference points and programme regulations
113	6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design: