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Course Detail

Course Name Advancing Human Rights Organizations
Course Code HRTS 501
Program Master of Social Work (MSW)
Credits 3
Campus Amritapuri, Coimatore

Syllabus

Syllabus

PART I: OVERVIEW OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS (CSOS)

Week 1: Introduction

Weekly Overview and Objectives:

This will serve as an introduction to the course and an inroad into understanding what exactly we are talking about when we reference human rights CSOs. What are CSOs and where did they come from? Why did they arise at this juncture of human history and what do they mean for human rights practice? What can CSOs actually “do” to further human rights and how might we begin to think about effective CSOs?

Objectives: Following this Introduction, the parameters of the course will be clearer, you will understand what to look for in your project work, and you will begin to form directions and focus on your project work for this course.

Further, you will have acquired the basic framework for understanding what we are examining in this course, especially the various organizations that exist and how they are designated. This will serve as the basis for moving forward in the course itself and for understanding follow-on discussions and analyses of human rights organizations.

Required Reading:

Suggested Readings:

  • Aryeh Neier, The International Human Rights Movement: A History (Selections)
  • Dichter, T.W. Globalization and its Effects on NGOs: Efflorescence or a Blurring of Roles and Relevance? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (supplement) 28
  • Azzam, Fateh. “Why Should We Have to “Represent” Anyone?”
  • Gaventa, J. 2003. Crossing the Great Divide: Building Links and Learning Between NGOs and Community-Based Organizations in the North and South. The Earthscan Reader on NGO Management, pp. 256 – 271
  • Spar, D.L. and L.T. La Mure. 2003. The Power of Activism: Assessing the Impact of NGOs on Global Business. California Management Review, 45(3), 78-102.
  • Fidler, David P. 2004 Fighting Axis of Illness: HIV/AIDS, Human Rights, Foreign Policy, Harvard Human Rights Journal 17: 99-136

Guest Speaker: Ram Bhandari, Committee for Social Justice, Nepal October 10 @ 6.30 PST

Weekly Assignments:

  • Enteryour introduction and areas of interest into the week’s Voice Thread (VT) so that students can find like-minded students with whom they could partner to complete Project I. Please note in the D2L Assignment section that you have submitted a VT. D2L Assignment 1
  • Choose a partner(s) [PreferablyTHREE students/group] for Project I and submit your student names AND title of the project/CSOs to be D2L Assignment 2
  1. Submit your thoughts to this week’s VT about the guest lecture, including queries or follow up pointsyou desire to know about. What impression did the guest lecturer make and what information did you acquire from the guest lecture that assisted you in understanding how organizations operate and move forward their agendas? Please note in the D2L Assignment section that you have submitted a VT. D2L Assignment 3.

Week 2: The “Ecosystem” and Classification of CSOs Weekly Overview and Objectives:

Human Rights CSOs may be international, regional, or small grassroots organizations. What is each positioned to do? What can an international CSO do that a small grassroots organization cannot (and vice versa)? What are the challenges for each? What are the opportunities? How do they work with or against other CSOs in an area?

Objectives: By the end of the lecture, you should have greater insight and understanding of the CSO map, as it were. You will be able to identify the different organizations that exist and discern the pluses and minuses for taking specific directions with different CSOs. Further, you will begin to understand that these distinctions have implications for a CSO depending on what they seek to accomplish and the best means for achieving their goals.

Required Readings:

Suggested Readings:

  • Hewlett’santi-poverty programs in the SF Bay area https://hewlett.org/strategy/propelnext/
  • Evaluation101 for Human Rights Organizations: How do we know if we are making a difference? https://www.aaas.org/evaluation101
  • Uttam Uprety (Shrinking) Civic Space in Nepal: Concerns Among Indigenous People’sOrganizations 47 Forum for Development Studies 243 (2020) file:///Users/hammer/Downloads/Shrinking%20Civic%20Space%20in%20Nepal%20Concerns%20A mong%20Indigenous%20People%20s%20Organizations.pdf

Guest Speaker: Judith Stephens, Intl. Justice Missions, Ghana Oct. 28 7:00 PST

Weekly Assignments

  • For Project I, please submit a summary overview of the organizations you intend to analyze, theperson or people you intend to interview (if at all), and what you perceive to be the type or form of NGOs that you intend to examine. D2L Assignment 4
  • Submit your thoughts to this week’s VT about the guest lecture, including queries or follow up pointsyou desire to know about. What impression did the guest lecturer make and what information did you acquire from the guest lecture that assisted you in understanding how organizations operate and move forward their agendas? Please note in the D2L Assignment section that you have submitted a VT. D2L Assignment 5.

PART II: STARTING AND SUSTAINING A CSO

Week 3: Planning, capacity building, governance, and management Overview:

A stable CSO is built with a clear vision, effective structure, and stable long-term plans that incorporate the capacity to evolve in the face of changing information and contexts. Maintaining a solid visionary plan not only translates to more effective work and human rights protection, but also allows for better fundraising and clearer path to potential donors. Managing and governing a CSO involves upholding the focus and direction of the organization, building its capacity, and maintaining a viable and functioning infrastructure.

Objectives:

This week helps build our understanding of the range of leadership and management skills needed to manage and even increase a CSO’s efficiency and effectiveness, including: strategic planning, operations, working with Boards of Directors, and assuring accountability.

Required Readings:

  • Lewis, D. 2007. “Advocacy and Service Delivery: Managing the Main NGO Activities” in TheManagement of Non-governmental Development Organizations, Second Edition
  • Berliner, Peter; Line Natascha Larsen; and Elena de Casas Soberon. 2012. Case study:promoting community resilience with local values: Greenland’s Paamiut Asasara. Chapter 30 in Ungar, Michael (ed.). The Social Ecology of Resilience: A Handbook of Theory and Practice. New York: Springer Science and Business Media, pp. 387-397.

Suggested Readings:

  • Merry,Sally 2011. Measuring the world: Indicators, human rights, and global governance. Current Anthropology 52 (supplement 3): s83-s95.
  • Kilby, Patrick. “Accountability for Empowerment: Dilemmas Facing Non-Governmental” World Development. Vol. 34, No. 6, 2006: 951-963.
  • Mordaunt, “The Emperor’s New Clothes: Why Boards and Managers Find Accountability Relationships Difficult.” Public Policy and Administration. Vol. 21, No. 3, 2006: 120-134
  • Lewis, D. 2007. NGOs and the Management of Relationships in The Management of Non-Governmental Development Organizations, Second Edition,
  • Edwards, (2002). “NGO Performance: What Breeds Success? New Evidence from South Asia” In Edwardsand A. Fowler (Eds.), The Earthscan Reader on NGO Management London: Earthscan.

Guest speaker: Howard Ziegler, Vitamoins Nov. 3 8.00 PST

Weekly Assignments:

  1. Please complete Project II. D2L Assignment 6.
  2. Goto https://humanrightsconnected.org/search-activist-toolkit/ and choose TWO different articles or films to address in your assignment paper. ONE OF THEM MUST BE A TOOLKIT OR GUIDANCE PAMPHLET OFFERED ON THE WEBSITE. OR
    1. You can analyze the following toolkits: https://www.newtactics.org/blog/new-online-tactical- mapping-tool-equips-human-rights-activists-take-strategic-action OR https://hreusa.org/projects/every- child-every-right/every-child-every-right/ OR https://www.csolifeline.org/advocacy-toolkit

PLUS:

  • B.2: one article or film from https://humanrightsconnected.org/search-activist-toolkit/ OR B.2.: one measured country from: https://rightstracker.org/en
  • Your assignment paper will critically assess the materials or information being offered in the toolkit or other form of article or film. The notion here is to have you start reading external materials and know how to sift through them to achieve information and critically assess what you are reading.

Consider the tools or skills being offered in the film or article that you chose, and assess how these might actually assist an organization, and (most importantly) why? Further, think carefully about what else is needed or not needed as the case may be, and what you can contribute as a result of what you have learned thus far in the course.

RUBRIC:

Your project should include a summary of the article or film, an overview of what the film or article is providing an organization, and a critique of what is potentially missing, is outdated or incorrect, or can be added, to better assist an organization.

I am looking for anywhere from 4-6 pages (in total) of overview and analysis.

  • Submit your thoughts to this week’s VT about the guest lecture, including queries or follow up pointsyou desire to know about. What impression did the guest lecturer make and what information did you acquire from the guest lecture that assisted you in understanding how organizations operate and move forward their agendas?
  • Please note in the D2L Assignment section that you have submitted a VT. D2L Assignment 7.

Week 4 : Funding and business models

Overview:

We will examine funding avenues, management skills to utilize funds effectively, and the importance of enduring for adequate fund management to best achieve the goals of the organization.

Objectives:

The goal here is to be able to access funds and utilize them correctly. You will acquire such skills at the end of the lecture, especially after working on the assignment to identify funding sources relevant to your cause or goals.

Required Readings:

Suggested Reading:

  • Stanford Review: 10 business models for NGOs
  • “Money – Budgeting, Accounting, Fundraising” from How to Build a Good Small NGO: in 6 Modules “Building Sustainability” from How to Build a Good Small NGO: in 6 Modules
  • WORTH CHECKING OUT: https://www.globalgiving.org/accelerator/

Guest Speaker: Online tutorial on fundraising from Elizabeth Stahmer of the UA – Please go to the Content Section of the D2L/ Week 4 and watch the explanatory video.

Weekly Assignments:

Indicate HOW you would approach the sources and WHY you think they would be interested in funding the CSOs or NGOs you are investigating. Please also think about the means for improving funding for the organizations under examination, and whether you can propose additional avenues for funding that would better serve the ends desired by the organizations under review.

You MAY include certain aspects of the funding source into your final Project I submission in Week 7!

RUBRIC: In your project, you should identify the organizations that you intend to assist, their current source of funding and potential avenues for improvement. Then delineate the course of funding that you have identified within the databases, including what is needed to be done to achieve a successful application. It is important that you note how you would go about seeking further funding, including as well the different requirements from the funding sources you have identified.

I will evaluate your work based on the clarity of your proposal that demonstrates an understanding of the targeted organizations, the targeted funding sources, and the means for using the available databases to acquire proper and relevant/applicable information.

An output of 2-4 pages should suffice.

PART III Critiques and Challenges to CSOs

Week 5 : Power, Ethics and Corruption. Weekly Overview and Objectives:

Maintaining integrity involves not just internal financial responsibility but also acting in an ethical manner pursuant to pre determined standards (of some sort!) as well as knowing how to deal with corruption. Sadly, corruption is rife in almost all governmental channels throughout the world, both in domestic and within international organizations. How might one deal with corruption when conducting activities with or before governmental authorities or other organizations with internal problems or corrupted infrastructure? How might one maintain ethical standards in a manner that does not compromise the organizations focus and goals?

Objectives:

You will acquire insight and understanding of the issues involved with corruption and the importance (and internal and external benefits) in maintaining ethical standards within an organization. Further, it is imperative that you achieve an understanding of how to approach corruption and adequately address it as a viable human rights organization.

Required Readings:

  • Report (2019) on fighting corruption in Kenya: file:///Users/hammer/Downloads/sr_456-conflict_prevention_in_kenya_combating_corruption_through_nonviolent_action-sr.pdf
  • OHCHR,“Opening statement by Navi Pillay (High Commissioner for Human Rights), Panel on “The Negative Impact of Corruption on Human Rights” (Mar. 13, 2013)

Suggested Readings:

  • Vogler, Pia. “Into the Jungle of Bureaucracy: Negotiating Access to Camps at the Thai-BurmaBorder” Refugee Survey Quarterly 26 (3): 51-60,
  • O’Carroll, Lisa. “Sierra Leone Investigates Alleged Misuse of Emergency Ebola Funds,” TheGuardian (Feb. 17, 2015), http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/17/sierra-leoneinvestigates- alleged-misuse-of-emergency-ebola-funds.

Guest Speaker: Edris Arib of Transparency International (Kabul) November 18 AM

Weekly Assignments

You are to critically assess the analysis offered by the authors in the articles you have chosen. What are they saying (their arguments) about funding for human rights, and how persuasive do you assess their arguments to be and why? How might their opinions or critiques differ in your region or as a result of your own experiences or observations? How might human rights funding be improved, if possible, and what insights can you offer in that regard? The notion here is that you can adequately summarize an article or idea, capture the essence of the arguments or contentions being offered, and follow that up with your own form of analysis or critique, where possible. Using skills and information acquired in the course will further assist you in engaging in the analysis of the articles.

Please devote 1-1.5 pages per article or video that is analyzed

Submit your thoughts to this week’s VT about the guest lecture, including queries or follow uppoints you desire to know about. What impression did the guest lecturer make and what information did you acquire from the guest lecture that assisted you in understanding how organizations operate and move forward their agendas? Please note in the D2L Assignment section that you have submitted a D2L Assignment 10.

Week 6 : Critiques and Backlash against CSOs

Overview:

CSOs have engaged in activities to move human rights forward and have realized significant accomplishments, but like any organization or collective, they are beset by issues and problems that are important to recognize. Indeed, when considering work in this area, it is essential to be aware of what is happening within and around an organization to create a better and more effective vision and framework of operation. We will consider the differences and similarities between an UN-run office (an IGO) and CSOs that you know, with the help of our guest speakers for this week.. How might these affect the development and protection of human rights? How do these differences affect the overall operation of the organization?

Objectives:

This week will help you to start thinking critically about CSOs. You should be able to identify the central problems as well as be alert to potential issues within a CSO as you begin to read about an organization and its goals.

Required Readings:

Recommended Readings:

Guest speaker: Compoare , Burkino Faso November 23 AM

Weekly Assignments:

  • Please create a VT with the title of your Group (Group number and members therein) and present theorganizations under examination and what you have found.
  • This is a completion of Project I that is to be done by incorporating some of the relevant critiques we discussed in the past two lectures that you might see manifesting in the organization(s) under scrutiny.
  • I expect you to emerge with a proper case study of the organizations, specifically providing a summary of the organizations under review, background about their creation and reason for emerging, – and in the second part – determining whether they were actually successful and why or why not, providing an overview of their management and framework as well as potential critiques, thinking about their means of subsistence and what can be improved, and also providing a critique of their operations with a view towards proposing avenues for improvement and potential growth

RUBRIC:

Your group will emerge with a viable project report, with an understanding that you are completing a potential report for the organizations to learn from and develop. The project demands a critical look at the organizations and I envision that important and relevant issues will be raised that not only critiques the organizations, but also provides means of support or assistance as well. These latter aspects will serve as a strong basis for our evaluation of the project, along with the demonstrated knowledge you have of the organizations pursuant to your research.

I expect a complete report – that can include prior work as well as new insights and critiques. As such, I am looking for an end project of 10-15 pages or a proper PowerPoint that walks the viewer through the analysis.

Please upload the VT and also note you have done so in the D2L. D2L Assignment 11.

  • Submit your thoughts to this week’s VT about the guest lecture, including queries or follow uppoints you desire to know about. What impression did the guest lecturer make and what information did you acquire from the guest lecture that assisted you in understanding how organizations operate and move forward their agendas? Please note in the D2L Assignment section that you have submitted a D2L Assignment 12.

Week 7: Student Driven Materials

In the spirit and desire to engage one another, I will have groups share with each other their work with a view towards commenting on each other’s work, providing critiques and insights about the project that you are reading. This will be done through the VTs – watching the VTs of all the other groups and providing insights, critiques, and analyses!

Objectives: The purpose of this last group work is to reconfigure our thoughts and information that you gleaned from the course and provide you with a context. We will be using your final projects as a springboard for discernment and clarification, with a view towards refining the information you have acquired.

Guest speaker: Venkatesh Nayak RDI, India TBD

Weekly Assignments:

Please analyze all the other groups’ projects by watching their VTs and providing an overall assessment of the group’s work that you have read – this can be advice, different approaches, critiques, or further analysis. You should do this DIRECTLY in the VT but note your group number and members and also provide a copy of the assessments in the D2L. Specifically, what did you learn from the project? What advice or ideas can you contribute to strengthen the viability and practical application of the work in question? What can be added (or taken away) from the project and what additional avenues might be taken when moving forward?

An assessment of 2-3 paragraphs per group should do it! D2L Assignment 13 – NOTE – this is 15% of your grade.

IN RESERVE: D2L Assignment 14 – Submit your thoughts to this week’s VT about the guest lecture, including queries or follow up points you desire to know about. What impression did the guest lecturer make and what information did you acquire from the guest lecture that assisted you in understanding how organizations operate and move forward their agendas? Please note in the D2L Assignment section that you have submitted a VT. D2L Assignment 14.

Introduction

Catalog Description

This course focuses on the practical aspects of advancing human rights through civil society organizations (CSOs – often referred to as non-governmental organizations, NGOs) with a special emphasis on some of the dramatic transformations that human rights CSOs have undergone in the past couple of decades. The course will cover such critical issues as: management of resources, relationships with personnel and boards of directors, fundraising and financial management, accountability, navigating governmental corruption, and program evaluation.

Course Overview

Human rights CSOs have undergone dramatic transformations in the past couple of decades. CSOs are now routinely seen as crucial actors in a number of national and international forums, possessing needed expertise on specific issues and countries. CSOs also increasingly work directly with marginalized populations. In addition, CSOs often collaborate with other CSOs to bring legal cases and strategically unite into large coalitions to draw attention to a specific issue. CSOs also are held more accountable to community stakeholders and donors. These transformations have led to changes in the way that CSOs must be managed, as well as the types of deliverables that they produce. They also have raised a host of ethical issues.

We will examine these changes through a series of questions that get to the heart of working in and with human rights CSOs. How do CSOs both advance and limit human rights? Can CSOs be made adaptable enough to create sustained change in human rights or are they inevitably caught up in organizational inertia? How can CSOs work with governments, even repressive ones, to create change? How can a CSO ethically “market” human rights abuses to communicate with a range of external stakeholders? What methods allow an organization to create broad coalitions and seek funding from external sources without losing sight of its key principles?

Human Rights CSOs vary greatly in size, goals, and functions and they evolve over time; so, students will closely examine a number of organizations throughout the semester. Since we expect a number of students will currently be managing or working in human rights CSOs, students will be able to offer insights from their experience and invite people from their work to participate in the course as external participants. We also will have videoconferences with a number of CSO leaders from around the globe.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Explainhow human rights have been advanced through the strategies and practices of human rights CSOs, and how these organizations have changed significantly in recent years,
  2. Discussmajor contextual factors currently facing human rights CSOs,
  3. Giveexamples of many of the major ethical issues that confront human rights CSOs, especially those that arise when working with governments and marginalized communities,
  4. Describe some of the leading critiques of CSOs in their efforts to advancehuman rights and suggest promising strategies of addressing these critiques
  5. Identify the range of leadership and management skills needed to manage and even increase a CSO’sefficiency and effectiveness, including: strategic planning, procuring and managing funding for CSOs, working with Boards of Directors, and assuring
  6. Deploy planning and analytical skills gained from reviewing a number of case studies of CSOs infuture work with human rights CSOs.

Objectives and Outcomes

Course Structure

  • Readings, Lectures and Discussions:Each week’s content is available through D2L, which will provide access to the readings, lectures and opportunities for discussion. The lectures will also be recorded so that you may watch or review at will.
  • Assignments and Projects:– You will submit your completed assignments to the D2L through the Assignments section on the site. Assignment numbers are noted for each week and are listed on the D2L site.

Communicating with the Course Facilitator

I am available through my UA email, Zoom, or Skype if you need to talk (but best to notify me that you desire to do so). If several students want to meet at the same time about similar topics, I’ll set up a videoconferencing room on Zoom and we can then move there and meet via audio or video.

Initial and Ongoing Requirements:

  1. STUDENTSARE REQUIRED TO HAVE ACCESS TO
  2. STUDENTSARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER ON GLOBALHUMANRIGHTSDIRECT.COM
  3. STUDENTSARE EXPECTED TO CHECK THEIR UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA EMAIL ACCOUNTS ALMOST EVERY DAY.

Student Outputs:

  • AssignmentsandProjects:–Submit your completed assignments to the D2L through the Assignments section on the site. Assignment numbers are noted for each week and are listed on the D2L site.

NOTE:Group assignment submissions allows for ONE group member to submit on behalf of the entire group!

When submitting required work for the course (such as in a discussion VT) please also submit the work (or make a statement that you submitted such work) within the relevant Assignment number in the D2L. Failure to do so will result in a loss of points so please do not forget.

As MA students, please remember to submit your work in a timely fashion as I desire you to receive full credit for the hard work you put in.

  • Studentsare expected to: View lectures and other course inputs;
  • Completeassigned readings;
  • Participatein discussions/Voice Threads (VT);
  • Attendguest lectures (when can) ANDrespond to said lectures through Voice Thread (VT) discussions (asexplained below).

(20% of Course Grade)

We will use Voice Threads (hereinafter:VT) for introducing our interests and ourselves, for some of the assignments, and then following EACH guest lecture (as explained below).

Howtoparticipatein discussions:Students are expected to participate interactively in discussions with the guest lecturers ANDwith other fellow student groups.

A productive approach in becoming part of a discussion is to first appreciate what it is that the author or speaker is trying to accomplish with their work before taking a critical look at the material offered and:

  • Suggestadditional considerations,
  • Askquestions of the arguments from your experience and perspectives, and/or
  • Suggesthow the material can be inserted into larger conversations/actions taking place in the world around the topic.

You should also feel free to ask questions if there are parts of the presentation/ commentary that you do not understand.

These course expectations will help you and others to learn and contribute to discussions constructively, a very important skill to develop in working on teams and coalitions to advance human rights. Skillfully done, your contributions to discussions support the person(s) presenting in their future work, and lay the groundwork for developing your network of supporters and colleagues. It takes practice to offer constructive feedback in a way that can be heard by the presenter and the rest of a team or coalition.

ASSIGNMENT PROJECTS

Introductory VT– so we can get to know one another, and start to create groups (of 2-3 students) – seeking out individuals with like-minded (or not like-minded!) interests. Title: Introductory VT (please SUBMIT within the VT I have created!).

PLEASE reach out to your fellow students to create a group after watching the VT submissions and – IMPORTANT– NOTIFYMEthatyouhavemadeasubmissionANDwhoisinyourgroupWITHINtheD2LAssignment section(Assignment 1).

Rubric: Getting to know one another and forming groups with people YOU would like to get to know even further! PLEASE do let me know who is in your group in the Assignments section of the D2L.

Guest lectures and attendance/VT – after every guest lecture, there will be a VT set up under the name of the guest lecturer where I expect you all to comment and raise 2 questions for the guest lecturer. These assignments are noted throughout the syllabus and you all ALSO must enter your submission into the D2L Assignments section (individually please).

Further, I will be assigning a different group each time to “attend” the guest lecture and serve as the thank you writer to the guest lecturer. Preferably, the entire group but at LEAST 1 member should attend for the actual guest lecture. The group members also will communicate with the guest lecture by composing a proper thank you letter to the guest AFTER the group has collated student questions that have been entered onto the VT. The student questions are to be placed into a coherent whole (NOTcutting and pasting, but editing and making sense of the questions raised) and then providing student comments that were made.

ProjectI–GROUPS

Due at the ends of Week 2 (5%) and Week 6 (30%) (Dates provided in Assignment section of D2L) and the post-submission assessment of the OTHER Groups’ works – Week 7 (15%)

Comparative Case Study.Groups of up to 3 students will complete comparative case studies of TWO or THREE different CSOs working in a given region or on similar issues. The idea is to use information from the course in examining and comparing the structure of different CSOs, and also incorporate some of the critiques regarding CSOs that we will be examining in the course. The project is a means to practically apply information you have learned as an avenue to then further apply these skills when you are in the “real” world.

The key is to think about how the CSOs that you chose to examine are structured and arranged (Week 2), as well as inject relevant issues or critiques (Week 6, and when engaging the other groups in Week 7) that you might see manifesting in the organizations under scrutiny.

While you might engage in an interview to acquire information about the organizations, you also can make contact by email and of course use the internet to determine aspects about the organizations under review. The comparative nature of this project allows you to look at a large versus small organization for example, compare two similar organizations, or choose vastly different organizations to determine how they operate, what differs for each and why, and also to highlight issues and aspects that merit improvement.

I expect you to emerge with a proper case study of the organizations, specifically providing a summary of the organizations under review, background about their creation and reason for emerging, – and in the second part

– determining whether they were actually successful and why or why not, providing an overview of their management and framework as well as potential critiques, thinking about their means of subsistence and what can be improved, and also providing a critique of their operations with a view towards proposing avenues for improvement and potential growth areas. I expect a complete report – that can include prior work as well as new insights and critiques. As such, I am looking for an end project of 10-15 pages or a proper PowerPoint that walks the viewer through the analysis.

In the spirit and desire to engage one another, I will have groups share with each other their work with a view towards commenting on each other’s work, providing critiques and insights about the project that you are reading. This will be done through the VTs – watching the VTs of all the other groups and providing insights, critiques, and analyses!

Project II – INDIVIDUAL: Understanding Structure (10% of Course Grade) Due end of Week 3 (Dates provided in Assignment section of D2L)

PLUS:

Your assignment paper will critically assess the materials or information being offered in the toolkit or other form of article or film. The notion here is to have you start reading external materials and know how to sift through them to achieve information and critically assess what you are reading.

Consider the tools or skills being offered in the film or article that you chose, and assess how these might actually assist an organization, and (most importantly) why? Further, think carefully about what else is needed or not needed as the case may be, and what you can contribute as a result of what you have learned thus far in the course.

RUBRIC:

Your project should include a summary of the article or film, an overview of what the film or article is providing an organization, and a critique of what is potentially missing, is outdated or incorrect, or can be added, to better assist an organization.

I am looking for anywhere from 4-6 pages (in total) of overview and analysis.

Project III – GROUPS: Funding strategy (10% of Course Grade) – Due end of Week 4 (Dates provided in Assignment section of D2L)

Please use:

PIVOT https://rgw.arizona.edu/development/funding-opportunities/search-databases-and-useful- funding-sources/cos-pivot

and/or the Foundations Directory Online Professional https://libguides.library.arizona.edu/az.php?a=f to identify at least TWO(2) sources for fundraising that are relevant and relate to each CSOs or NGOs that are the focus of Project I. to identify at least TWO(2) sources for fundraising that are relevant and relate to the CSOs or NGOs that are the focus of Project I.

Indicate HOW you would approach the sources and WHY you think they would be interested in funding the CSOs or NGOs you are investigating. Please also think about the means for improving funding for the organizations under examination, and whether you can propose additional avenues for funding that would better serve the ends desired by the organizations under review.

You MAY include certain aspects of the funding source into your final Project I submission in Week 7!

RUBRIC: In your project, you should identify the organizations that you intend to assist, their current source of funding and potential avenues for improvement. Then delineate the course of funding that you have identified within the databases, including what is needed to be done to achieve a successful application. It is important that you note how you would go about seeking further funding, including as well the different requirements from the funding sources you have identified.

I will evaluate your work based on the clarity of your proposal that demonstrates an understanding of the targeted organizations, the targeted funding sources, and the means for using the available databases to acquire proper and relevant/applicable information.

An output of 2-4 pages should suffice.

Project IV – INDIVIDUAL: Analysis Paper (10% of Course Grade) Due at the end of Week 5 (Dates provided in Assignment section of D2L)

You are to critically assess the analysis offered by the authors in the articles you have chosen. What are they saying (their arguments) about funding for human rights, and how persuasive do you assess their arguments to be and why? How might their opinions or critiques differ in your region or as a result of your own experiences or observations? How might human rights funding be improved, if possible, and what insights can you offer in that regard?

The notion here is that you can adequately summarize an article or idea, capture the essence of the arguments or contentions being offered, and follow that up with your own form of analysis or critique, where possible. Using skills and information acquired in the course will further assist you in engaging in the analysis of the articles.

RUBRIC:

Your analysis should provide an overview of each article, including the key arguments that are being made. You should then offer an analytical critique of the article, focusing on why you feel that the arguments being offered might be incorrect, and propose a different form of analysis that potentiallyresults in a different conclusion or outcome to the one being offered by the author of the articles under examination.

I am looking for an overview of the articles as well as an analysis of the arguments being proposed. Providing your own critique and input is important here, and I will base the evaluation pursuant to the depth and quality of analysis that you offer.

Please devote 1-1.5 pages per article or video that is analyzed.

Grades

University policy regarding grades and grading systems is available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading-system

Your grade will be determined as follows:

90 points and above

A

80-89

B

70-79

C

60-69

D

59 and Below

E

Grading Group Work:

Some of the project assignments will require students to work in groups. We grade group assignments by first giving a grade to the completed work of the group. Students will then be asked to complete a short survey form that outlines their contributions to the group’s final product and evaluates each member of the group. We then examine the survey responses and look closely at the draft work of the group by looking at discussion boards, Google Docs, and any other material we have access to. From this perception of each student’s contribution to the group, we decide whether to adjust the “group grade” up or down when awarding individual grades.

Weekly Course Activities and Responsibilities:

Each week will be comprised of the following components:

  • Readingsand a lecture that will focus and elaborate on the week’s
  • Aguest speaker or film will demonstrate additional points and real world applications of the week’s As noted above, we will have VTs established for each guest lecturer where you all can offer your thoughts (and queries) to be sent to the guest lecturer. A thank you note will then be compiled by 2-3 students to be sent directly to the guest lecturer for their response.
  • Additional assignments or interim submissions toward completion of large projects due on a weekly basis, as noted in the

The COMPLETE weekly schedule of Assignmentsis listed in the D2L

Further – the weekly schedule presented in this syllabus (below) also lists the Assignments that are required each week.

Attendance and Participation

Students are expected to “attend” all sessions – either live or via recorded video feed. This MUST be done in a timely fashion pursuant to the dates provided in the online D2L system. Students will have a window of time in which to watch and react to class sessions. It is imperative to follow the course and the discussions (along with the attendant assignments).

Reasonable Accommodations

The instructor will be happy to work with students who require reasonable accommodations for disabilities or other circumstances.

It is the University’s (and the Instructor’s) goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations.

Workload Expectation

At the University of Arizona, in a semester-long course for undergraduates—one that lasts 15 weeks students are expected to have at least 9 hours of workload each week. Since this is a 7.5 week course at the graduate level, students are expected to have approximately 20 to 24 hours of workload each week. This is an online class with a mix of guest lectures, a few video lectures by the instructor, readings, assignments, and group work, all of which will vary each week. Thus, you can expect your workload to average about 22 hours per week. If you find you are putting in more time than that, please consult the Instructor.

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