1. Home
  2. Human Rights and Social Justice [SWK2115]

Faculty of Regional Professional Studies (Bunbury)

School: Regional Professional Studies

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Human Rights and Social Justice

  • Unit Code

    SWK2115

  • Year

    2015

  • Enrolment Period

    1

  • Version

    1

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online

Description

This unit will introduce students to concepts of human rights and social justice. Students will explore the contested nature of human rights and social justice. They will examine human rights and social justice from both Australian and international perspectives.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Describe the philosophical, moral and ethical underpinnings of the concept of rights.
  2. Develop an awareness of local, national and international policies, protocols and covenants on human rights.
  3. Examine the delivery of human services within a human rights/social justice framework.
  4. Explain the main theories of social justice.
  5. Identify the characteristics of human rights.
  6. Relate human rights and social justice to social work practice.

Unit Content

  1. Case studies of human rights abuses and struggles.
  2. Critique of the rights and social justice discourse.
  3. Human services as the site of rights and responsibilities.
  4. Implications for professional practice.
  5. Linking culture, morality and rights to social justice.
  6. Models of human rights.
  7. Models of social justice.
  8. Morality and the human personage.
  9. Rights, equity and social justice.
  10. Standardisation of rights international, national and local exemplars.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Interactive lectures and tutorials, student discussions groups and video/DVD resources.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
EssayIssue identification20%
PosterIssue awareness raising40%
VivaCritical commentary40%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
EssayIssue identification20%
PosterIssue awareness raising40%
VivaCritical commentary40%

Text References

  • ^ Ife, J. (2012). Human rights and social work: Towards rights-based practice. (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Burkemper, E. (2013). Practicing social justice. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis.
  • Van Ness, P. (Ed.). (1999). Debating human rights: Critical essays from the United States and Asia. London: Routledge.
  • Taket, A. (2012). Health equity, social justice and human rights. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis.
  • Rees, S. & Wrights, S. (Eds.). (2000). Human rights and corporate responsibility: A dialogue. Annandale: Pluto Press.
  • Ishay, M. (Ed.). (1997). The human rights reader: Major political essays, speeches, and documents from the Bible to the present. New York: Routledge.
  • Brown, D. & Wilkie, M. (Eds.). (2002). Prisoners as citizens: Human rights in Australian prisons. Annandale: The Federation Press.
  • Wronka, J. (1992). Human rights and social policy in the 21st century: A history of the idea of human rights and comparison of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights with United States federal and state constitutions. Lanham: University Press of America.
  • Dunne, T. & Wheeler, N. (Eds.). (1999). Human rights in global politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Friere, P. (1996). Pedagogy of the oppressed. London: Penguin Books.
  • Ife, J. (1997). Rethinking social work: Towards critical practice. Sth Melbourne: Longman.

Website References

^ Mandatory reference

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

SWK2115|1|1

Faculty of Regional Professional Studies (Bunbury)

School: Regional Professional Studies

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Human Rights and Social Justice

  • Unit Code

    SWK2115

  • Year

    2015

  • Enrolment Period

    2

  • Version

    1

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online

Description

This unit will introduce students to concepts of human rights and social justice. Students will explore the contested nature of human rights and social justice. They will examine human rights and social justice from both Australian and international perspectives.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Describe the philosophical, moral and ethical underpinnings of the concept of rights.
  2. Develop an awareness of local, national and international policies, protocols and covenants on human rights.
  3. Examine the delivery of human services within a human rights/social justice framework.
  4. Explain the main theories of social justice.
  5. Identify the characteristics of human rights.
  6. Relate human rights and social justice to social work practice.

Unit Content

  1. Case studies of human rights abuses and struggles.
  2. Critique of the rights and social justice discourse.
  3. Human services as the site of rights and responsibilities.
  4. Implications for professional practice.
  5. Linking culture, morality and rights to social justice.
  6. Models of human rights.
  7. Models of social justice.
  8. Morality and the human personage.
  9. Rights, equity and social justice.
  10. Standardisation of rights international, national and local exemplars.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Interactive lectures and tutorials, student discussions groups and video/DVD resources.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseIssue identification50%
VivaCritical commentary40%
ParticipationParticipation on campus/online10%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseIssue identification50%
ParticipationParticipation on campus/online10%
VivaCritical commentary40%

Text References

  • Hessle, S. (2014). Human rights and social equality: Challenges for social work. Burlington: Ashgate.
  • Reichert, E. (2011). Social work and human rights: A foundation for policy and practice. New York: Columbia University.
  • Brown, D. & Wilkie, M. (Eds.). (2002). Prisoners as citizens: Human rights in Australian prisons. Annandale: The Federation Press.
  • Burkemper, E. (2013). Practicing social justice. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis.
  • Dunne, T. & Wheeler, N. (Eds.). (1999). Human rights in global politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Friere, P. (1996). Pedagogy of the oppressed. London: Penguin Books.
  • Ife, J. (1997). Rethinking social work: Towards critical practice. Sth Melbourne: Longman.
  • Ishay, M. (Ed.). (1997). The human rights reader: Major political essays, speeches, and documents from the Bible to the present. New York: Routledge.
  • Rees, S. & Wrights, S. (Eds.). (2000). Human rights and corporate responsibility: A dialogue. Annandale: Pluto Press.
  • Taket, A. (2012). Health equity, social justice and human rights. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis.
  • Van Ness, P. (Ed.). (1999). Debating human rights: Critical essays from the United States and Asia. London: Routledge.
  • Wronka, J. (1992). Human rights and social policy in the 21st century: A history of the idea of human rights and comparison of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights with United States federal and state constitutions. Lanham: University Press of America.
  • ^ Ife, J. (2012). Human rights and social work: Towards rights-based practice. (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Website References

^ Mandatory reference

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

SWK2115|1|2