Elective Module Social Policy: Approaches to Global Social Change

Department

Master's Program Social Work, Social Policy & Management

Course unit code

SOA-M-3-SOP-WMD-ILV

Number of ECTS credits allocated

5.0

Name of lecturer(s)

Prof. Dr. habil. Gebrewold Belachew

Recommended optional program components

none

Recommended or required reading

Bantekas, Ilias and Oette, Lutz (2020): International Human Rights Law and Practice, Cambridge University Press, Chapter 3
Donnelly, Jack and Whelan, Daniel (2020): International Human Rights, Routledge, Chapter 9
Student Advocacy Seminars 2025-26 Caselist
International Justice Resource Center: 10 Essential Steps for First Time Advocacy at the Human Rights Council
Amnesty International (2018): Community Campaigns: Strategies for Human Rights Defenders.
ACADEMY OF CIVIL PARTICIPATION (2019): CIVIL PARTICIPATION: POLICY ANALYSIS, ADVOCACY, BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE, Council of Europe
Scotishhuman rights commission (2017): Advocating for human rights, www.scottishhumanrights.comHoefer, Richard (2019): Advocacy practice for social justice. Fourth edition. New York: Oxford University Press.
Jansson, Bruce (2016): Social welfare policy and advocacy. Advancing social justice through 8 policy sectors. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Rubin, Herbert J. (2018): Advocacy for Social Change. Coalitions and the Organizations That Lead Them. Milton: Routledge (Solving Social Problems Ser).
Tice, Carolyn J. (2019): Macro Social Work Practice: Advocacy in Action. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Additional information about examination modalities

- presentation
- final report

Level of course unit

Master

Year of study

Fall 2025

Semester when the course unit is delivered

3

Language of instruction

English

Learning outcomes of the course unit

learn:
- about about cooperation and awareness raising in international NGOs to promote global civil society
- mobilization of international NGOs
- social lobbying / advocacy
- social campaigning & international networking
...understand the role of human rights in social policy
...understabd human rights advocacy techniques
...learn how to contribute to human rights protection
...discuss global and regional academic freedom climates
learn the techniques of human rights advocacy and petition

Course contents

This course focuses on the rights of Scholars at risk (SAR). SAR raises awareness and advocates for at-risk scholars, students, and higher education institutions. SAR staff and research volunteers identify, document, and report on attacks on higher education, including physical violence, imprisonment, prosecution, persecution, restrictions on academic travel, loss of positions, and other severe and systemic attacks. Through the Scholars in Prison Project, SAR advocates on behalf of scholars and students who are wrongfully imprisoned in connection to their academic or expressive activities. Therefore, this course focuses on the human rights violation of scholars around the world.

Case study analysis of socio-structural problems of selected social groups
excursion and / or conferences.
This course closes with SAR conference to be hosted at MCI on 19-20, 2025. partcipants of the conference will come various European and US universities.
students in this course will be also involved in the coorganizational issues of the the conference.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

- mix of lectures, discussions and individual and group work.
• Inputs and open discussion
• Individual and collective work
• research on advocacy strategies and case studies
preparation of presentation and final report
preparation and participation of SAR conference

Work placement(s)

none