human-rights-theory/index

aos

Monash University

Undergraduate - Area of Study

Students who commenced study in 2012 should refer to this area of study entry for direction on the requirments; to check which units are currently available for enrolment, refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your area of study.

print version

All areas of study information should be read in conjunction with the relevant course entry in the Handbook. The units listed for this area of study relate only to the 'Requirements' outlined in the Faculty of Arts component of any bachelors double degrees.

Managing facultyFaculty of Arts
Offered bySchool of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies
Campus(es)Caulfield, Clayton

Notes

  • Unit codes that are not linked to their entry in the handbook are not available for study in the current year.

Description

In the era of globalisation, one of the most important concepts in international affairs is the idea of human rights. Human rights theory is an interdisciplinary major area of study, which examines the history and the nature of human rights, including basic conceptual issues such as:

  • What are human rights?
  • Are human rights culturally relative?
  • Is it possible for human rights to conflict with other requirements of justice?
  • How do human rights relate to institutions like the United Nations?

Students also examine how these theoretical issues relate to pressing practical problems, for instance, how an understanding of human rights theory helps to address issues such as global poverty, unequal access to medicine, free trade, terrorism, warfare, humanitarian intervention, torture, surveillance, and more.

Human rights theory is an excellent complement to studies in law, criminology, journalism, international studies, philosophy, history, development studies and sustainability. Students of human rights theory will acquire strong analytic abilities and communication skills, and will have expertise in areas that are of relevance to employers in the non-government organisation (NGO) sector, a wide variety of professions and in the federal and state public service and their statutory authorities.

Units

First-year level

Students studying a sequence in human rights must complete the following two units (12 points):

Second/Third-year level

Students studying a minor or major in human rights must have completed the first-year sequence. In addition:

  • a minor requires completion of a further two units (12 points) chosen from either list A list or B below
  • a major requires completion of a further six units (36 points) from the units listed below, including a minimum of two units from list A. A minimum of three units must be taken at third year level. Students intending to undertake further study in Human Rights Theory are strongly encouraged to take more than the minimum number of units from List A.

List A

List B

  • ATS2354/ATS3354 Interrogating racism: Indigenous Australians and the state
  • ATS2356/ATS3356 Indigenous legal issues
  • ATS2459/ATS3459 Prisons, power and justice
  • ATS2462/ATS3462 International crime and justice
  • ATS2549/ATS3549 Power and poverty: Geographies of uneven global development
  • ATS2600/ATS3600 The Holocaust in an age of genocide
  • ATS2614/ATS3614 Slavery and freedom: From the American to the French Revolution
  • ATS2616/ATS3616 Twentieth-century America: Race, rights and power
  • ATS2625/ATS3625 Mobile worlds: Migrants refugees and the politics of belonging
  • ATS2628/ATS3628 Power and poverty: International development in a globalised world
  • ATS2632/ATS3632 Post-conflict: Justice, memory, reconciliation
  • ATS2638/ATS3638 Global childhoods: Children's rights, welfare and mobility in a global context
  • ATS2778 People and places: Social geographies of exclusion
  • ATS2875/ATS3875 The moral psychology of evil
  • ATS2932/ATS3932 Struggles for justice: The history of rights
  • MON2003/MON3001 Social inclusion internship: Working on migrant and refugee settlement in multicultural communities

Relevant courses

Diplomas

  • 2327 Diploma in Liberal Arts
  • 2552 Diploma of Tertiary Studies

Bachelors

Single degrees

  • 0002 Bachelor of Arts
  • 3920 Bachelor of Arts - at Sunway
  • 4073 Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences
  • 1638 Bachelor of Arts as a Participant in the Dean's Scholars Program
  • 3914 Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice)
  • 3907 Bachelor of Arts (English Language)
  • 3910 Bachelor of Arts (Global)
  • 4077 Bachelor of Arts (International)
  • 2396 Bachelor of Arts (Journalism)
  • 1366 Bachelor of Arts (Languages)
  • 1708 Bachelor of Arts (Professional Communication)
  • 1712 Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
  • 1719 Bachelor of Behavioural Science
  • 2476 Bachelor of Communication - at Sunway
  • 1731 Bachelor of Community Welfare and Counselling
  • 4042 Bachelor of Journalism
  • 0202 Bachelor of Letters
  • 1144 Bachelor of Performing Arts
  • 1275 Bachelor of Professional Communication
  • 4086 Bachelor of Social Science

Double degrees

  • 3277 Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering and Bachelor of Arts
  • 0550 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
  • 0553 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business (Banking and Finance)
  • 0555 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business (Management)
  • 0556 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
  • 0542 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce
  • 0170 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Economics
  • 1541 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education-primary
  • 1641 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education-secondary
  • 0080 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws
  • 3054 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music
  • 0530 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science
  • 3426 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work
  • 0002 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology
  • 3779 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Visual Arts
  • 1807 Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences and Bachelor of Business and Commerce
  • 1806 Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences and Bachelor of Community Welfare and Counselling
  • 4208 Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences and Bachelor of Education
  • 4089 Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences and Bachelor of Visual and Media Arts
  • 4403 Bachelor of Arts (Global) and Bachelor of Commerce
  • 3537 Bachelor of Arts (Global) and Bachelor of Science
  • 2131 Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) and Bachelor of Science
  • 1798 Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Bachelor of Community Welfare and Counselling
  • 1941 Bachelor of Business and Commerce and Bachelor of Communication
  • 4423 Bachelor of Business and Commerce and Bachelor of Professional Communication
  • 4075 Bachelor of Community Welfare and Counselling and Diploma of Community Services (Alcohol, Other Drugs and Mental Health)
  • 4076 Bachelor of Community Welfare and Counselling and Diploma of Disability
  • 0116 Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Arts
  • 3281 Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering and Bachelor of Arts
  • 1945 Bachelor of Professional Communication and Diploma of Professional Writing