human-rights/index

aos

18 September 2017 24 April 2024
Monash University

Undergraduate - Area of study

Students who commenced study in 2015 should refer to this area of study entry for direction on the requirements; 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

This area of study entry applies to students commencing this course in 2015 and should be read in conjunction with the relevant course entry in the Handbook. Any 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
CoordinatorDr Linda Barclay

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 is an interdisciplinary major area of study, which examines the history and the nature of human rights, including basic issues such as:

  • What are human rights?
  • Are human rights culturally relative?
  • How can human rights be justified?

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

Human rights is an excellent complement to studies in law, criminology, journalism, international studies, politics, international relations, philosophy, history, development studies and sustainability. Students of human rights 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.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the major, students will:

  • have acquired a more detailed understanding of either the history, politics and/or philosophy of at least three core areas of human rights
  • have an ability to formulate, conduct and produce an independent research project in a written or oral form
  • demonstrate the capacity to present a sustained and well-structured argument based largely on primary sources
  • be a skillful team worker and have the ability to make sophisticated oral presentations
  • possess sophisticated problem solving skills.

Units

Minor in human rights

Students completing a minorminor (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2015handbooks/undergrad/arts-07.html) in human rights must complete four units (24 points), including:

(a.) two first-year gateway unitsgateway units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2015handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) (12 points):

(b.) additional elective units from the list below (12 points)

Note: Students can take the second-year cornerstone units from the major as electives.

Major in human rights

Students completing a majormajor (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2015handbooks/undergrad/arts-07.html) in human rights must complete eight units (48 points), including:

(a.) two first-year gateway unitsgateway units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2015handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) (12 points):

(b.) at least one second-year cornerstone unitcornerstone unit (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2015handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) (6 points), chosen from:

(c.) at least one third-year capstone unitcapstone unit (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2015handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) (6 points), chosen from:

  • ATS3639 Poverty, ecology and international justice
  • ATS3905 Democratic theory

(d.) additional elective units from the list below (24 points)

A minimum of three units (18 points) must be completed at third-year level.

Note: Students can take the remaining cornerstone and capstone units as electives.

Elective units

  • ATS2057 Genocide
  • ATS2354/ATS3354 Interrogating racism: Indigenous Australians and the state
  • ATS2584/ATS3584 Australia's black history
  • ATS2600 The Holocaust
  • ATS2628 Power and poverty: International development in a globalised world
  • ATS2637 The human body and the international marketplace
  • ATS2694 International political economy
  • ATS2706 Foreign policy analysis
  • ATS2868 Issues in political theory
  • ATS2869/ATS3869 Political philosophy
  • ATS2932 Struggles for justice: The history of rebellion, resistance and revolt
  • ATS3314 Seeking justice: South Africa and Rwanda*
  • ATS3459 Punishment, power and prisons
  • ATS3462 International crime and justice
  • ATS3623 Nationality, ethnicity and conflict
  • ATS3632 Post-conflict: Justice, memory, reconciliation
  • ATS3697 Gender and international relations
  • ATS3956 Witnessing trauma

* Taught in South Africa. This unit will require payment of an additional fee that may cover items such as accommodation, entry fees, excursions, coaches, transfers, flights and university administration.

Relevant courses

Diplomas

  • 2327 Diploma in Liberal Arts

Bachelors

Single degrees

  • 0002 Bachelor of Arts
  • 1638 Bachelor of Arts Scholars Program
  • 0202 Bachelor of Letters

Double degrees

  • 4640 Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts
  • 4098 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business
  • 0550 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
  • 0553 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business (Banking and Finance)
  • 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
  • 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
  • 3779 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Visual Arts
  • 4097 Bachelor of Arts Scholars Program and Bachelor of Commerce Scholars Program
  • D3002 Bachelor of Education (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts
  • 4634 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts
  • 4644 Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts
  • L3003 Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts