Post-Conflict Human Rights and Transitional Justice
| Module title | Post-Conflict Human Rights and Transitional Justice |
|---|---|
| Module code | POLM152 |
| Academic year | 2021/2 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Farah Mihlar (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
This module will increase your understanding of transitional justice, conflict prevention and human rights. The module will develop your theoretical and conceptual understanding of transitional justice and its mechanisms, such as truth commissions and special courts. Through critical engagement with inter-disciplinary literature, multi-media and field experts you will be exposed to select empirical country case studies enabling you to evaluate the diverse approaches to transitional justice and their effectiveness in post-conflict contexts. This module is suitable for non-specialist students and is recommended for those interested in pursuing academic advancement or a career in conflict transformation and/or human rights. It is particularly recommended for students pursuing inter-disciplinary pathways as it draws on literature from anthropology, law, politics and international relations.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module aims to provide a conceptual and analytical framework with which to understand the link between peace building and human rights in post-conflict contexts, primarily through developing a critical understanding of transitional justice. you will develop a strong theoretical and conceptual understanding of transitional justice, including its different elements such as truth seeking, justice, accountability and non-recurrence. Drawing from an array of inter-disciplinary literature, you will critically evaluate the different approaches to transitional justice and assess its role vis-à-vis strengthening human rights and peace building in the aftermath of armed conflict. You will strengthen your understanding of the practicalities of transitional justice in post-conflict contexts through engagement with selected empirical case studies from different regions and innovative teaching, including multi-media and direct engagement with field experts. The course offers an opportunity to understand post-conflict dynamics, and to assess the legitimacy and effectiveness of transitional justice.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate conceptual and theoretical understanding of transitional justice with capability to critically evaluate the effectiveness of its varying approaches.
- 2. Demonstrate critical understanding of the peace-rights-justice nexus in post-conflict contexts and the role of transitional justice in these contexts.
- 3. Differentiate between theoretical analysis and the practical realities of transitional justice, through a focus on specific case studies,.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate advanced analytical understanding of the significance of issues of transitional justice and human rights within peace and conflict studies.
- 5. Develop a critical understanding of the field of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction, including the role of international actors.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Independently research, critically evaluate and analyse inter-disciplinary literature.
- 7. Make rigorous and persuasive arguments and convey them coherently, analytically and convincingly verbally and in writing.
- 8. Develop policy analysis skills through combining academic and theoretical work with case studies and expert interviews.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The role of human rights in armed conflict
- The nature of violations during and after conflict
- Theoretical conceptualisation of transitional justice
- Truth seeking
- Retributive justice
- Restorative justice
- Reconciliation
- Gender justice
- A holistic approach to transitional justice
- Bottom up or top down?
- Evaluating transitional justice
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 278 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | (11 x 2hrs) Combined lecture and seminar, exploring topic further through discussion and debate. Seminars will include group presentations, multi-media clips and skype interviews with field experts. |
| Guided Independent Study | 78 | Weekly mandatory reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 200 | Essay and presentation preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar discussion questions | Each week you will have to formulate your position to questions provided in the handbook, discuss and debate with colleagues during the seminar. | 1-8 | Verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 85 | 0 | 15 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 5,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
| Policy report | 35 | 3,000 words | 1-3, 7, 8 | Written |
| Presentation | 15 | 15 minutes | 1-5, 7, 8 | Verbal |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (5,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Policy report | Policy Report (3,000 words) | 1-3, 7, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Presentation | Written briefing (1,000 words) | 1-5, 7, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Chandra Lekha Sriram, Confronting Past Human Rights Violations: Justice v. Peace in Times of Transition, London and New York: Frank Cass, 2004.
Henry J Steiner, Philip Alston, and Ryan Goodman, International Human Rights in Context: Law, Politics, Morals, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, 2007.
Michael Goodhart (ed.), Human Rights: Politics and Practice, Oxford University Press, 2009.
Joanna Quinn, Reconciliation(s): Transitional Justice in Postconflict Societies, Montreal and Kingston: McGillQueen’s University Press, 2009.
Pablo de Grieff, ‘Theorizing Transitional Justice’. In Transitional Justice, Nomos, Volume L. Edited by Melissa Williams, Rosemary Nagy, and Jon Elster, New York, NY: New York University Press, 2012.
Priscilla Hayner, Unspeakable Truths: Confronting State Atrocity and Terror, Routledge, 2001.
Paul Gready and Simon Robins. ‘From Transitional Justice to Transformative Justice: a New Agenda in Practice’, The International Journal for Transitional Justice 8, no. 3, 2014.
Kirsten Ainley, Rebekka Friedman, and Chris Mahony, eds, Evaluating Transitional Justice: Accountability and Peacebuilding in PostConflict Sierra Leone, Palgrave, 2015.
Roht-Arriaza, Naomi and Javier Mariezcurrena (eds), Transitional Justice in the Twenty-First Century: Beyond Truth versus Justice, Cornel University Press, 2006.
United Nations. ‘What is Transitional Justice? A Backgrounder’. (February 20, 2008), available at: http://www.un.org/en/peacebuilding/pdf/doc_wgll/justice_times_transition/26_02_2008_backgrou nd_note.pdf.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 14/11/2017 |
| Last revision date | 14/09/2018 |
