FINAL CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY
21 February-15 May 2005

THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM
23 February-18 May 2005

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN THE NGO SECTOR
7 March-29 May 2005

Distance Learning Programme, HREA
HREA Distance Learning Course 2E05:
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY
21 February-15 May 2005
Instructor: Dr. Valerie Miller
This distance learning course provides human rights activists with a range of proven human rights advocacy methods and critical concepts as a means for them to reflect on and deepen their own work. The course will look at the theoretical foundations and critical issues of human rights advocacy, elements of advocacy planning, and strategies for action.
In this course, participants should deepen their knowledge about advocacy and its relationship to: Politics and Democracy; Citizenship and Rights; Power, Empowerment and Citizen Education and Action. Participants will
gain basic skills and knowledge in: visioning; contextual analysis; problem/issue identification; analysis and prioritisation; power mapping; goal/objective setting; analysis of advocacy arenas and strategies; message development, reports and media; public outreach and mobilization; lobbying and negotiation; advocacy leadership and coalition building; and assessment of success.

The course involves approximately 60 hours of reading, on-line working groups, interaction with students and instructors/facilitators and assignments, and is offered over a 12-week period, beginning on 21 February 2005. E-mail will be the main medium for the course, although participants will need to have periodic access to the Web (part of the readings/assignments will be distributed via CD-ROM). The course is based on a participatory, active learning approach, with an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning. Participants will do the required readings, prepare interim and final assignments and participate in group discussions. The main course text will be "A New Weave of Power, People, and Politics: An Action Guide for Advocacy and Citizen Participation" (World Neighbors, 2002) by Lisa VeneKlaasen and Valerie Miller.

The maximum number of course participants is 25. It is also possible to be an auditor of the course. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Participation.

A more detailed course description, further logistical information, and application forms can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/courses/2E.html

HREA Distance Learning Course 10E05:
THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM
23 February-18 May 2005
Instructor: Dr. Gerd Oberleitner

This! will be the first-ever "real-time" distance learning course on the United Nations (UN) human rights system. The aim of the course is to provide information on the UN human rights system by looking at the work and outcome of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The course is scheduled parallel to the 61st session of the Commission in March-April 2005. By making extensive use of the Commission's website -- which contains legal documents, press releases, and audio and video files on the session, and is updated daily -- course participants will be able to learn about the UN's human rights activities as they present themselves to the world: in real-time, with immediate access to the original material, live and uncut, and with all the dramatic twists and turns a session of the Commission offers. The course will expose students to the real world of humanrights in the maki! ng and offer them a glimpse into the world of human rights diplomacy on the highest possible level. An experienced course instructor will guide the participants through the Commission's session so as to ensure a learning experience on a high academic level.

The course will provide a brief introduction to the UN human rights system, the core UN human rights standards and supervisory machineries, the charter- and treaty-based system of human rights protection, the role of the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Subcommission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, ECOSOC, General Assembly and Security Council. Special focus will be put on the history, mandate and composition of the Commission, its legal and political characteristics, and the role of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This will enable students to follow the deli! berations of the Commission and understand the events as they unfold. Relevant on-line teaching material to this end will be provided.

During the six weeks of the Commission's session, participants will be asked to follow the meetings of the Commission, focus on specific issues, read the relevant materials as they appear on the website and as recommended by the course facilitator (press releases, reports of Special Rapporteurs, resolutions, statements by dignitaries, etc.), analyse the performance of the actors and stakeholders in the session, evaluate the voting procedure, and form their own opinion on the work of the Commission. The course is intended to provide participants with the necessary skills to understand in-depth how multi-lateral human rights bodies function in their manifold capacity as law-making institutions, fora for discussions and reflecti! on, and adjucators of states' human rights performance. Participants will learn how law, policy and diplomacy come together and interact in the field of human rights. The maximum number of course participants is 25. It is also possible to be an auditor of the course. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Participation. A more detailed course description, further logistical information, and application forms can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/courses/10E.html

HREA Distance Learning Course 6E05:
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN THE NGO SECTOR
7 March-29 May 2005
Instructor: Felisa Tibbitts

This course will introduce the basic elements of project development and management. Step-by-step processes and techniques will be introduced for the variou! s phases of a project life cycle. The course is intended for staff of non-governmental organisations who have responsibility for designing and carrying out a project, but with relatively little experience. Participants will be assisted in the development of a project plan that could be submitted to senior management or a funding agency. The course involves approximately 60 hours of reading, on-line working groups, interaction with students and instructor/facilitator and assignments, and is offered over a 12-week period, beginning on 7 March 2004. E-mail will be the main medium for the course, although participants will need to have periodic access to the Web. The course is based on a participatory, active learning approach, with an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning. Participants will do the required readings, prepare interim and
final assignments and participate in group discussions. The maximum number of course participants is 25. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Participation. It is also possible to audit the course. A more detailed course description, further logistical information, and application forms can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/courses/6E.html

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