This online course covers key global themes in the field of development practice. The theme in fall 2020 is "Human Rights and Development." The course will open with an examination of the general strategy of “human rights-based approaches” and how these can assist with (or, sometimes, may obstruct) the goals of development. Next, there will be a focus on such civil and political issues as free expression, due process, and political participation and how these undergird efforts at human development. The next section of the course will review the many intersections between development practice and economic, social, and cultural rights in areas including housing, education, food and water, social security, and employment. The last part of the course will consider the “right to development,” including key elements such as the right of communities (especially Indigenous peoples) to provide their “free prior informed consent” to development practices, the emerging role of businesses as the bearers of human rights duties, and the crucial nexus between human rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Offered in Fall 2020.