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South Africa Human Rights Clinic 6UOC - LAWS8218

Faculty: Faculty of Law

School: Faculty of Law

Course Outline: See below

Campus: Sydney

Career: Postgraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 24

Enrolment Requirements:

Prerequisite: Academic Program must be either 9200 or 9211 or 5211.

CSS Contribution Charge: 3 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

The South Africa Human Rights Clinic and Practicum is an experiential learning program offering practical and international experience which will equip students for public interest or other legal careers in Australia and internationally. The course offers students the opportunity to intern with leading public interest and human rights law organisations in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since democracy in 1994, South Africa has been admired for its progressive Bill of Rights, its strong constitutional court and its effective public interest litigation. Students will learn first-hand from organisations at the cutting edge of social change lawyering. Students have the option of participating in the clinic as a 6UOC course or choosing the 12UOC option which contains an additional assessment requirement in the form of a memorandum on a key project undertaken during the clinic.

Students will travel to Johannesburg for a five week internship based at a human rights organisation during January and February. The convenor will accompany students for part of the time, guide them in a program of after-hours activities such as court and museum tours, and co-supervise them (along with the host organisation).

Students will work on significant public interest and human rights projects. For example, students might assist in preparation of court documents for constitutional challenges, produce law reform submissions or write advocacy reports. All of the organisations taking interns are highly regarded and effective groups doing work on issues such as housing, health, education, violence against women, social security, and broader work in the Southern African region. Students will have access to a range of experiences such as meeting with clients, attending court and legislative bodies, and reaching strategic decisions, with others, on important cases.

Further information and how to apply can be found on the UNSW Law Clinics website.

Any enquiries can be directed to Beth Goldblatt, b.goldblatt@unsw.edu.au.

LLM Specialisation

Human Rights and Social Justice

Recommended Prior Knowledge

There are limited places on this course so there will be selection criteria based on previous courses undertaken, work and volunteering experience, skills and qualities. Candidates will be expected to provide written applications and be interviewed by the convenor.

Course Objectives

To be able to identify and critically assess various legal and non-legal strategies that may be employed by human rights lawyers and advocates in different settings, with a focus on South Africa, and critically evaluate the role of law and lawyers in protecting and advancing human rights;
To apply research, writing and problem-solving skills in formulating policy and legal responses to current human rights problems;
To develop practical lawyering skills, including oral and written communication and drafting skills, while gaining experience in producing timely and professional written work that may be relied upon by other professionals;
To enhance skills required to engage professionally with a variety of stakeholders in international contexts, demonstrating appropriate cultural sensitivity and an understanding of ethical, political and professional accountability issues related to human rights work.

Learning Outcomes

A candidate who has successfully completed this course should be able to:

Apply an understanding of human rights law to the South African context;
Identify and critically assess legal and non-legal strategies that may be employed by human rights lawyers and advocates in various domestic and international settings;
Apply research, writing and problem-solving skills in formulating policy and legal responses to current human rights problems;
Employ basic lawyering skills, including oral and written communication and drafting skills, and the ability to produce timely and professional written work-product that may be relied upon by other professionals;
Engage professionally with different stakeholders in an international context, demonstrating appropriate cultural sensitivity and an understanding of ethical, political and professional accountability issues related to human rights work;
Work actively and collaboratively as part of a team;
Critically evaluate the role of law and lawyers in protecting and advancing human rights in different contexts.

Assessment

Seminar Participation 10%
Presentation 10%
Clinical Performance 70%
Essay on key content area of course (3000 words) 10%

Texts/Resources

There are no texts for this course.