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Unit of study_
LAWS5178: Development, Law and Human Rights
2025 unit information
This unit provides an introduction and critical overview of the law, policy and practice of the global development economy as it intersects with human rights, with a particular focus on the funding, administration and reform of international aid, the growing significance of private-sector lead development, and the over-arching importance of governance and the rule of law. The drive towards sustainable development has grown substantially over the past 20 years and is now a billion-dollar enterprise, yet the precise nature of it's relevance for human rights remains a matter of intense debate and its efficacy in protecting human rights is patchy. This unit of study analyses the global development reform experiences of the past half-century and interrogates the natures and justification(s) of human rights-based approaches to economic development through global trade, finance and the private sector, paying particular attention to the role of domestic and international legal regulation on the policy and practice of development. The unit comprises both theoretical approaches and practice-based teaching covering case-studies from across the globe.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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LAWS3478 or LAWS6846 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Appreciate and understand first hand, the breadth and depth of human rights and legal problems as well as possibilities facing developing countries.
- LO2. Gain practical experience of how government agencies, international organisations and civil society operate in developing countries.
- LO3. Formulate, articulate and substantiate written and oral arguments using key features of the interaction between development and human rights laws and principles, in relation to a range of scenarios and issues.
- LO4. Develop and deploy an independent, strategic sense of the potential and pitfalls of how human rights laws and principles intersect with the machinations of the global economy generally and its impact on development specifically, by reference to contemporary literature, policies and practices in this field.
- LO5. Listen to, comprehend and respond constructively to legal and policy arguments formulated by others, including fellow USyd and KSL students and KSL lecturers, and to be able, accordingly, to communicate effectively your considered opinions and views.
Unit availability
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Important enrolment information
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