Outline

Overview

This unit of study 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-led development, and the over-arching importance of governance and the rule of law. The drive toward sustainable development has grown substantially over the past 20 years and is now a billion-dollar global enterprise, yet the precise nature of its 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 over the past half-century and interrogates the nature 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 of study comprises both theoretical approaches and practice-based teaching covering case-studies from across the globe.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Law
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	LAWS3478 or LAWS6846
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	David Kinley, david.kinley@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Class Participation Participation in class discussion & individual presentation in final week	10%	Ongoing	Throughout semester & final week project
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Short Release Assignment Mini-essays (x2)	30%	Week 07 Due date: 08 Apr 2022 at 23:00 Closing date: 14 Apr 2022	1600w total. 8 days, release 1 April.
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Essay	60%	Week 13 Due date: 29 May 2022 at 23:00 Closing date: 06 Jun 2022	3000 words; topic released 13 May
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Class Participation (10%)

Class participation involves ongoing assessment of students’ contributions to class discussions and breakout sessions, as well as individual presentations in the final week.

Short-Release Assigment (30%)

The 1600 word (total) short release assignment involves addressing two set questions which will be released on 1 April and must be submitted by 8 April at 11pm. The outcome of a special consideration application will be an extension of time.

Essay (60%)

The 3000 word essay involves addressing a set topic/question which will be released on 13 May and must be submitted by 29 May at 11pm. The otucome of a special consideration application will be an extension of time.

Assessment requirement to pass a unit of study

A student must make a genuine attempt at all three components/assessment tasks set out in this Unit of Study in order to obtain a Pass mark and grade (or above); otherwise an Absent Fail grade will be recorded as the student’s result for this Unit of Study.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Completely answers the question. Contains striking originality of approach or analysis. Demonstrates exhaustive or innovative research (where independent research required). Exceptionally well written, structured and expressed. Is otherwise exceptional in some way.
Distinction	75 - 84	Completely answers the question. Achieves a critical and evaluative approach to the issues. Content and structure is well organised in support of the argument. Demonstrates extensive research and analysis to support a well-documented argument. Generally well expressed and free from errors. Has a clear structure and is well articulated.
Credit	65 - 74	Covers main issues fairly well in answering the question. Contains no significant errors. Demonstrates an attempted critical approach to the issues. Demonstrates reasonably sound research and analysis in addressing the key issues. Has a clear structure and reasonably clear expression.
Pass	50 - 64	Identifies the key issues, but does not follow through with a reasoned argument. Contains some significant errors. Displays satisfactory engagement with the key issues. Offers descriptive summary of material relevant to the question. Superficial use of material, and may display a tendency to paraphrase. Demonstrates little evidence of in-depth research or analysis. Adequate expression. Demonstrates the minimum level of competence and satisfies the requirements to proceed to higher-level studies.
Fail	0 - 49	Does not answer the question. Contains significant or numerous errors. Few or no identifiable arguments. Content that is inappropriate or irrelevant. Lack of research or analysis. Difficult or impossible to understand through poor grammar, expression or structure. Overall, does not demonstrate the minimum level of competence in the assessment.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The late submission of a written assessment, which has not been granted an extension, will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment per calendar day or part thereof. Any written assessment that exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for that assessment task for every 100 words, or part thereof, over the limit.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	The global economy and human rights	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 02	Global finance, development and human rights	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 03	Public sector development and human rights	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 04	Private sector development and human rights	Seminar (8 hr)
Week 05	Private sector development and human rights	Seminar (8 hr)
Week 06	International Institutions and Initiatives	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 09	Development and Law and Justice Reform	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 10	Trade, development and human rights	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 11	The importance of governance for the fulfilment of development and human rights goals	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 12	Review and reflection: future prospects for the relationships between development, law and human rights	Seminar (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: All students are required to attend 70% of classes to satisfy the pass requirements for each unit of study. Failure to meet this requirement may result in a student being precluded from sitting the final assessment, and being discontinued from the unit of study, resulting in an Absent Fail or Discontinue - Fail grade.
Referencing: The assessment cover sheet requires you to declare that the work of others has been fully acknowledged by way of reference, including where appropriate, quotation marks. Use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018) for your footnoting style, although you should confirm this with your lecturer.
Assignment submission: Students are required to submit their assignment in electronic form via Canvas by the submission deadline. Failure to submit by this deadline may result in penalties for lateness; the Sydney Law School reserves the right not to mark assignments that are not submitted via Canvas. A hard copy should also be submitted at the University of Sydney Law School reception. An assignment cover sheet must be submitted with the hardcopy version only. By submitting via Canvas you have agreed to the conditions.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

There are no set texts for the unit. However, most topics include required readings that draw on two books in particular, both of which are available online through the USyd Library:

David Kinley, Civilising Globalisation: Human Rights and the Global Economy (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
David Kinley, Necessary Evil: How to Fix Finance by Saving Human Rights (Oxford University Press, 2018).

As a matter of fact, both books are products of this very unit and more generally my teaching of global economy and human rights-related courses in various formats over the past 21 years. In effect, therefore, the two texts are representations both of the development of my teaching in this and other units over time and the collective contributions of the students who have gone before you.

In addition, there are other specified readings (both ‘Essential’ and ‘Further’) noted under the Topic descriptions below. All readings will be accessible either through Canvas eReserve or directly through hyperlinked URLs, or both.

TO BE PROVIDED.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. 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.
LO2. 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.
LO3. Listen to, comprehend and respond constructively to legal and policy arguments formulated by others, including fellow students and to be able, accordingly, to communicate effectively your considered opinions and views.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Minor changes to the assessment regime of this unit have been made since it was last offered.

Additional information

Sydney Law Students:

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

LAWS5178: Development, Law and Human Rights

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect