Human Rights Advocacy in Contemporary South Africa: Clinical Seminar
Spring term, Block I
T 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Mr. Tyler Giannini and Ms. Susan Farbstein
2 classroom credits LAW-94741A
2, 3, or 4 required clinical credits LAW-94741C
This clinical seminar will explore how practitioners have sought to advance human rights in South Africa since Nelson Mandela's historic election in 1994, which brought an official end to the apartheid era. The course will examine dilemmas that advocates faced during the transition to democracy, and how they sought to hold individuals and entities accountable for past human rights violations while simultaneously achieving some degree of reconciliation and political stability. It will also analyze strategies used by civil society and lawyers to advance social and economic rights protected under South Africa's constitution, ranging from litigation to human rights commissions to advocacy campaigns. Finally, the course will assess how the new South Africa engages in regional human rights fora and crises, and evaluate the extent to which lessons from its own past can and should be exported to prevent or remedy abuses elsewhere. Case studies will include how South Africa has dealt with lingering land disputes, sought accountability for corporate involvement in apartheid, and addressed policy clashes over the use of anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS treatment.
Through participation in supervised clinical projects as well as readings, class discussion, role-playing and critical examination of advocacy approaches, this seminar exposes students to a variety of ethical and strategic issues that arise in the course human rights fact-finding and advocacy. Students will examine how diverse advocacy agendas interact within one country--South Africa--as well as how national strategies interact with international players and influences.
A concurrent clinical practice component of 2, 3, or 4 clinical credits is required of all students in the seminar. Placements are with the International Human Rights Clinic of the Human Rights Program. Some clinical projects will relate to Southern African while others will relate to other regions of the world.
Enrollment will occur during clinical registration. Please refer to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs (http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical) for clinical registration dates and early add/drop deadlines.