Human Rights and the Environment Advocacy Seminar
Fall term, Block J
W 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Mr. Tyler Giannini
2 classroom credits LAW-94611A
2, 3, or 4 required clinical credits Fall LAW-94611C
Over the past half century, human rights law and international environmental law have made great strides--largely independent of one another. This course examines the connection between human rights and the environment, and efforts to bridge the two distinct legal discourses in the context of advocacy and social movements. What are the origins of efforts to link human rights and environmental movements and where are these movements headed? What do the movements share in common and where do they diverge? What are the main challenges and dilemmas facing those engaged in rights promotion and defense?
This seminar introduces students to human rights and environmental advocacy through participation in supervised projects, as well as readings, class discussion, role-playing and participatory evaluation of advocacy strategies. The clinical projects will involve work individually or in small groups in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and/or before intergovernmental bodies. The projects will also expose students to ethical and strategic issues that arise in the course of doing fact-finding and advocacy and balancing the often differing agendas of the western international NGOs and their counterparts in the (frequently non-western) Global South. Class sessions will focus on analysis of advocacy from the recent history of the human rights and environmental movements.
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.
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.