Human Rights in the Professional Context

Time slot: Intensive training week 14-17 April 2025 (Monday-Wednesday in presence and Thursday virtual)

Course language: English (B2, CEFR)

Course occupancy: Minimum 12 persons / maximum 20 persons

Course costs: approx. 10 € for the excursion

Sustainability: SDG 8 - decent work

• History and development of human rights
• Human rights documents and instruments in order to protect and promote human rights in the professional setting
• Selected case studies and case work in relation to human rights and professional ethics
• Discussion of controversies and dilemmas including ethical issues
• Sustainable Development Goals and relevance in the work environment
• Basic human needs and the development of role morality in comparison to personal morality
• Scientific action and possible solutions for a non-discriminatory professional setting

Students

• Reflect on human rights documents and instruments
• Identify how human rights principles can be applied to add value in the workplace
• Apply ethical approaches and human rights principles in the workplace
• Analyse relevant SDGs
• Connect practice and theory
• Think critically about ethical issues encountered in the professional setting
• Recognise challenges (personal morality vs. role morality) and develop problem-solving strategies
• Assess anti-discrimination elements and understand substantive equality issues.

• Self-organised learning
• Dialogue in small groups
• Reflection
• Exercises based on the learning resources

Final examination (group presentation during the course)

Field trip to a sustainably managed business: Students explore how human rights are realised and how sustainable business practices promote cooperation and participation of different social groups.

For further questions please contact: smera.rehman@fhv.at 

Brenkert G. George (2015) Business Ethics and Human Rights: (online article) 

Cramton C. Roger, Knowles P. Lori (1998) Professional Secrecy and Its Exceptions: Spaulding v. Zimmerman Revisited (online article)

Gil, D. G. (1998). Confronting Social Injustice: Concepts and Strategies for Social Workers. New York: Columbia University Press.

Heiderich, J. (2010). Gerechtigkeit in Organisationen. Im Spannungsfeld von Bedürfnissen, Macht und Arbeitszufriedenheit. Berlin: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Berlin. 

Illinois Institute of Technology, Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions (2008). Professional ethics. "Basic definitions of professional ethics" Online available http://ethics.iit.edu/teaching/professionalethics

Leideritz, M. /Vlecken, S. (Hrsg.) (2016) Professionelles Handeln in der Sozialen Arbeit – Schwerpunkt Menschenrechte, Ein Lese- und Lehrbuch, 1. Auflage. Leverkusen: Budrich, Barbara.

Luban, David (2007). Professional ethics. A Companion to Applied Ethics. R.G. Frey and Christopher Heath Wellman, eds. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Prasad, N.  (2011). Mit Recht gegen Gewalt. Die UN-Menschenrechte und ihre Bedeutung für die Soziale Arbeit, Budrich, Opladen, Farmington Hills

Staub-Bernasconi, S.(2007/2010). Soziale Arbeit als Handlungswissenschaft. Systemtheoretische Grundlagen und professionelle Praxis − Ein Lehrbuch. 2. Aufl. Bern.

Vereinte Nationen. Zentrum für Menschenrechte, Genf/ Internationale Vereinigung der Sozialarbeiterinnen und Sozialarbeiter/ Internationaler Verband der Ausbildungsstätten für Sozialarbeit (Hrsg.):  Menschenrechte und Soziale Arbeit. Ein Handbuch für Ausbildungsstätten der Sozialen Arbeit und für den Sozialarbeitsberuf. Übersetzung: Michael Moravek. FH Ravensburg-Weingarten (5.) 2002. Bezugsadresse: Fachhochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten. Postfach 1241,D-88241 Weingarten.

• Interdisciplinary and interactive workshop on human rights in the professional context.
• Student-led working groups; analyse real life cases and case-studies with a focus on professional ethics, in order to find similarities and differences between disciplines
• Video material (e.g. films, reports, interviews) to promote human rights principles and professional ethics
• Digital questioning/quiz and voting sessions through tools such as Mentimeter.