Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

Unit Description

This unit has a two-fold purpose: to develop a theological rationale for Christian commitment to advocate with and for the poor; and to develop an appreciation of the practical dimensions of effective advocacy work. The unit will examine the theoretical framework for human rights with particular focus on relevant Biblical teaching regarding the misuse and abuse of power. A case will be made that advocacy with and for the poor should be an integral dimension of the Church’s witness and work in the world. Case studies of advocacy at local, national and global levels will be used to ensure that study is grounded in practical realities. The unit will also explore the role and responsibility of Christian NGDOs in the task of engaging the wider Christian community in the work of justice and compassion. Space will be provided to allow the learners to focus particular attention on those aspects of advocacy most relevant to their area of work or interest.

A major shift in the priorities and activities of many NGDOs over the last couple of decades has been an increasing commitment to the role of advocacy around issues of persistent poverty and associated human rights. The learner will analyse the reasons for this shift, and develop an awareness of its impact on NGDO priorities and practice.

Increasing levels of NGDOs advocacy commitment and activity has led to substantial questions regarding issues of NGDO authority and accountability. Moreover, NGDOs have to be clear as to their claims of legitimacy when they speak out. Do they ‘speak as the poor, with the poor, for the poor, or about the poor’. Learners will be required to demonstrate understanding of these issues and tensions, and will be able to present a well-argued personal viewpoint.

NGDOs have experienced mixed success in achieving their advocacy objectives. Learners will be required to research the reasons for this, giving detailed attention to at least two major global or national campaigns, and will be able to identify key factors in successful campaigning.

An advocacy campaign’s success in working towards significant pro-poor changes in national government policy often requires both the development of well-researched alternative policy, the mobilising of substantial grassroots community support, and effective use of the media. Learners will develop a sound understanding of strategies that can lead to effective grassroots mobilisation. Few, if any, NGDOs have sufficient capacity to be independently effective in their advocacy work, and Australian NGDOs have learned the need to work in coalition. This, however, presents another range of challenges and risks. Learners will develop a good understanding of the nature of these challenges, and will be able to articulate appropriate protocols for effective coalition advocacy strategies.

Advocacy looks very different in different contexts. This is particularly the case in countries which do not have democratic regimes or a tradition of openness and public engagement with politics. Learners will develop an understanding of alternative advocacy techniques that are effective in contexts of repression. These include: relational advocacy (quiet discussions with the key people behind closed doors so changes can occur subtly without public confrontation and loss of face); international advocacy, where information can be fed to third parties outside the country who can exert external pressure; operational advocacy, where as part of the on-going practical dialogue NGDOs have with authorities around their community development projects, boundaries of these discussions can be gently blurred to bring in more reflections on policy etc.

Community education and engagement is critical to nurturing both grassroots involvement in advocacy, and sustainable community support for development and humanitarian relief activities. Within the Australian context, the active involvement of church communities and Christians has been a key factor behind the positive policy impact of advocacy campaigns such as Micah Challenge and Make Poverty History. Learners will examine the reasons for the effectiveness and limitations of these or similar campaigns, and will analyse current Christian NGDO’s strategies for engaging Christians in grassroots advocacy. Learners will examine Christian NGDOs strategies for fundraising and community education, and will be able to articulate the tensions that can exist between the requirements of fundraising/marketing and discipleship/development education.

Teaching Strategies

The learning process consists of three phases: reading, residential, and research. Each phase has a blend of individual and group learning, and subsequent phases build upon the learning of those that come before.

The first phase is a reading phase, and lasts for 12 weeks. The learner, as part of a small cohort study group (3 to 5 members), is guided through a reading program to explore the current scholarship on the practice of ‘Advocacy and Human Rights’.

Reading assignments are compiled with the help of the librarian, the educational technologist, and administrative support staff. Required weekly readings are posted to the unit website once a week for downloading, utilising Tabor Victoria’s Moodle platform.

Students are also required to read any prescribed textbooks in this phase.

During this first phase learners in cohort groups embark on a guided social inquiry, resulting in a research project. Hands-on research conducted in context by each participant allows him/her to gain an understanding of specific, emerging ministry concerns/questions encountered by Aid and Development agencies.

Second phase is a residential phase. Equipped with the reading and research, learners then undertake a residential phase of 40 hours’ worth (one week, full-time) of residential study. During the residency, all cohort groups gather in an Aid and Development agency setting chosen because of a leader who is known as a thoughtful practitioner, and because the agency has a proven track record in ‘Advocacy and Human Rights’.

In the third phase (research) students complete a personal theology in which issues related to ‘Advocacy and Human Rights’ are explored. Cohorts also plan and implement an intervention at the Aid and Development agency. The intervention is a professional presentation that summarises findings and proposes a number of ways the agency might go about addressing the emerging questions. The intervention invites agency leaders into theological reflection and constructive thinking about the concern and what might be done to begin addressing it. Following the intervention, the small cohort study group reflects upon and assesses their collaborative work.

Unit offerings

Face to face: (Every 3rd Year, Semester 2)
Face to face: (Every 3rd Year, Semester 2)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.