Summary
Local and international human rights documents and discourses are generally characterised by conceptual and normative links between the aims of human rights and social advocacy. Human rights and social advocacy practices have become remarkably significant over time. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that human rights are the ‘foundation’ of justice ‘in the world’ and many of its articles include democratic aspirations across the full institutional range of modern political societies (Hibbert, 2017). Through engagement of the theoretical basis of human rights and social advocacy, the course aims to enrich the students’ perspectives and skills regarding change and development. Put differently, the course cites the ways in which political power, freedom and democracy have a direct bearing on our everyday lives. Lastly, the course provides students with self-assessment activities and tasks geared towards deepening knowledge of the course.
Subject Matter Expert
Waylin Jafta is currently employed at Damelin College, Mowbray as Sociology lecturer. In this role, he teaches 1st to 3rd year full/part-time students and provides research supervision. Prior to this, he worked as a graduate intern at the Western Cape Provincial Government (WCG) in 2016, specifically at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS). His duties included performing various departmental research tasks and assisting in the development and implementation of community led projects like the JPI and EPWP. Above all, it was his service as Sociology tutor at the University of the Western Cape in 2015 that essentially propelled his career to where it is now.
Waylin completed a BA at the University of the Western Cape, followed up with a BA Honours in Sociology. His honours mini-dissertation examined the utilisation of mobile technologies like e-learning and m-learning to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural students at UWC. This helped raise awareness not only around student rights, but the very basic right to education for all humans. His subsequent MA Sociology (full dissertation) encapsulated his passion for themes of technology, social media, education, human rights, social justice and development. The dissertation examined the nature of social media, social activism and social movements in the context of Egypt’s #Jan25 and South Africa’s #FMF. The aim was to demonstrate the potential of technology and the growing importance of human rights in the age of information. In future, the academic aim is to obtain a PhD and remain in the academic environment with the objective of reducing social inequalities, poverty, crime and abuse of basic human rights.
Tutor Support
Each course is assigned its own Online Academic Tutor, who is ready and waiting to guide and assist their learners throughout their learning experience.
The Online Academic Tutor who is assigned to your course, is trained to build each student up to reach their fullest potential. Students can expect their Online Academic Tutor to answer questions, offering advice and provide further clarification on any academic aspects.
Course and Technical Requirements
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
To successfully access and complete this course, you will be required to have a registered email account, access to a computer/laptop/tablet and stable internet connection. You will be required to be familiar with using a computer as you may need to be able to read and download documents in Adobe PDF Reader, view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and read and create documents in Microsoft Word.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Our online short learning programmes may require additional software applications. These additional software applications requirements will be communicated to you in this information pack and/or on the website course page. Damelin Online does not provide any additional software applications required for online short learning programmes.
Please note: Google, YouTube and Vimeo may be used in our online course delivery. If any of these services are blocked in your jurisdiction, you may have difficult in accessing our course content.
How We Engage with Students
Our online short learning programmes are broken into self-paced manageable modules designed to be interactive and engaging:
- The programme is available to be viewed on smart devices and includes mobile, tablets and personal computers.
- Relevant case studies, articles and recommended reading are part of supplementary resources available.
- Apply and evaluate what you have learned in each module with the self-grading quizzes and assignment submissions
- View a range of Introductory course videos by your Subject Matter Expert.
- Scheduled live webinars are included with the Online Academic Tutor.
- Network, collaborate and interact with your fellow participants and Online Academic Tutor via the discussion boards.
Certification
Upon successful completion of this online short learning programme, you will be awarded with a Damelin Certificate of Completion.
