F1HH 4515 - Foundations and Challenges of Humanitarian Practice

This course intends to be a critical review of global humanitarian challenges – from the analysis of contemporary needs to the evolution of humanitarian actors, practices and their present dilemmas.

Rooted in real-world practice and policy challenges, this course will present theories and concepts of humanitarian action, from its core principles, standards and architecture to its programmatic and advocacy implementation, exploring a variety of tools and approaches for needs analysis and responding to crisis contexts.

The course is illustrated by concrete humanitarian responses – looking at the multisectoral programmatic approach, taking as example the management of comprehensive sexual violence programing in emergencies, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support as well as concrete case studies on ongoing crisis.

The course will address the complexity of humanitarian action: the threats that come from external political actors, on access and security, on its economic model (dependency from institutional donors), as well as the internal challenges that question and re-shape the current humanitarian model, for instance its post-colonialist heritage, the critical issues of Partnership and the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuses.

Finally, as leaders of tomorrow’ humanitarian action, students will access essential practical notions and tips of “what works” in term of operational leadership, to formulate a vision in complex environment and align people to be able to create collectively new ways of doing.

Students will be put in touch with aid professionals, as each course will feature a guest speaker who will talk directly about his or her work in the field, in relations with the thematic module.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Explore further the real-world application of the aid core principles, standards, actors, architecture and their evolutions
• Define and explain different programmatic terms, concepts and challenges within the humanitarian action
• Explain the key actors in the response, their roles and coordination
• Identify relevant policy documents and guidelines to support humanitarian governance
• Discover how multisectoral humanitarian programs and advocacy are conceived
• Analysis humanitarian needs with ethical and do not harm data collection
• Advocate for a victim/survivor centered approach to programming
• Create an advocacy strategy
• Apply innovation mindset to humanitarian responses
• Study its economic model
• Reflect on the key issues in humanitarian practice and possible ways forward
• Contribute to the debate regarding access, decolonizing aid, partnership, gender equity
• Apply Protection against sexual abuses and exploitation tools
• Apply best leadership and team work practices

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:

• Critical thinking: Students will be able to engage in reflective and independent thinking regarding humanitarian action and its future shape.
• Research and analysis: Students will collect and analysis the wide spectrum of humanitarian interventions from principles & systems to operational & advocacy implementation
• Leadership and Management: Students will learn key ingredients for top humanitarian leadership
• Networking: Students will learn how to contact organizations and professionals directly for their mid-term work, interview them and write a blog article.

There is no prerequisite for the course.

I will be always available between courses / sessions as well as supporting for the 2 assignments. For the mid-term assignment, I can guide students in the search for contacts and as well provide feedback of their list of questions for the interviews. I will provide written feedback on the shared forum or their space for their article .

For the final assignment, (group case study) I will provide written feedback to each group. I will accompany them through the assignment for direction, sounding board as needed. I will be available for them.

• 10% on individual participation, engagement and motivation
• 30% mid-term assessment: Interview humanitarian professionals & article on humanitarian innovation: Find and Reach out a humanitarian organization to interview a senior individual expert on a chosen technical topic that has not been reviewed in the course and present key elements of latest innovation in this aid thematic in a blog article of minimum 1000 words shared in the student’s forum – As example, thematic could be around Water and Sanitation, Camp Management, Migration, Cash for Food, Education in emergencies, Mental health etc… This assignment will help the student to proactively find a good contact, design the interview questions to extract the best information possible and apprehend creative evolution and innovation in the chosen technical field.
• 60% Final assessment on a case study on a given humanitarian crisis – real or fictive - asking students to apply studied frameworks, theories and tools to draw by group a multilayers humanitarian intervention strategy. Students will design a relevant sequencing for the analysis of the humanitarian needs, identify challenges, proposition strategic direction for programs and advocacy.

The work will be done in group of 3 students and will be guided by key questions. The outcomes should be presented in 3000 words / 5 pages.

With this assignment, students will demonstrate their critical thinking on the practical implementation of the notions and challenges learned in the course and well as using some of the presented tools.

• In Class Presence: 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 60 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 30 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 30 hours a semester