F1HH 5160 - Technology, Human Rights, Humanitarian Action

New technologies and innovations have deeply transformed the humanitarian field over the past one to two decades and are transforming it still. They come with a promise to make aid more efficient and targeted, in a field where time and resources are always scarce. They also promise better overview and information flow, crucial in midst of a crisis. They have shaped how needs are assessed and quantified, how they are communicated about and reported on, and how aid is delivered. They have been surrounded by much optimism and attention to their potential to revolutionize the sector and aid delivery where it’s most needed. Yet, as practitioners and researchers alike have pointed to, there is also a pressing need to critically examine these innovations and new technologies. To ensure that humanitarian arenas do not become simple testing grounds for experimenting with new tools, at the cost of basic human rights, there is a need to also understand the new vulnerabilities and dependencies such technologies create, the possible misuses and direct harm they may also cause. This course will introduce the students to key debates that have surrounded humanitarian technologies and the fundamental rights of intended beneficiaries, over the past decade.

Learning outcome:

• Give students a general introduction to key debates in the humanitarian sector around changes introduced with new technologies and digital solutions, and their potential impact on fundamental human rights.
• Provide the students with analytical tools to themselves approach the sector as professionals and be able to ask important critical questions where needed.

Professional skills:<br

• A sense of critical thinking to approach ongoing changes in the humanitarian sector.
• Analytical tools to approach new debates in the humanitarian sector, where new solutions will emerge to address humanitarian problems.
• Basic research skills, seeking out appropriate sources for oral presentations and written essays, making sense of arguments written and orally, integrating feedback in written assignments.

Students following this class should have a foundation in the workings of the humanitarian system and human rights frameworks and issues. A general interest in the promises and pitfalls of new technologies and digital platforms is expected, but no specific expertise in the technical design of such applications is required.

Introduction by course holder and group presentations. Discussions around required reading in class. Discussions and Q&A, followed by group deliberations and feedback in plenary.

To validate the course, the student is expected to pass the following assignments:

• 10% participation: active participation in class, notably based on weekly readings
• 40% group work with oral presentation: case analysis
• 50% written short essay (3-5 pages essay)

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 60 hours a semester
• Research, Preparation and Writing of essay: 1,5 hours a week / 36 hours a semester (+/- 2 hours for integrating feedback underway)
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 33 hours a semester