Journalists are often at the forefront of the fight for human rights, breaking stories of human rights violations as they happen or investigating and exposing violations of human rights. All journalists have the potential to use their work to help hold states and duty bearers to account. In this article we have collected 5 top-quality courses aimed at human rights journalists, that are offered by leading universities.
University of Michigan, Storytelling for Social Change (United States)
The University of Michigan founded in 1817 as one of the first public universities in the United States brings the course Storytelling for Social Change for another time on edX, with over 17,000 learners currently enrolled! The course will take approximately 5 weeks to complete and requires no prerequisites to take part. Throughout the course, you will learn how storytelling can be a powerful method to deliver messages that connect with audiences and shape attitudes .You will explore how empathy and belief systems affect your audience, how you can harness the power of stories to create social change and how you can develop a strong protagonist and incorporate multiple perspectives into your stories for social impact. Throughout Storytelling for Social Change you will watch video interviews from experts in storytelling, see performances and start writing your own story for social change.
University of California, Berkeley: English for Journalists, Part 1 & Part 2 (United States)
English for Journalists Part 1 & Part 2 is sponsored by U.S. Department of State and is offered by University of California, Berkeley as part of U.S. Department of State’s MOOC Camp. English for Journalists provides instruction in the English language for students of journalism and working journalists looking to improve their English proficiency. Part 1 focuses on key topics that are an essential to journalists worldwide from ethics in journalism, inclusive journalism, local vs global journalism and citizen journalism. English vocabulary, idioms and grammar are also explored. You will discover current issues facing journalists globally, widen and improve your English vocabulary and grammar to increase the effectivity of your stories and learn how to communicate more effectively in interviews and reports. This course also focuses on issues of ethics, equality and fairness as applied to journalism. Part 2 covers a new set of topics, with the same focus on vocabulary, idioms and grammar. The topics covered by part 2 are as follows, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, sports writing and broadcast, humour and satirical news writing, understanding science and technology in journalism and media trends. Whilst these courses do not require any specific prerequisites, it would be important to have some knowledge of basic concepts in journalism.
