4 Year Nursing Degree Programme (BSc Cur)

NU3E01 Addressing the Human Rights of those on the Margins of Irish Society (5 ECTS)

Learning Outcomes

Following completion of this module the student should be able to:

• Discuss social inequality as a key factor in the genesis of marginalisation in society;
  
• Explore construction of the ‘other’ and associative definition of the deviant individuals;
  
• Outline the key frameworks and legislation pertinent to human rights in Ireland;
  
• Discuss the five basic principles of the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA);
  
• Discuss the application of HRBA to specific groups in Irish society;
  
• Demonstrate an ability to develop and enact a campaigning strategy;
  
• Apply a HRBA to his/her own area of study.

Module Learning Aims

In the Report on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (1996), persons with disabilities stated that they
regularly experience marginalisation and unequal treatment in society. Such treatment speaks to a reality
in which the human rights of minority groups are often compromised to the detriment of society as a
whole. This module introduces the student to the concept of human rights and aims to stimulate students
to question and reflect on the human rights accorded to persons who experience marginalisation in Irish
society.

In addition, as it is an elective module, it will provide you with some key transferable skills that will be
useful in all walks of life after college, such as communication skills, resourcefulness, problem solving
and critical thinking.

Recommended Reading List

• The Equality Authority / The Economic and Social Research Institute (2008) The Experience of Discrimination in Ireland. Dublin: EA/ESRI. Retrieved from http://www.equality.ie/index.asp?locID=105&docID=723 on 19th March 2009.
  
• Gay and Lesbian Equality Network - http://www.glen.ie.
  
• Government of Ireland (1996) Report of the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities. The Stationery Office, Dublin.
  
• Herr S, Gostin L. & Hongju Koh, H. (2003) The Human Rights of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: Different but Equal. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  
• National Disability Authority (2007) Public Attitudes to Disability in Ireland. NDA. Dublin. Retrieved from http://www.nda.ie/cntmgmtnew.nsf/0/ FD9B9DBF1F1CF617802573B8005DDED5/$File/Survey.pdf on 19th March 2009.
  
• National Disability Authority (2007) Exploring the Research and Policy Gaps: A Review of Literature on Women and Disability. NDA. Dublin. Retrieved from http://www.nda.ie/cntmgmtnew.nsf/0/BF3A14B644017A648025729D0051DD2B/$File/ womens_literature_and_disability.htm on 19th March 2009.
  
• Owen, F. & Griffiths, D. (2009) Challenges to the Human Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Jessica Kingsley, London.
  
• United Nations (2005) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm on 19th March 2009.
  
• Wilkinson, R. & Pickett, K. (2008) The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always DoBetter. Allen Lane, London.

* Additional readings will be given for each unit of learning.