Refugees, Rights and Responsibilities in the 21st Century

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Key facts

UNE unit code: PEAC388

*You are viewing the 2026 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.

Start

Trimester 3 - Online

24/7 online support

Intensive schools

Supervised exam

Credit points

UNE student studies on a laptop on her lounge at home

In this unit you will focus on the experiences of refugees and forced migrants in the 21st Century from the joint perspectives of rights and responsibilities.

Studying this unit, you will start by exploring the conflicts which create refugees around the world, and you will compare and contrast the responses of the developed countries to refugees and asylum seekers, especially over the past decade. In contrast, you will also examine the developing countries’ record of hosting millions of refugees despite their own poverty and challenges.

The linkages between the political manipulation of refugee issues and the fate of multiculturalism and humanitarian values are a major focus of this unit, alongside the reasons for the particular global reactions to ‘boat people’. Refugees’ own perspectives are voiced through their oral histories, writings and creative art, and issues surrounding the creation and treatment of ‘environmental refugees’ are also explored.

Offerings

Teaching period	Mode/location
Trimester 3	Online

*Offering is subject to availability

Intensive schools

There are no intensive schools required for this unit.

Enrolment rules

Pre-requisites

any 12cp or candidature in a postgraduate award

Restrictions

PEPS288, PEAC488, PEAC588

Combined units

PEAC588 Refugees, Rights and Responsibilities in the 21st Century

Notes

Contribution to online discussion is encouraged.

Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.

Unit coordinator(s)

Christopher Brown

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

analyse individual country's legal obligations under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Refugee Protocol;
demonstrate a broad and coherent body of knowledge and a global perspective on the factors which result in the creation of refugee out-flows;
demonstrate an understanding of the history of developed country attitudes towards asylums seekers and refugees;
describe government policies towards asylum seekers and refugees in a range of countries across the world;
document the contributions made by earlier waves of refugees to their host countries; and
engage in an informed discussion of the issues of racism, religious intolerance and empathy in the refugee context.

Assessment information

Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.

Title	Must Complete	Weight	Offerings	Assessment Notes
Assessment 1	Yes	40%	All offerings	Essay No. Words: 2000
Assessment 2	Yes	60%	All offerings	Essay No. Words: 2500

Title

Must Complete

Weight

Offerings

Assessment Notes

Assessment 1

Yes

40%

All offerings

Essay

No. Words: 2000

Assessment 2

Yes

60%

All offerings

Essay

No. Words: 2500

Learning resources

Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.

Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.