Refugees, Rights and Responsibilities in the 21st Century

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Key facts

UNE unit code: PEAC588

*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

candidature in a postgraduate award

Restrictions

PEAC388 or PEAC488

Combined units

PEAC388 Refugees, Rights and Responsibilities in the 21st Century

Notes

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:

critically evaluate and analyse individual country's legal obligations under the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Refugee Protocol;
expertly evaluate and reflect on how they can apply a broad, coherent and advanced body of knowledge and skills relating to global perspective on the factors which result in the creation of refugee outflows;
demonstrate an advanced understanding of the history of developed country attitudes towards asylum seekers and refugees;
evaluate and elaborate government policies towards asylum seekers and refugees in a range of countries accross the world;
identify and analyse the contributions made by earlier waves of refugees to their host countries; and
cogently demonstrate and effectively communicate 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
Essay	Yes	60%	All offerings	No. Words: 3500
Essay	Yes	40%	All offerings	No. Words: 2000

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.