Syllabus
Course Description
This course from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and HarvardX seeks to prepare learners to recognize and analyze emerging challenges in the humanitarian field. The course explores the ethical and professional principles that guide humanitarian response to conflict and disaster. Participants will learn the legal and historical frameworks that shaped these principles, test their applicability to the challenges faced by humanitarian actors today.
Teaching Team
Faculty
Michael VanRooyen
Jennifer Leaning
Practitioners
Claude Bruderlein
Kayla Enriquez
Parveen Parmar
Nahuel Arenas-Garcia
David Polatty
HarvardX Project Leads
Summer Marion
April Opoliner
Jascha Smilack (current)
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Project Lead
Katie Farineau
Content Contributors
Julia Brooks
Natalie Chang
Benjamin Davies
Katie Farineau
Robert Grace
Sooyeon Kang
Alexandra VanRooyen
Video Editor
Walter Blazewicz
Technical Support
Shilpa Idnani
For technical assistance: https://www.edx.org/contact-us
Illustrator/Animator
Video Voiceover
Robert Grace
Course Outline and Release Schedule
The Humanitarian Principles & International Humanitarian Law
Case 1: Goma
Practitioner Perspectives:
Local Capacity
Professionalism
Aid Vs. Development
Vulnerable Populations
Case 2: Somalia
Practitioner Perspectives:
Burnout
Media
Civil-Military Relations
Case 3: The Balkans
Practitioner Perspectives:
Perception & Acceptance
Neutrality and Independence
Case 4: Afghanistan/Pakistan
Practitioner Perspectives:
Risk and Security
Mental Health
Funding
Certificate Requirements
To earn a certificate, the learner must earn a score of 80% or greater by the end of the course. To earn an ID Verified Certificate, you must switch to the IDV track before the IDV deadline, and you must earn a passing score by the course close. These deadlines can be found on the "Course" tab. The grades are weighted as follows:
Multiple choice – 45%
Discussion engagement – 45%
Final Assignment - 10%
Expectations
Students are expected to complete all videos, read the cases in their entirety, and complete all required reading. Students are also expected to participate on discussion forums. To fully participate, learners will post original, relevant posts that answer the question prompt, and also reply to classmate's posts in a respectful and thoughtful manner.