This project aims to develop a two-year multidisciplinary Master Program in Democratic Governance and Human Rights, including online distance learning and part-time-on-campus, which will combine theoretical approaches and project-based learning by realizing their own project with the broad use of online learning tools. It will be based on the collaboration of higher education systems and exchange of knowledge and good practices in the field of governance and human rights.

Students attending this degree will be able to understand and analyze legal and political theories of democratic governance and international and regional human rights regimes. The objective is to prepare graduates and professionals in the south-Mediterranean countries to use classical and contemporary theoretical approaches of good and human-rights based governance, inspection mechanisms that allow compliance with international human rights, transitional justice, efficient use of social media for change. Implementation of the skills acquired to in state building, development aid and non-governmental organizations can lead to the change in the culture of political thinking and acting.

This Master Programme addresses the political, social and cultural challenges for democratic governance and protection of human rights in a region where democratization is currently the highest priority.

The project specific objectives aim to:

• Support the modernization and internationalization of Democratization Studies in Tunisia, Morocco and Lebanon through transfer of know-how and academics' mobility.

• Support Tunisia, Morocco and Lebanon to address the needs in their higher education system in the field of Social and Behavioral Science, including those of quality, relevance and equity of access, benefiting academics, students and Syrian refugees as potential students.

• Contribute to closer cooperation between the EU and our partner countries by promoting research activities and development of innovative infrastructure if the HEIs, with the involvement of academics and students.

• Promote voluntary convergence with EU developments of curriculum development in Social and Behavioral Science by adapting EU-HEIs curricula to specific needs of PC-HEIs and train adequately academics and tutors.

• Promote people-to-people contacts, intercultural awareness and understanding through transfer of knowledge, individual mobility and forum of interaction among professors and students as well as intercultural training of administrative staff.

• Directly benefit the partner countries and their higher education institutions and systems by adding a new Master, upskilling academics and administrative staff and developing Research Units.

• Build capacity for the Master graduates in the area of civic and democracy education among young leaders who can be potential change-makers.

• Educate high-level professionals in the field of human rights and democratization, making them qualified to work as staff members or field workers of intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as academics.

• Create sustainable links between higher education and labor market to address lack of capacities in the relevant working fields.

• Develop regional network of academics specialized in human rights and democracy. It should promote research and teaching addressing the particular needs of the region such as democratic transition, civil society, institution building and rule of law.

The first and most important activity will be the development, testing and adaptation of curricula for a Master Programme in Democratic Governance and Human Rights. The students, after completion of their studies from each university, will acquire a deep knowledge in governance principles and practical skills to examine and integrate them in the institution-building and democratic state building. They will be also acquainted with international human rights standards with a particular emphasis on regional legal norms and institutions. They will know how to apply governance principles in order to promote human rights. Additionally, they will be highly qualified to work in civil-society organizations which promote democratization processes and they will be prepared for the challenges associated with state building and implementation of the Constitution.

 

Part of the project will be the promotion of distance-learning, requiring a great amount of autonomy and self-organization. The use of e-tutor as primary contact for the questions arisen

in the course and the creation of a DEMOS & Rights learning platform with additional learning content will offer opportunities for debate and cooperation among students, will also promote their critical thinking and intercultural communication, providing opportunities for activism and familiarizing students with ICT tools.

 

In addition, tutors and teachers involved in the Master Programme will receive academic staff from European HEIs but also will be offered study visits in the European HEIs with the aim to receive capacity-building training in the field of democratization studies and human rights standards. Moreover, training will be provided in relation to the as use of ICT tools and in methods for making students from different cultural and religious backgrounds comfortable in class. The project partners will also be offered a tour through European human rights institutions and participation in an academic conference with academics from relevant fields.

 

Finally, another activity will be the establishment of a DEMOS Research Unit in each HEI with the purpose of research publication of selected dissertation works of the Master Degree and academics publications, data collection on democratization level, human rights violation and social media role in cooperation with local CSOs. The cooperation will help to create links to the labor market by offering internships to graduates. Administrative staff will be trained on how to approach and facilitate the access of possible refugees from conflict zones to the Master Degree and on the criteria on recognition of their prior skills. Last but not least, there is possibility of establishing Alumni Associations to promote important and lasting networks of democracy and human-rights post-graduates.

The DEMOS project aspires to address the needs of the following target groups:

ü Students for the Master, which will be incorporated in each of the following Faculties academic program: Faculty of Legal, Political and Social Sciences of UCAR, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of UTM, the School of Law, Economics and Social Sciences of UMI, the Faculty of Law, Economic and Social Sciences of UCA, the Law School of LU, Faculty of Information & Communication of the AU.

• Law Enforcement Officials.

• NGOs' Employees.

• Women's Rights Activists.

• Members of Political Parties of countries who are in the process of democratization and need to consolidate their rule of law.

• Young Professionals especially with the goal of upskilling of Government Officials.

• Fresh Graduates from different disciplines.

• Syrian Refugees.

• Academic Staff (Professors, Tutors, Lecturers).

• Civil Society Organizations