Human Rights in the Professional Context (CS)

Time slot: Thursday, 12.03.2026 from 6 pm and intensive training week 30.03.-01.04.2026 

Face-to-face event mit excursion to the Office of the Ombudsman for Vorarlberg and 8 course units of Blended Learning

Course language: English (B2, CEFR)

Course occupancy: Minimum 9 persons / maximum 21 persons

Course costs: approx. 10 € travel expenses for the excursion

Sustainability: SDG 8 - decent work

FHV Future Skills: Promote Ethical & Social Responsibility 

Registration: From 15-25 November 2025 in A5 under ‘Course selection’. If a late booking is required, please contact sabine.frick@fhv.at.

• History and development of human rights
• Human rights documents and instruments in order to protect and promote human rights in the professional setting
• Selected case studies and case work in relation to human rights and professional ethics
• Discussion of controversies and dilemmas including ethical issues
• Sustainable Development Goals and relevance in the work environment
• Basic human needs and the development of role morality in comparison to personal morality
• Scientific action and possible solutions for a non-discriminatory professional setting

Students

• Reflect on human rights documents and instruments
• Identify how human rights principles can be applied to add value in the workplace
• Apply ethical approaches and human rights principles in the workplace
• Analyse relevant SDGs
• Connect practice and theory
• Think critically about ethical issues encountered in the professional setting
• Recognise challenges (personal morality vs. role morality) and develop problem-solving strategies
• Assess anti-discrimination elements and understand substantive equality issues.

• Self-organised learning
• Dialogue in small groups
• Reflection
• Exercises based on the learning resources

Final examination (group presentation during the course)

Field trip to a sustainably managed business: Students explore how human rights are realised and how sustainable business practices promote cooperation and participation of different social groups.

In the summer semester of 2026, the excursion will take students to the Office of the Ombudsman for Vorarlberg.

For further questions please contact smera.rehman@fhv.at.

Brenkert G. George (2015) Business Ethics and Human Rights: (online article) 

Cramton C. Roger, Knowles P. Lori (1998) Professional Secrecy and Its Exceptions: Spaulding v. Zimmerman Revisited (online article)

Heiderich, J. (2010). Gerechtigkeit in Organisationen. Im Spannungsfeld von Bedürfnissen, Macht und Arbeitszufriedenheit. Berlin: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Berlin. 

Illinois Institute of Technology, Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions (2008). Professional ethics. "Basic definitions of professional ethics" Online available http://ethics.iit.edu/teaching/professionalethics

Leideritz, M. /Vlecken, S. (Hrsg.) (2016) Professionelles Handeln in der Sozialen Arbeit – Schwerpunkt Menschenrechte, Ein Lese- und Lehrbuch, 1. Auflage. Leverkusen: Budrich, Barbara.

Luban, David (2007). Professional ethics. A Companion to Applied Ethics. R.G. Frey and Christopher Heath Wellman, eds. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Prasad, N. (2011). Mit Recht gegen Gewalt. Die UN-Menschenrechte und ihre Bedeutung für die Soziale Arbeit, Budrich, Opladen, Farmington Hills

Staub-Bernasconi, S. (2007/2010). Soziale Arbeit als Handlungswissenschaft. Systemtheoretische Grundlagen und professionelle Praxis − Ein Lehrbuch. 2. Aufl. Bern.

Vereinte Nationen. Zentrum für Menschenrechte, Genf/ Internationale Vereinigung der Sozialarbeiterinnen und Sozialarbeiter/ Internationaler Verband der Ausbildungsstätten für Sozialarbeit (Hrsg.):  Menschenrechte und Soziale Arbeit. Ein Handbuch für Ausbildungsstätten der Sozialen Arbeit und für den Sozialarbeitsberuf. Übersetzung: Michael Moravek. FH Ravensburg-Weingarten (5.) 2002. Bezugsadresse: Fachhochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten. Postfach 1241, D-88241 Weingarten.

Face-to-face event with excursion and 8 course units of Blended Learning

• Interdisciplinary and interactive workshop on human rights in the professional context
• Student-led working groups; analyse real life cases and case-studies with a focus on professional ethics, in order to find similarities and differences between disciplines
• Video material (e.g. films, reports, interviews) to promote human rights principles and professional ethics
• Digital questioning/quiz and voting sessions through tools such as Mentimeter