The EU as diplomatic actor in human rights

NORTIA teaching case study

Developed by Patricia Senge, University of Oxford

This teaching case study showcases the complexity of the EU as a diplomatic actor in multilateral fora on the example of EU coordination for a United Nations Human Rights Council initiative.

Download the Case Study

Download the Teaching Plan

Be sure to download both documents - they are to be used in conjunction with one another (see below).

NORTIA Teaching Case Studies

NORTIA teaching plans are open-access and freely downloadable resources. They are “free to use” and “free to adjust” to make them work for your class. For an overview of all NORTIA teaching case studies, click here.

NORTIA teaching case study consists of two parts: the “case study” to be shared with students, and the “teaching plan”. The case study is shared with students before the class, and students are encouraged to prepare the case study in depth. The teaching plan explains the learning objective, the rationale, and suggestions of how to use the teaching case study. It is meant as guidance for the academic instructor. For further guidance on how to teach with case studies we recommend the “case teaching resources” from the Harvard Kennedy School, and in particular their detailed guidance on “how to use teaching case studies” in practice.

The NORTIA teaching case studies are a starting point for European foreign policy teaching. In practice, it is likely that you as instructors will adjust the materials to your course, the background knowledge of your students, your teaching style etc. We would be really keen to hear from you on how you used the teaching case study, made it work for your setting and how it supported your teaching and the learning of your students. Please share your insights with us at eu.nortia@gmail.com.

See All Teaching Case Studies

This NORTIA teaching case study was written by Patricia Senge (University of Oxford), with the support of Richard Whitman (University of Kent). This case study initiative and the NORTIA Jean Monnet network received financial support from the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union under the grant agreement 587725-EPP-1-2017-1-NL-EPPJMO-NETWORK. NORTIA teaching plans are open-access and freely downloadable resources. NORTIA teaching cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussions. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective of ineffective teaching or management.