'Authoring Justice': new online course on storytelling for change with Prof. Andrew Leon Hanna

The Global Campus of Human Rights is proud to launch its first-ever specialised online course called “Authoring Justice”, born out of a longstanding collaboration with Prof. Andrew Leon Hanna, award winning author of 25 Million Sparks: The Untold Story of Refugee Entrepreneurs (Cambridge University Press).

Designed for those eager to enrich their craft and embark on the journey of writing a book or long-form work, this course is for prospective authors who are keen on writing non-fiction narrative centered on a variety of human rights topics: from climate justice to gender equality; from racial justice to social justice at large.

“The written word has the remarkable power to inspire social change,” says Prof. Andrew Leon Hanna. “In this course, we’ll explore how to write with empathy and strength on topics that we feel most enlivened to change in the world. In particular, we’ll emphasise human-centred narrative storytelling – as it can effectively shine a light on those who are too-often excluded, honour their stories and respect equal dignity, and move society toward greater mutual understanding.”

In addition to learning from video lectures and readings prepared by Prof. Hanna, students in this course will also participate in 5 live webinars where they will hear from a dynamic, diverse group of international literary leaders – authors as well as publishers - who will share their invaluable wisdom, firsthand experiences and writing tips. Confirmed guests so far include Justice Albie Sachs, renowned freedom fighter and former Judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa; writer, campaigner and GCA alumna Jemma Neville; and Joel Rickett, Managing Director of Ebury Publishing, the non-fiction publisher at Penguin Random House.

Throughout the course, participants will also submit two short pieces and their Capstone Project (~2,000-word piece) for personalised feedback by Prof. Hanna. The last week of the course will then be dedicated to the final celebration where each participant will read excerpts from their project, which will be published in the Global Campus Magazine.

This is a unique opportunity for prospective non-fiction writers. As remarked by Dr. Angela Melchiorre, E-Learning Manager at the Global Campus of Human Rights, “telling the stories of unsung heroes is an inspiring and effective way to remind us that human rights and justice issues have to be nurtured, protected, and conquered every single day. This is exactly what this course does in a very pragmatic but also encouraging way. As an educational institution, there is no better means for us than to help aspiring authors put their ideas and those voices down on paper for broader audiences and systemic change.”

The course will run fully online between 3 June - 26 July 2024, mostly in asynchronous mode but with weekly live webinars. For a detailed programme and more information on how to apply, visit the official page.