CS5CRT15 : IT & ENVIRONMENT (CORE) Human Rights and United Nations

Human Rights co-ordination within UN

Unit 1: Introduction to Internet and system- Role of UN secretariat- The Economic
Environment (10 hrs) and Social Council- The Commission Human
Internet- Internet as a knowledge repository, Rights-The Security Council and Human
academic search techniques, creating cyber rights- The Committee on the Elimination of
presence. Academic websites. Racial Discrimination- The Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women-
Multidisciplinary nature of environmental the Committee on Economic, Social and
studies -Definition, scope and importance, Cultural Rights- The Human Rights
Need for public awareness. Committee- Critical Appraisal of UN Human
Rights Regime.
Unit 2: Impact of IT in E-Learning (12 hrs.)
Introduction to use of IT in teaching and Human Rights National Perspective
learning, Learning Management System- Human Rights in Indian Constitution –
Moodle, Edmodo, etc. Academic services– A Fundamental Rights- The Constitutional
note on INFLIBNET, NPTEL, NICNET. Context of Human Rights-directive Principles
of State Policy and Human Rights- Human
Unit 3 : IT and Society (18 hrs.) Rights of Women-children –minorities-
IT & Society- issues and concerns- digital Prisoners- Science Technology and Human
divide, IT & development, the free software Rights- National Human Rights Commission-
movement. State Human Rights Commission- Human
Rights Awareness in Education.
IT industry: new opportunities and new threats,
software piracy, cyber ethics, cybercrime, cyber Case Study:
threats, cyber security, privacy issues, cyber The students need to view the film
laws, cyber addictions, information overload, “Samaksham”, a film on environment
health issues- guidelines for proper usage of produced by Mahatma Gandhi University
computers, internet and mobile phones. Creations and submit a compulsory
Impact of IT on language & culture. assignment reviewing film. The review is
considered for internal mark assessment.
Unit 4 : E-waste and Green Computing (14
hrs.) References:
E-waste- Problems- Solutions-Impact of e- 1. K.L. James, The Internet: A User's Guide 2nd
waste in living beings and environment- a Revised edition, PHI publication.
study on e-waste management in India. 2. Bharucha Erach, Text Book of Environmental
Green computing, definition, meaning, scope. Studies for undergraduate Courses. University
Green computing in India. Press, IInd Edition 2013 (TB)(
https://www.ugc.ac.in/oldpdf/modelcurriculu
Unit 5: Human Rights (18 hrs.) m/env.pdf).
An Introduction to Human Rights, Meaning, 3. Barkha and U Rama Mohan, Cyber Law &
concept and development –History of Human Crimes, 3rd Edition, Asia Law House.
Rights-Different Generations of Human 4. Rakesh Johri, E-waste: Implications,
Rights- Universality of Human Rights- Basic regulations, and management in India and
International Human Rights Documents - current global best practices, Teri publications.
UDHR ,ICCPR,ICESCR.-Value dimensions of 5. Alan Evans, Kendall Martin, Mary Anne
Human Rights Poatsy, Technology in Action, Pearson.
Internet as a Knowledge Repository community of practice and to deliver relevant
A knowledge repository is a computerized knowledge when it is useful. In this internet
system that systematically captures, organizes world, we can search any kind of information.
and categorizes an organization's knowledge. Just type the keyword in search engine and
The repository can be searched and data can you can find a lot of information about it. The
be quickly retrieved. internet is recognized as a rich source of
information, which can be easily tapped by any
The effective knowledge repositories include person who has the skills to use the internet.
factual, conceptual, procedural and meta- More than ever before online databases are
cognitive techniques. The key features of easily accessible to all learners who have a
knowledge repositories include computer and a telephone line.
communication forums.
The rapid development of Information and
A knowledge repository can take many forms Communication Technology has yielded an
to "contain" the knowledge it holds. A almost unlimited variety of databases and
customer database is a knowledge repository multimedia platforms that are able to supply
of customer information and insights – or multifarious needs, including knowledge,
electronic explicit knowledge. edutainment, entertainment, leisure activities,
consumer facilities, interpersonal interaction
A Library is a knowledge repository of books – etc. there are many knowledge centers in the
physical explicit knowledge. A community of net like which can
experts is a knowledge repository of tacit be accessed and used by all. There are virtual
knowledge or experience. The nature of the library and also on-line discussion boards
repository only changes to contain/manage which are useful tools for academic exchanges.
the type of knowledge it holds. Thus the use of internet by students and
teachers is perceived as a vehicle to increase
A repository (as opposed to an archive) is knowledge and skills necessary for successful
designed to get knowledge out. It should negotiation of tasks
therefore have some rules of structure, presented by 21st century. Knowledge
classification, taxonomy, record management, repository means a place to store knowledge
etc., to facilitate user engagement. and retrieve knowledge. Hence internet is truly
a knowledge repository.
In the information age, lifelong learning and
collaboration are essential aspects of most Academic Search Techniques
innovative work. Information technology is not As the largest interconnection of computers
only transforming our workplace but also our and computer networks, the World Wide
educational system. The information Web makes information widely accessible, but
revolution is having a profound and information integrity and management remain
permanent effect on the key issues for individuals and firms using this
way we learn. Fortunately, the computer platform.
technology which drives the information
explosion also has the potential to help The Internet can provide a wealth of
individuals and teams to learn much of what information, but the credibility and accuracy
they need to know on demand. depend entirely on the source, and finding
credible information can be time-consuming,
In particular, computer-based systems on the requiring hours of sorting through largely
Internet can be designed to capture irrelevant sites. These difficulties often arise
knowledge as it is generated within a because search engines -while widely used –
are often not wisely used. For many people,  Enter key words search techniques.
arriving at the information desired, rather than Google will find matches where the
at thousands of irrelevant hyperlinks, remains keywords appear anywhere on the page
more an art form than a science.  If you want Google to find you matches
where the keywords appear together as
The computers are just a tool which helps you a phrase, surround them with quotes,
to get the information from the net. It cannot like this “search techniques”.
think for you. It cannot impart knowledge to
you. In this situation, Search Engines are like 2. Basic Boolean
the index in the back of a book. It helps you to  Google's Boolean default is AND, which
search for specific words and topics. Some of means that if you enter query words
the examples of search engines are: Google, without modifiers, Google will search
Alta Vista, Excite, Hotbot, Infoseek etc. for all your query words
 If you prefer to specify that any one
GOOGLE word or phrase is acceptable, put an OR
 Google is a full-text search engine, which (in capital letter), lower case or won’t
uses computerized "spiders" to index millions, work correctly. For example: enter
sometimes billions, of pages, allowing for Yahoo OR Google.
much narrower searches than searchable  A computer programming character |
subject index, which searches only the titles can work like OR (e.g. Yahoo | Google)
and descriptions of sites, and doesn't search  If you want to search for a particular
individual pages. term along with two or more other
terms, group the other terms within
 Google is case-insensitive. If you search for parentheses, like so “search techniques”
Three, tHRee, THREE, or even THREE, you get (Yahoo OR Google).
the same results.
 Singular is different from plural. Searches for 3. Negation
apple and apples turn up different pages.  If you want to specify that a query item must
not appear in your results, prep end a (minus
 The order of words matters. Google sign or dash): “search techniques” –Google.
considers the first word most important, the This will search the pages that contain “search
second word next, and so on. techniques”, but not the word Google
 Note that the symbol must appear directly
 Google ignores most little words, including before the word or phrase that you don't want.
include "I," "where," "how," "the," "of," "an," If there's space between, as in the following
"for," "from," "how," 'it," "in," and "is,”. Google query, it won't work as expected “search
ignores most punctuation, except techniques” – Google
apostrophes, hyphens, and quote marks
4. Explicit Inclusion
 Google returns pages that match your search  Google will search for all the keywords
terms exactly and phrases that you specify, however,
there are certain words that Google will
 Google search word limit is 32 Some of the ignore because they are considered too
academic search techniques in the context of common to be of any use in the search
Google search engine are as follows. (e.g. “a”, “the”, “of”, etc.)
 You can force Google to take a stop
1. Phrase Searches word into account by prep ending a +
 (plus) character, as in +the “search with more comprehensive enabling concepts
techniques”. and ideas. Such ideas that are necessary to
fully enhance your ability to use the cyber
5. Synonyms domain. CDCG defines cyber presence as:
 The Google synonym operator, the ~ (tilde) "The act of existing within the cyber
character, prep ended to any number of domain"
keywords in your query, asks Google to
include not only exact matches, but also what Just who is existing? Any entity. An entity can
it thinks are synonyms for each of the be animate or inanimate, real or virtual in
keywords. Searching for: ~ape turns up results nature. Additionally, this entity can be singular
for monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee, and others or many. Cyber presence is the way an
(both singular and plural forms) of the ape or individual and/or organization presents itself
related family, as if you'd searched for: within the cyber domain (i.e., Internet). It's
monkey gorilla chimpanzee (Synonyms are important to recognize and actively participate
bolded along with exact keyword matches on in the cyber domain. Failure to properly
the results page, so they're easy to spot) present yourself and/or organization could
damage your reputation and assist in the
6. Number Range failure of your organization.
 The number range operator, .. (two
periods), looks for results that fall inside Successful cyber presence involves many
your specified numeric range (e.g. activities:
digital camera 3..5 megapixel  Website
$800..$1000)  Social Media
 You can also use the number range  SEO
syntax with just one number, making it  SEM and more...
the minimum or maximum of your
query (e.g. digital camera ..5 megapixel For cyber presence one must have the ability
$800..) to:
 Communicate
7. Simple Searching and Feeling Lucky  Share data, information, knowledge
The I'm Feeling Lucky™ button is a thing of  Interact with other entities and
beauty. Rather than giving you a list of search capabilities
results from which to choose, you're whisked  Market itself
away to what Google believes is the most
relevant page given your search (i.e., the first Academic Websites
result in the list). Entering Washington Post Every individual wants to receive the best of
and clicking the I'm Feeling Lucky button takes education to achieve his or her dreams.
you directly to However, the more the institution is good, the
http://www.washingtonpost.com. higher the fees they charge. Students usually
Searching Within Your Results help you narrow leave their education incomplete and do blue
down your results to find the really relevant collar jobs to meet their basic ends. Moreover,
pages within your results pages these students collect money to complete
their masters later in career. Apart from those
Creating Cyber Presence who can afford expensive higher education,
Today, most people have a fundamental some handful of students gets scholarships.
understanding of what cyber presence
means. However, Cyber Domain Consulting One can equally quench his third for
Group (CDCG) enhances the basic meaning knowledge by joining online classes. Online
classes are not only cheap but also Pollution of soil, water and air causes harm to
conveniently arranged for those who are living organisms as well as loss to valuable
working. natural resources. Environmental studies
involves educating the people for preserving
There are websites that provide free online the quality of environment.
courses or have resourceful material for
students. These websites are decorated with Scope
informative podcasts, videos and notes, they The scope of environmental studies include:
also take time-to-time assessment tests. 1. Developing an awareness and
Indeed, there should be free flow of sensitivity to the total environment and
knowledge and it is beneficial for the students its related problems.
and teachers both. 2. Motivating people for active
participation in environmental
Here's a look at top ten websites providing protection and improvement.
free education to students: 3. Developing skills for active
 EdX: edx.org identification and development of
 Academic Earth: academicearth.org solutions to environmental problems.
 Internet Archive: archive.org 4. Absorb and train the necessity for
 Big Think: bigthink.com conservation of natural resources.
 Coursera: courser.org 5. Evaluation of environmental programs
 Brightstorm: brightstorm.com in terms of social, economic, ecological
 CosmoLearning: cosmolearning.com and aesthetic factors.
 Futures Channel:
thefutureschannel.com Importance
In the industrialized era that we live today,
Multidisciplinary nature of environmental every component that we intake - be it, air,
studies water or food are polluted by industrial
activities. There is no zero pollution. To
Definition minimize this problem, knowledge of
The word environment is derived from the environmental studies is essential.
French word ‘environner’ meaning
surroundings. Everything surrounding us is An in-dept study of environmental studies will
called “Environment”. help us in the following ways:
1. Begin to appreciate and adopt the idea
Every organism is surrounded by materials and of ‘development without destruction
forces that create its environment. It is the of the environment’.
environment from where every organism must 2. Knowledge about "Various types of
derive its requirement. The environment environments & different
creates favorable conditions for the existence environmental hazards"
and development of living organisms. 3. Playing an effective role in protecting
the environment by "Demanding
The survival of any organism requires a steady changes in law and enforcement
supply of materials and removal of waste systems".
products from its environment. 4. Having a Positive Impression on
The degradation of the environment has "Quality of life".
become a serious problem for the existence of 5. Creating a "concern and respect for
human beings. the environment".
Need For Public Awareness
Increasing population, Urbanization and
poverty have generated pressure on the
natural resources and lead to a degradation of
the environment. To prevent the
environment from further degradation, the
Supreme Court has ordered and initiated
environmental protection awareness through
government and non-government agencies to
take part in protecting our environment.

Environmental pollution cannot prevented by

laws alone. Public participation is equally
important with regard to environmental
protection.

Environmental Education (EE) is a process of

learning by giving an overall perspective of
knowledge and awareness of the environment.
It informs the society about environmental
issues and challenges interested individuals to
develop skills and expertise thereby providing
appropriate solutions.

Climate change, loss of biodiversity, declining

fisheries, ozone layer depletion, illegal trade of
endangered species, destruction of habitats,
land degradation, depleting ground water
supplies, introduction of alien species,
environmental pollution, solid waste disposal,
storm water and sewage disposal pose a
serious threat to ecosystems in forest, rural,
urban and marine ecosystems.
Both formal and informal education on the
environment will give the interested individual
the knowledge, values, skills and tools needed
to face the environmental challenges on a local
and global level.