Field Experiences
1. What were the most effective methods that teachers used in teaching human rights? What would you have done differently? What material was used (if any)?
I studied Human Rights at Masters level. This mean we had to do our part of the work before the weekly seminar. Preparation work consisted of ‘background’ reading meaning that as long as you read the required texts you could then pick articles you wanted to read on the specific topic relevant to your interests. For students at this level I found this a very effective way of teaching. Students would arrive in class having done the readings and developed their own opinions on the subject. This allowed a healthy debate, coordinated and guided by the tutor.
I feel that this approach works well at University level as the students tend to be more disciplined when it comes to the preparation work and are able to contribute intellectually to the issues at hand. Teaching Human Rights to individuals of a much younger age I can imagine is a harder task and certain materiel would have to be used.
Human Rights is a difficult topic to study, it is not merely about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and handing our ‘Rights’.
2. Did you find any particular aspect of learning human rights topics difficult? What issue(s) should definitely be covered in any human rights education course?
As previously stated , I think that Human Rights is in general a complex topic covering many issues. While seeking to provide rights for some you are infringing those of others.
Topics that I believe are of importance under the umbrella of Human Rights are:
The problem of Humanitarian Intervention, Do we violate the sovereignty of a nation in order to alleviate suffering of a civilian population? The question is not as easy as it seems and is highly charged with complex issues of law, politics and morality.
Grave violations of Human Rights, such as War crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide, These crimes often go unpunished and the question of accountability is an important one. We now have an International Criminal Court to hold perpetrators responsible; however this has caused wide debate. The issue is also topical and relevant once again to the question of state sovereignty .
Some say that there can be no peace without Justice, while it must be remembered that at times providing Justice can cause the continuation of hatred and War.
Another topic to cover is legislation on Human Rights and how it is being implemented around the world, particularly in regions and with regard to minorities and unrepresented peoples who have no ‘nation state’.
This can also be followed with a look at
Indigenous peoples rights, a group often exploited and unrepresented by their
national governments. The ‘lost generation’ in
A history of Human Rights is important. A consideration of events which changed the History of an individuals rights.
There is so much more but I think that these must be some of the important topics of discussion and relevance to our rights today.
3. What advice can you give to other human rights teachers or students?
The only advice I can give to Students is to consider the study of Human Rights, a subject which will contribute something to your way of thinking. This subject will help give you a ‘reality check’.