We are pleased to provide the July 2012 edition of the Curriculum and Resource Guide for "The World As It Could Be" Human Rights Education Program. This program, is an outgrowth of a series of successful initiatives carried out since 2006 to educate and inspire youth and adults to further human rights for all people and have greater…

Murals have become a powerful art form for portraying antiwar, human rights, social justice, and human dignity issues. Educators and artists have conducted mural workshops with adolescents in international settings to educate them about peace, human rights, and cultural tolerance. Learning with murals has been shown to be pedagogically meaningful…

This curriculum module for students in grades 7-12 focuses on the subject of tolerance. The lessons provide students with opportunities to develop knowledge about issues and events of intergroup relations, increase student awareness of the dynamics of intolerance, and help students build a framework for developing their thinking about these…

This learning packet consists of 10 exercises which can be used independently by students or as class activities. The activities in the packet were developed to foster awareness of international human rights issues. The objectives are stated at the top of each exercise, with vocabulary words listed under the objectives. Materials from the…

This learning packet contains seven modules designed to teach about human rights around the world. These activities may be integrated into different subjects within the social studies curriculum. For each module, the case studies are drawn from two of the five countries included in the "Handbook on Human Rights and Citizenship." Each…

Describes the history and role of human rights education in Latin America. Links these efforts with relevant political histories, cultural phenomena, and social movements. Maintains that occurrence human rights violations are a basic initial stimulus for human rights education. (CFR)

Asserts that, in teaching about human rights, the international standards should be the fundamental core of the content and values to be communicated. Recommends that teachers should use the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the standard by which the actions of individuals and governments should be compared. (CFR)

Describes recent developments and resources in the rapidly growing field of human rights education. Explains the importance of teaching this subject with a global perspective. Includes a human rights lesson plan, student exercises, and a list of selected resources. (MJP)

This handbook was designed to help students learn the cultural contexts in which human rights are variously defined. It provides a comparative study of five nations, selected for their geographic and cultural scope, as a unique way to study human rights. Chapter 1 sets the stage for the study by presenting activities for establishing class…

Provides a concise overview of Canada's many provincial and federal human rights codes. The codes address issues of discrimination and harassment based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, and/or gender. Discusses the commissions that oversee these codes and gives examples of specific provisions. (MJP)

Contends that popular, or a form of alternative, education stands in the background of most efforts in human rights education in Latin America. Maintains that education must educate people as producers, citizens, and individuals. Discusses challenges to this task in light of liberation theology and the Peruvian experience. (CFR)

Outlines and describes a fifth-grade unit of study examining issues of freedom and oppression. Students began with a biography and a presentation on an individual who had experienced discrimination. They then interviewed local people who had experienced significant freedom or oppression. Culminating activities included writing one-act plays. (MJP)

Teachers of an eighth grade American history and government course are provided with a 4 unit curriculum guide. Following an introduction and course outline, Unit I, "Beginnings of America," contains 3 lessons covering exploration, colonization, and the American Revolution. The three lessons in Unit II examine the practical and humanistic aspects…

Presents a lesson plan teaching students to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness and importance of human rights to world peace. Instructional handouts form the basis for student discussion on the history, need, and future of human rights. Debriefing serves as a check to determine whether students understand the material. (MJP)

Presents a lesson plan that teaches students the relationship between basic international doctrine and the proliferation and control of weapons of mass destruction. Assigned readings and handouts, including the preamble to the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child, facilitate student reports and group discussions. (MJP)