HREA Distance Learning Course 8E03:
INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
1 September-23 November 2003

Instructors: Nancy Flowers and Felisa Tibbitts

The course will introduce the international field of human rights
education (HRE), including presentations of programming approaches,
teaching and learning resources, and related theory. The course is
intended for educators and trainers working in both the formal and
nonformal sectors. Participants will be assisted in the development of a
curriculum, training, or plan to use these skills to further their
organization's advocacy efforts. Participants might be expected to apply
these skills within formal education settings, for staff development
within their own organizations, and for outreach and advocacy.

The course has the following sequence. First, it will introduce the human
rights framework and programming approaches and teaching materials in use
worldwide. This will be followed by a presentation of interactive teaching
methods and related pedagogical theory. Participants will then explore
discipline-based approaches to HRE, examining programming and sample
materials that come from the social sciences, the humanities and the
sciences. This will be complemented by an examination of "issue" oriented
education and advocacy approaches to HRE, drawing examples from children's
rights, women's rights and the rights of minorities. Several sessions will
be devoted to building the skills of participants, by reviewing how to
develop a learning experience, use the Internet for resources and
integration of assessments.

The course involves approximately 60 hours of reading, on-line working
groups, interaction among students and instructors, and assignments, and
is offered over a 12-week period beginning on 1 September. E-mail will be
the main medium for the course, although participants will need to have
periodic access to the Web. This course will integrate active and
participatory learning approaches within activities and assignments, with
an emphasis on reflective and collaborative learning. Participants will do
the required reading, prepare interim and final project assignments and
participate in group discussions.

The maximum number of course participants is 25. Students who successfully
complete the course will receive a Certificate of Participation. It is
also possible to audit the course.

COURSE OUTLINE

Weeks 1-4: Introduction

Week 1. Orientation to the course
Week 2. Introduction to Human Rights
Week 3. Introduction to Human Rights Education
Week 4. Models and methods of teaching HRE

Weeks 5-7: Discipline-based Approaches to Human Rights Education

Week 5. HRE and the Social Sciences
Week 6. HRE and the Humanities
Week 7. HRE and the Sciences

Weeks 8-9: Practical Tools for HRE

Week 8. Developing Learning Activities
Week 9. Finding Resources and Integrating Use of the Internet

Weeks 10-12: Issue-Oriented Education and Advocacy Approaches

Week 10. HRE Approaches for Children's Rights
Week 11. HRE Approaches for Women's Rights
Week 12. HRE Approaches for Minority rights/non-discrimination

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS

Nancy Flowers is a former secondary school teacher who has worked as a
trainer and writer in the field of human rights education for over 15
years. Ms. Flowers assisted Amnesty International in the development of
their HRE program and has consulted worldwide with governments,
nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies. Ms. Flowers is the author
of numerous HRE publications, including Local Action/Global Change:
Learning about the Human Rights of Women and Girls (UNIFEM, 1999) and the
Human Rights Education Handbook (University of Minnesota, 2000). She holds
the BA degree from the University of Georgia and Cambridge University, and
an MA from Columbia University.

Felisa Tibbitts is co-founder and director of Human Rights Education
Associates (HREA). Ms. Tibbitts has worked with local educators and
curriculum writers in developing national HRE programs in schooling
systems in numerous countries in Central/Eastern Europe. She has
participated in HRE trainings in over a dozen countries and consults with
inter-governmental, governmental and non-governmental agencies about HRE
programs. Ms. Tibbitts has published numerous articles on HRE, focusing
primarily on policy and applied research. She holds a BA degree and two
masters degrees (Public Policy; Education) from Harvard University.

WHO SHOULD APPLY

The course is intended for educators and trainers working in secondary
schools and adult learning environments. Candidates should have a good
written command of English and have high competence and comfort with
computers and Internet use. HREA aims to ensure equal gender and
geographical distribution across the selected participants.

COSTS

The course tuition fee is US$ 525 (tuition for auditors is $200). A
limited number of scholarships is available for applicants from Africa,
Arab World, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe/Newly Independent States,
Latin America/Caribbean through the support of the Dutch Foreign Ministry.

APPLICATION

The deadline for applications is 15 May 2003. Applications received after
that day unfortunately cannot be accepted. Successful applicants will be
notified by 1 June 2003. Full tuition payment is due on 15 August 2003.

APPLICATION FORMS

Applications forms (in Word and PDF format) can be downloaded from:
http://www.hrea.org/courses/application8E03.doc [Word]
http://www.hrea.org/courses/application8E03.pdf [PDF]

Inquiries about the course can be sent to [email protected]