Description:
Over the past 6 decades universal human rights norms have
increasingly become just that: universal norms. Starting
with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, tremendous
progress has been made in developing a world-wide conception
of what constitutes human rights, and what actions can
be taken to promote adherence to these values. Human rights
have increasingly come to be seen not as an exotic adjunct
to globalization, but an integral part of it. Challenges
clearly still exist in this regard. Debates rage, for
example, about conflicts between cultural, religious and
historical factors and certain elements of human rights.
It is exactly for these reasons that today’s university
student, who is and will be a global citizen, needs to
have exposure to and a grounding in some of the key concepts
associated with the notion of universal human rights.
This workshop will provide information about accessing
human rights information that can be integrated into a
range of curricular and extra-curricular activities on
the university campus. We will examine a variety of different
sources of information and engagement in the human rights
field. A student who has undertaken a human rights research
project and been active in human rights issues will present
her perspective, and participants will share ideas on
how they can further integrate human rights issues into
their academic and campus life.
