Human Rights Training

This project will develop a coordinated and resourced network of people, modules and courses dedicated to interdisciplinary learning and research about Human Rights education while enhancing the necessary training available to students and scholars researching and enacting Human Rights. The project will begin in spring/summer 2022. 

Objectives

  • Provide an annual Human Rights advocacy and research seminar series, resources and a network for students to support course work or co-curricular activities. 
  • Develop standalone modules for skills training in the field of Human Rights for faculty members teaching/supervising research. 
  • Provides faculty teaching in the field of Human Rights with a network of colleagues and a range of additional materials to include in their courses beyond their own areas of expertise that complement the learning goals of their courses, including support for applied research/experiential learning in their courses.
  • Develop and pilot a 300-level, interdisciplinary course that allows students to engage with Human Rights topics that incorporates the module content as it relates to the topics of study and the experiential learning projects embedded in the course. 

Impact

  • Through the project deliverables, the HRC will provide faculty and students with structured and supported experiential learning opportunities to engage with topics, theories and approaches to complex issues involving Human Rights.
  • The interdisciplinary focus of this project not only creates spaces for shared expertise and resources, avoiding siloed and duplicated work, it directly advances multiple strategies towards transformative learning and global engagement, exemplifying the assertion that “when students across a range of programs work together, the result is a rich, high-level learning experience that builds expertise in ways no individual, discipline-based course can achieve” (UBC Strategic Plan).

Updates

  • The HRC is excited to announce the launch of our new course in Winter Term 2 of the 2023/24 academic year. PPGA 391A will provide undergraduate students with opportunities to gain hands-on experience in the field of human rights. Students will be paired with community partners involved in human rights work addressing areas such as civil and political rights, migrant worker rights, and disability rights. The interdisciplinary course content will also touch on themes like environmental rights, AI and data rights, artistic activism, and legal and political approaches to human rights challenges.
  • Launched in September 2023, the HRC Resource Catalog contains a collection of curated documents, lectures, panel discussions, and more for students and faculty to enhance their learning and research in the field of human rights. The Catalog contains resources on academic freedom and human rights, creative arts and human rights, human rights and the environment, trauma and advocacy, among many others. The Catalog is hosted on UBC’s Canvas Catalog learning platform and is accessible to anyone. 
  • In Fall 2023, the HRC hosted three workshops as part of our Activating Advocacy Series, providing interactive learning opportunities in human rights advocacy, policy analysis, and data visualization strategies. Participants in these workshops learned key advocacy techniques, such as reaching out and talking to government representatives; policy analysis strategies, including problem structuring; and data visualization techniques, such as creating visualizations that can convey disparities to a wide audience. 

Funded by: UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF)