The Center seeks to engage human rights activists and the public-at-large about under-represented human rights by educating and taking action. The Center aims to raise consciousness and inspire action. In addition, the Center strives to complement the formal WCL educational curriculum by providing experiential learning opportunities, mini-courses and candid, personal perspectives into the real work of human rights in the field. Giving students an opportunity to learn about practical aspects of human rights law helps provide them with new insights on which their future work can grow.
Action for Human Rights: Morning Coffee Hours and Evening Happy Hours
Action for Human Rights sponsors early morning coffee hours and evening happy hours for students, faculty and staff interested in human rights to come and share fair trade coffee and tea, bagels and donuts, ideas and inspiration. The Coffee/Happy Hours provide a forum for announcements, recruitment, campaign information – and a great place to get to know others interested in human rights. Come join us throughout the semester in the new and improved 6th floor Student Lounge (behind the cafeteria). Everyone is welcome, and the coffee is delicious! AHR is trying to make Coffee Hour as eco-friendly as possible and is selling $5 “Human Rights Begin with Breakfast” mugs!
In an effort to cultivate new perspectives for students on human rights at home, the Center, together with WCL student organization Action for Human Rights, co-sponsors a series of semester-long Experiential Learning Projects (ELP). The ELPs take students from the classroom into the field to interact with the real people that live the issues we often discuss in the law school classroom. Our goal is to humanize the learning experience, complicate participants' understanding of an issue and charge learning with transformative potential.
Alternative Spring Break
The alternative spring break provides interesting and engaging hands-on learning and community service opportunities for WCL students. The trip, to be taken during WCL's spring break, offers WCL students the opportunity to better understand particular legal issues by engaging with many of the actors that are involved in the issue, including the victims and their families, law enforcement, attorneys, advocates and civil society representatives. Students participate in community service activities both during the trip itself and upon return to WCL.
Genocide Teaching Project
This High School lesson plan was developed to teach about genocide, the lessons learned from Rwanda, and the ongoing situation in Sudan. The lesson runs for approximately 90 minutes, but can be split up into two sessions, or can be expanded to take more time. The lesson asks students to contemplate the types of behavior and actions which may lead to genocide and teach them the definition of genocide. In addition, the lesson empowers students to teach each other about various aspects of the genocide in Rwanda and encourages them to contemplate actions that they can take - as individuals and as a group - to ensure that genocide does not happen again. A special segment has been developed to address the ongoing genocide in Sudan. In the Fall of 2004, an additional module about the current situation in Sudan was added to the lesson plan. The lesson plan was written and designed by WCL students Sarah Hymowitz and Amelia Parker.
Human Rights Defender Speakers Series
The Human Rights Defenders Speaker Series invites human rights defenders from around the world to discuss their work and their personal journey into the world of human rights advocacy. Speakers discuss why they do the work they do.
Human Rights Film Series
The Center co-sponsors an annual human rights film series together with the AU Center for Social Media. The films, which screen both at the law school and on the main campus of American University, feature human rights themes and each film is followed by a discussion with expert-practitioners on the issue.
Munching on Human Rights
Munching on Human Rights is an introductory program designed to educate and engage students, especially 1Ls, about basic issues in international human rights and humanitarian law. Held once a month, Munching gives students a great opportunity to informally interact with WCL's internationally-known faculty and get a "taste" of international law.
Rwanda Commemoration Project
The Center developed the Rwanda Commemoration Project to encourage law schools, universities, NGOs, community groups and others to hold events to commemorate the tenth anniversary of this modern-day genocide, and to use it as a lesson, reminder and warning about genocide in our time. To do this, the Center developed a resource booklet, with programming ideas, substantive issues for discussion, and a resource list. This booklet can be used as the starting point for creating your own day of commemoration. We have also developed a lesson plan for use in high schools to teach about the lessons of genocide, using Rwanda as the primary example. Genocide can happen again; it has happened and will continue to happen unless we stay vigilant and learn and apply the lessons of our recent past.
