Human Rights Basics ~ Preparation | Wide Angle

June 10th, 2008

Human Rights Basics

Preparation

Media Components

Video:

Wide Angle
Thirteen/WNET New York’s weekly series of one-hour international documentaries, hosted by Mishal Husain and James P. Rubin, recognizes a new and urgent need to understand the political, economic, and social forces shaping the world today.

Web Sites:

Wide Angle
https://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/index.html
This Web site supports the PBS program WideAngle a weekly series of one-hour international documentaries, hosted by Mishal Husain and James P. Rubin.

The Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
This Web page located on the United Nations Web Site is the location for The Declaration of Human Rights.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm
This Web page located on the United Nations Web Site is the location for The Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The United Nations Cyberschoolbus
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/qna.asp
This Web site is for The United Nations Cyberschoolbus which was created in 1996 as the online education component of the Global Teaching and Learning Project, whose mission is to promote education about international issues and the United Nations. The Global Teaching and Learning Project produces high quality teaching materials and activities designed for educational use (at primary, intermediate and secondary school levels) and for training teachers. The vision of this Project is to provide exceptional educational resources (both online and in print) to students growing up in a world undergoing increased globalization.

United Nations – Human Rights Section
http://www.un.org/rights/index.html
This link is the Web page for the Human Rights section of the United Nations Web site. The purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, are to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these ends.

United Nations Global Issues Section
http://www.un.org/partners/civil_society/m-child.htm
This location is the Web page on for the United Nations Global Issues specifically issues regarding Children.

UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm
This Web site is for UNICEF, UNICEF was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1946 to help children after World War II in Europe, UNICEF was first known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations system, its task being to help children living in poverty in developing countries. Its name was shortened to the United Nations Children’s Fund, but it retained the acronym “UNICEF,” by which it is known to this day.

United Nations Association of the United States of America
http://www.unausa.org
This Web site is for The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports the work of the United Nations and encourages active civic participation in the most important social and economic issues facing the world today. The UNA-USA educates Americans about the work of the United Nations and encourages public support for strong U.S. leadership in the U.N.

Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/
This is the Web site for Human Rights Watch, the largest human rights organization based in the United States. Human Rights Watch researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world. Human Rights Watch then publishes those findings in dozens of books and reports every year, generating extensive coverage in local and international media.

PBS Online NewsHour
http://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/newshour/
http://pbs-newshour.virage.com/cgi-bin/
visearch?user=pbs-newshour&template=template.html&query
=Human+Cargo
&keywords=Human+Cargo&category=blank
This PBS Web site has links to two video segments on Human Cargo. One of the available clips is a discussion by three experts regarding the growing trade of people across international borders and the second is a report on efforts to smuggle illegal aliens from China into the U.S.

FRONTLINE World
http://pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org/frontlineworld/
This link is for the FRONTLINE World Web site where streaming video and story transcripts for many global issues can be found. Developed by FRONTLINE producers in conjunction with public television stations KQED San Francisco and WGBH Boston, FRONTLINE/World is a national public TV series that turns its lens on the global community, covering countries and cultures rarely seen on American television.

Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org
This is the Web site for Amnesty International (AI); AI is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to promote internationally recognized human rights. This site has available Press releases, articles and educational materials for teachers.

International Debate Education Association
http://www.idebate.org

This Web site focuses on young people and their communities. The mission of the International Debate Education Association is to promote mutual understanding and democracy globally by supporting discussion and active citizenship locally.

The New York Times – Archive
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/national/15TRUC.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/
abstract.html?res=F30B13F63A5A0C728EDDAC0894DB404482
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/
abstract.html?res=F00E11FD3B5A0C738EDDAC0894DB404482
The above Web pages are articles that were run in the New York Times Newspaper. You will have to register before you will have access to the above articles, but registration is free. Some of the articles on this site are for sale; others you can download free of charge.

Materials

Per Class:

Chalkboard, whiteboard or poster paper

Appropriate writing utensil for your writing surface

Copies of appropriate videos

VCR/TV

Scotch Tape (necessary if you are using poster paper so that you can display students’ work)

Per Student:

Copy of Questions to Develop a Human Rights Discussion

Copy of Questions to Develop a Children’s Rights Discussion

Copy of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights