
The November New Tactics on-line dialogue features “Human Rights in Higher Education: Incorporating practical experience”. This dialogue specifically features ideas, experiences and methods from human rights higher education programs for incorporating practical experience into human rights curriculums to better prepare human rights advocates for doing “on the ground” and “in the trenches” human rights work.
The featured resource practitioners (biographical information) include:
- Abigail Booth, Programme Manager, Head of Nairobi Office, Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Kenya
- Alice Nderitu, Fahamu (Kenya) in coordination with the University of Pretoria, South Africa
- Jadwiga Maczynska, Project Manager, Jagiellonian University Human Rights Centre, Krakow, Poland
- Mingzhen Ge, Shandong University, Human Rights Center, Law School, China
- Diane Sisely, Director, Australian Centre for Human Rights Education at RMIT University
- Barbara Frey, Director, Human Rights Program, University of Minnesota, USA
- Robin Kirk, Director, Duke University Human Rights Center, North Carolina, USA
- Nicole Palasz, Center for International Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Amy Weismann, Deputy Director, University of Iowa Center for Human Rights
- Susan Atwood, Instructor, University of Minnesota’s Leadership : Leadership for Global Citizenship.
| Be sure to take a look at our new collection of articles, guides, and classroom modules for your curriculum: New Tactics Resources for Educators! |
Main themes of this dialogue:
- Stories of Practice: examples of how practical experience is being incorporated in human rights education programs
- Challenges: ethical issues with incorporating practical experience in human rights education programs
- Curriculum Resources: creating and simulating practical experience
Please help us to keep this dialogue organized by 'replying' to these main themes, or 'replying' to other comments, instead of creating NEW comments. Thanks!

A Force More Powerful - computer game & other video resources
This is another great classroom resource - it's an in-depth computer game that teaches strategic and tactical thinking and planning. It was developed and is available from the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.
I've tested the game - it's a very interesting exercise. I must admit that it's hard for those us already working in the field to take advantage of the game. It takes time to learn and study (something we have in short supply). But for students, it could be a great way to experiment.
They also have a wealth of great videos including "A Force More Powerful" that chronicles examples of nonviolent change from Gandhi's salt march in India; to the Danish civil resistance movement to the Nazi occupation in WWII; to the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville, Tennessee; to the Soweto consumer boycott in South Africa. They also have additional video resources such as "Bringing Down the Dictator" - the story of the Optor! Student Movement in Serbia and "The Orange Revolution" about the civil uprising in the Ukraine.
Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager