Explore how human rights education (HRE) can help teachers frame sensitive/controversial topics, including the Israel-Hamas war. This interactive session will begin with a discussion of human rights issues commonly addressed in geography and/or social studies classrooms. Following this think-pair-share activity, I will provide participants with a brief history of human rights concepts and outline a HRE framework. This portion of the session will include an introduction to key concepts in contemporary human rights discourse, with a focus on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1990). Next, I will guide participants through the process of using the previously outlined HRE framework to examine the Israel-Hamas war. The activity will include small group analyses of pivotal and contested events since this conflict began on October 7, 2023. Lastly, each group will share their evaluation of assigned events, and all participants will have a chance to engage in a discussion of these conclusions.
Secondary/High School |World/International | Human Rights | Global Citizenship | Israel-Hamas War
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Sean Corrigan currently serves as Assistant Professor of Multicultural Education at Southern Oregon University. Prior to his time in higher education, he taught social studies for 14 years in Compton, CA, Las Vegas, NV, and Vanuatu. He has worked extensively with culturally and linguistically diverse K-12 learners in several countries, in both urban and rural settings. Dr. Corrigan’s current research focuses on human rights education and global citizenship. He is especially interested in empowering teachers to center social justice and diverse perspectives in their practice, particularly when they may face opposition to doing so.
