University of Iowa Center for Human Rights
Welcome to UICHR!
This semester UICHR is working hard to increase the number of opportunities available for students and community members to learn more about human rights. We hope to do this by working with faculty and staff at the university to increase the quality and expanse of human rights education, and by encouraging involvement and dialogue on rights-related topics. Find more information about what we're planning by checking out the events highlighted below!
"One Community, One Book" 2009
UICHR is excited to announce our 2009 "One Community, One Book" selection. This year's book is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle tells the story of how Kingsolver and her family for one year deliberately ate food produced in the place where they live. Kingsolver wrote the central narrative, and her husband, Steven Hopp, wrote in-depth sidebars about various aspects of food-production science and industry. Kingsolver's 19-year-old daughter, Camille, wrote brief essays on the local-food project, plus nutritional information, meal plans and recipes. (Text from the UI News Service press release on OCOB 2009)
Also new on the OCOB website is a comprehensive list of the books nominated by members of our reading community. All of the books suggested from 2005-2009 are now listed on a Nominated Books page, as well as information on where you can continue to send book suggestions.
"The Articles in Art" Call for Entries
UICHR is introducing a new art competition this year called "The Articles in Art." This competition celebrates the meaning of the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through a variety of mediums. "The Articles in Art" is offered in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of the UI Center for Human Rights. This contest is open to all University of Iowa students and will result in the exhibition of select pieces in the Fall of 2009. A cash award will be given to the top selections. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2009.
Information on the articles that make up the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be found here. Please email Liz (uichr@uiowa.edu) with any questions.
More information on "The Articles in Art" will be available on this website in the next few weeks.
Human Rights Courses- Summer and Fall 2009
Please visit our Education page for additional information on the courses listed below, other courses related to human rights, and ISBA requirements.
7S201: Seminar in Music (Fall 2009)
Alternative Contexts in Teaching and Learning: At-Risk Youth, Prisons, and Restorative Justice
Mondays 4:30-6:20 pm in 105 CSMB
Instructor: Dr. Mary Cohen
This seminar centers on a service learning opportunity for students who will sing in a community prison choir. Course content ties these experiences with research on at-risk youth, the role of music in rehabilitation and moral development, restorative justice, and prison research. Research designs for studies in these fields will be examined. Students will be encouraged to explore how context affects the learning process in terms of relationships, teaching strategies, structure, and content. Under the direction of the instructor, students will create projects geared toward each learner’s professional and research goals. Students in multiple disciplines are encouraged to enroll: all education majors, psychology, sociology, social work, law, music, and other students interested in the topic.
32:016 Religion and Liberation (Fall 2009)
MW 12:30-1:20 in W151 PBB, with weekly discussion sections
Instructor: Professor Diana Fritz Cates
Course Syllabus
In this course we read, discuss, and compare autobiographical or literary representations of three cultural figures, Maya Angelou, Black Elk, and the Dalai Lama. Through these figures we are introduced to the diverse worlds of African American Christianity, Lakota spirituality, and Tibetan Buddhism. We explore the religiosity of each figure and the impact that religion has had on his or her struggle to overcome oppression. The course attends to many layers of oppression and liberation, including social, cultural, political, economic, mental, emotional, and spiritual. This course has an ICON site, which links to a more extensive course web site. Several course readings are available on the ICON site. This course is approved for General Education credit in the areas of Cultural Diversity and Humanities.
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Internship Opportunities in Human Rights
UICHR encourages students to explore human rights internship opportunities in Iowa, the nation, and around the world. The Center is also committed to helping students secure these internships. Search our Internships pages to see what is available.
A Message from the Director
Professor Greg Hamot
Greetings!
Welcome to The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights home page. Please take a moment to look through the extensive volume of teaching, scholarship, and service our center provides to the local community, the state of Iowa, the United States, and the world. For example, our signature Human Rights Index keeps readers of the Iowa Review and visitors to our web site current on human rights issues. Our endeavor in researching global climate change represents an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to the social and scientific aspects of this pressing issue. Also, you may wish to explore the myriad reading groups the Center hosts on the campus of The University of Iowa. Although the Center excels in its work through the generous volunteerism of students and interns, your donations to our growing program keep the vitality of the Center thriving and help to maintain these high standards of human rights teaching, scholarship, and service.
As a center within a world-class, international institution such as The University of Iowa, we engage the university’s diverse community and the broader public in considering the profound dimensions of human rights in our lives. As noted by eminent constitutional scholar John Patrick, “human rights belong to every person by virtue of common and equal membership in the human species.”
For more information on how to participate in the Center, contact Liz Crooks or Amy Weismann at 310-335-3900, and please continue to visit our web site.
Sincerely,
Greg Hamot, Director