[hr-education] Re: Considering HRE as a distinct subject in school?

I disagree with Henry.  Human Rights Education is part of our civics and
citizenship education curriculum in Canada.  It is perhaps not well
defined, but it is there.  (Perhaps it cannot be truly taught.  Perhaps it
can just be learned by experience.)

List members will be interested in the new Civics Channel site we have set
up, to support citizenship education in Canada:
www.civicschannel.com/indexc.php

Detailed notes on the Ontario Grade 10 curriculum are here:
http://www.civicschannel.com/research/ccorrelation/10ontcivics1.php

We take the approach of looking at human rights in the context of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, drafted in 1947 by Canadian jurist John Humphrey.

We encourage teachers and students to explore the issue in global terms
on the web, through such sites as the excellent Reporters Without
Borders Internet portal.

For an example, see our Weblog at:
http://www.civicschannel.com/cblog/index.php

Alastair Sweeny PhD
Executive Director
The Civics Channel
3-291 Kirchoffer Ave.,
Ottawa ON K2A 1Y1
613-725-1956
info@civicschannel.com



On 11-Oct-04, at 7:09 AM, Kevin Chin wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> While reading Henry's message, I was struck by his first sentence. I
> agree
> that HRE is not a well-defined subject like physics, and never will be,
> but could there be any benefit to considering HRE as a distinct subject
> that can be taught in schools?
>
> I find it interesting that subjects such as physics, chemistry, and
> mathematics not only taught in schools, but seem to be considered
> essential in a child/person's general education. How is it decided that
> these subjects have been included in school curricula? Is it because
> they
> are clearly defined in terms of their scope, goals, and objectives?
> Does
> this mean that as a community, we need to have a clearer, well-accepted
> understanding of HRE in order to recognize it as an integral part of
> school curricula?
>



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