Teaching Human Rights in Higher Education

Author(s):

Anna Babicka-Wirkus(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Poster

Session Information

22 SES 05 C PS, Interactive Poster Session

Interactive Poster Session

Time:

2015-09-09

11:00-12:30

Room:

338. [Main]

Chair:

Christine Teelken

Contribution

Both in Poland and in other EU countries, within the framework of the universities, there are many entities engaged in human rights. Examples of such organizations are: students scientific associations engaged in this matter, departments and faculties, human rights centres. Some universities have opened new courses dedicated entirely to the issue
of human rights (e.g. Glasgow University, University of Essex, London Metropolitan University, University of Valencia, Jagiellonian University in Krakow). One has to emphasize that most of these courses and organizations function within the framework of law and political studies faculties. It is also relevant that Poland does not compare favourably with e.g. the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden or the Netherlands in regard to the number of such
undertakings. Poland also lacks such courses within the framework of education studies. However, in the presented research project, we would like to focus on the everyday life
of higher education facility and the relations between academic teachers and students because, according to the assumptions of critical pedagogy, apart from sharing knowledge, taking action is also an important element of human development. Meanwhile, human rights, which are frequently a slogan used in the official domain, are often forgotten in personal relationships (Amnesty International Report 2012). While trying to google the topic
of relations between academic teachers and students, we found a number of links concerning the information about sexual harassment, mobbing and psychological harassment of students. Those situations suggest there is a problem of violating human rights by academic teachers which can result in violation and devaluation of those rights by graduates. That is why an open and uncensored debate can and must take place
at universities (Freedom of speech on campus: rights and responsibilities in UK universities), because everyone (academic teachers and students) has the right to respect their rights
s human beings. The debate should proceed not only outside universities but inside as well.

According to E. Malewska and W. Najmowicz (1990), the period of studying is crucial for shaping young people’s views and values. In this institution, they learn how to work and treat others, especially those who are in inferior position to them. The kind of experience they get from this will affect their further work. Therefore, it is important to raise the issue of human rights at universities – it may increase the awareness of higher education teachers and students in this matter. K. P. Fritzsche and F. Tibbitts (2006) stress the notion of human rights education at universities for young people development, especially for their professional development. Human rights education links theoretical reflection and action, so it is different from the banking concept of education (Freire, 2000).

The subject matter of the research is the relation between the level of exercising human rights in higher education and students’ projections concerning the respect for those rights
in the future pedagogical work. The essence of this problem is to diagnose the relation between higher education teachers’ respect for human rights and students’ experience regarding exercising the rights, and future teachers’ projections concerning respect for their future students/pupils.

The main issue of the research project is expressed in the following question: What is the relation between the level of respect for human rights in higher education and students’ experience of exercising them, and students’ projections concerning those rights in the future pedagogical work? A following hypothesis was formulated: the lower the level of respect for human rights in higher education and the more negative students’ experience in this matter, the more pejorative students’ projections concerning exercising human rights in the future pedagogical work will be.

Method

In order to verify the hypothesis, the ethnographic method was used. Technique triangulation was performed within its limits in order to get a more solid image of the researched reality. I used the technique of observation, non-categorized interview, document analysis, auditory survey and opinion essay. The researched group comprised of pedagogy students from two higher education facilities: Szczecin University (A) and the Pomeranian University in Slupsk (B). Classes for the research were chosen randomly. Two classes from each higher education facility were researched – one class from BA studies and the other from MA studies. The analysis of the gathered empirical material was set in the context of critical pedagogy. In particular, I referred to the assumptions of Henry A. Giroux’s (2001) and Paul Freire’s pedagogy. Jürgen Habermas’ concept of the public sphere (1991) was also used in the analysis. Human rights, based on dignity, equality, freedom and justice, are the pillars of a civil society(Jabłoński, Jarosz-Żukowska 2004). These values are the foundation of democracy which, as Henry Giroux claims, (…) is a celebration of difference, the politics of difference (…) (Giroux, Witkowski 2010, 83). His words are significant for understanding the role of higher education in the formation of a civil society. Higher education is a form of social life and its task is to shape a subject that is capable of critical thinking and acting. This educational institution is not only seen as a place of adapting students to the dominant culture; it is also a fighting arena where the reinterpretation of valid meanings and social order takes place. Higher education facility is a place where a public discourse sphere should be created and where the negotiation and construction of the meanings in force take place (Fleming 2012). The public sphere of higher education facilities is the germ of civil society in which all citizens have the right to express their opinions and argue against other people’s arguments. Such situation will be possible if human rights are respected in higher education facilities. It is of particular importance in the case of pedagogy students who will copy their experience regarding exercising human rights in their future professional work with pupils. Because of this fact, tackling the discussed subject matter is of extreme importance.

Expected Outcomes

The knowledge and understanding of human rights among the students of both higher education institutions is poor. However, the students of institution A have slightly broader knowledge concerning this subject that the students of institution B. The issue of these rights was raised more often at institution A rather than at institution B. The students notice the need of knowing these rights. However, they are not able to grab their real meaning in the teacher-student relation. The students of both higher education institutions perceive school as a place where the teachers are in charge and they are the ones with more rights than the students. The lack of knowledge concerning human rights will make students not able to recognise if the rights are being violated at a particular moment and actively oppose such practices. It makes them become subordinated entities which are not able to use their own voices, as H. A. Giroux would say. Thus they are not active citizens who can and want to participate in the public sphere as defined by Habermas.

References

Amnesty International Report 2012, http://amnesty.org.pl/prawa-czlowieka/raporty-roczne-stan-praw-czlowieka-na-swiecie/raport-roczny-2012.html Czerepaniak-Walczak, M. 1997. Prawo do autoekspresji jako szansa doświadczania samego siebie. In: Doświadczanie wartości samego siebie w procesach edukacyjnych, ed. A. M. Tchorzewski, Bydgoszcz: Wydawnictwo Uczelniane WSP w Bydgoszczy. Fleming T. 2012. Skazani na uczenie się. Habermas, uniwersytety i uczące się społeczeństwo. In: Habermas, teoria krytyczna i edukacja, ed. M. Murphy, T. Fleming. Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Dolnośląskiej Szkoły Wyższej. Freedom of speech on campus: rights and responsibilities in UK universities, http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/highereducation/Documents/2011/FreedomOfSpeechOnCampus.pdf Freire P. 2000. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. 30th Anniversary Edition. Trans. Myra Bergman Ramos.New York-London: Continuum. Fritzsche, K.P. and Tibbitts, F. ed. 2006. International Perspectives on Human Rights Education, special issue of Journal of Social Science Education, http://www.jsse.org/index.php/jsse/article/view/997/900 Giroux, H. A. 2001. Theory and Resistance in Education: Towards a Pedagogy for the Opposition Revised and Expanded Edition (Critical Studies in Education and Culture Series), Bergin & Garvey Paperback. Giroux H. A., Witkowski L. (ed.) 2010. Marzenia o edukacji radykalnej. Wywiad Bernarda Murchlanda z Henrym A. Giroux. In: Edukacja i sfera publiczna. Idee i doświadczenia pedagogiki radykalnej, ed. H., Kraków: Oficyna Wydawnicza „Impuls”. Habermas J. 1991. The structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry Into a Category of Bourgeois Society. Trans. Thomas Burger. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jabłoński M., Jarosz-Żukowska S. 2004. Prawa człowieka i system ich ochrony. Zarys wykładu, Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego. Malewska E., Najmowicz W. 1990. Wybrane problemy wychowania w szkole wyższej. Warszawa. Touraine A. 2009. Thinking Differently. Cambridge: Polity Press. Touraine A. 2013. Po kryzysie. Trans. Marcin Frybes. Warszawa: Oficyna Naukowa.

Author Information

Anna Babicka-Wirkus (presenting / submitting)

Pomeranian University in Slupsk, Poland

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