The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1. What rights should everyone have, regardless of which country they live in? What rights should people not be allowed to have?

2. In small groups, read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In you logbook, make a chart with three columns: Civil and Political Rights, Social and Cultural Rights, Economic Rights. Discuss the article and assign each to one of the categories. Be prepared to give an example for each category.

3. Discuss and answer these questions in your logbooks: A. What rights do you see at Cleveland that are protected? Violated? B. What rights do you see in your communities that are protected? Violated? C. What rights seem really surprising in the UDHR?

D. Which would you consider to be the top 3 in terms of importance?

E. Can we exclude some of these rights? Do we need to add to them? F. Do you think these rights only apply to certain people? Countries? Cultures? Give examples?

Geneva Conventions
4. Should there be certain rules in war? What should they be? 5. Should prisoners of war have rights? What should they be?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6097427 http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/f00981

6. Summarize the Geneva Conventions. 7. Where is the lie between rough interrogation and torture? Is rough interrogation torture?
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/08/hitchens200808

8. Give the United States a grade (%). How well does the government uphold, practice, and protect the rights in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/opinion/31kristof.html

Animated UDHR

9. Make a group poster for one of the articles. Use color, collage, and creativity. You must include the text of the article.