Tempus IV Grant on Human Rights Education

The Chair in Political Science IV at the University of Mannheim is part of a fifteen university consortium that has been awarded an EU Tempus IV grant of appx. €1 million to promote human rights education in the Western Balkan region. The project is led by the University of Roehampton (UK) and involves partner institutions across Europe including the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland at Galway, University of Gothenburg, University of Prishtina, University of Sarajevo and University of Belgrade.

The project titled ‘Developing Human Rights at the Heart of Higher Education’ will adopt the principles identified in the European 2020 strategy and the Bologna Process to assist universities in the region in the development and implementation of university curricula on human rights, citizenship and good government in the region. The University of Mannheim will provide technical expertise on teaching human rights and conflict, which is a specialization of the Chair in Political Science IV. We will also share our experience in teaching social science research methods in the study of human rights.

A series of workshops on designing curricula in light of the relevant historical, social and political backgrounds have been planned for the duration of the project. These workshops will enable interaction and exchange of ideas and best practice between the various research and teaching staff participating in the project as well as students and other stakeholders that will be affected by the project outcomes. The implementation of the curricula will be the direct responsibility of the universities concerned with other project partners offering support, advice and feedback as required. Student and staff exchanges between the universities in the Western Balkan region have been envisioned to encourage cross-border and cross-cultural interactions. It is also hoped that the various activities planned will foster greater cooperation between the universities and create opportunities for students and staff at these institutions to generate further collaboration in these areas.

The project begins in October 2011 and will last until 2014. Further information about the project can be found here. The project also has its own website =>link