Genocide and Human Rights University Program, 30 July - 10 August 2018, Canada

Genocide and Human Rights University Program

The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) announces a fellowship to support attendance by a graduate student at the Genocide and Human Rights University Program (GHRUP) at the University of Toronto. This annual graduate-level course, which incorporates genocide theory, history, sociology, political science, anthropology, psychology, and international law, will be taught by thirteen leading experts over a two-week period, July 30 – August 10, 2018. The GHRUP seeks to provide participants with the intellectual framework to understand the numerous complex issues related to genocide. An examination of major case studies, including the Armenian Genocide, the Jewish Holocaust, and the Rwandan Genocide, provides the foundation for comparative analysis. The fellowship will cover tuition ($875), transportation, and room and board for the two-week program.

This two-week course provides participants with the intellectual framework for understanding the numerous, complex and often emotional issues related to genocide. An examination of several major cases of genocide provides the foundation for comparative analysis, along with the exploration of selected broad themes. The specific case studies and special themes may vary from year to year.

Using a seminar approach, the program provides a structured forum for analyzing universal questions relating to human rights and their gross violation. Students will gain an understanding of the following:

• The development and meaning of Human Rights and their relationship to genocide.
• The background, sources, causes and effects of genocide.
• How to recognize, define and predict genocide.
• The social, economic and psychological impact on survivors and their descendants.
• Gender and genocide.
• Genocide denial.
• International law and genocide.
• Psychological trauma and genocide
• Methods and strategies to help prevent genocide

Taking the Program for Credit

Many universities will give graduate-level credit for participating in the GHRUP. In this case, students must approach a professor at their university with the syllabus and faculty biographies for approval as an “independent study” or “directed reading” course. It is critical that participants who would like university credit for the course inform the organizers at the time of applying, and not after the fact. Credit is subject to approval by your university and must be authorized in advance. Be sure to discuss the options and the process with IIGHRS staff before starting the program.

Evaluation of Students

Marks for students taking the course for credit will be graded on the following criteria. Class participation will be worth 25%, and a ten-minute oral presentation to the class at the end of the course will likewise be worth 25% of the final mark. A research paper, approximately 15-20 pages in length, double-spaced, must be handed in to the GHRUP’s Course Director not later than two months after the end of the course and will count for 50% of the final mark. The subject of the research paper must be approved in advance by the Course Director and the professor at the student’s home institution. Other formats for the final paper may be possible, upon consultation with the Course Director and the professor at the student’s home institution.

The Course Director will work cooperatively with the student’s home institution to ensure that the full report on the student’s performance in class, his or her formal presentation, and the evaluation of the term paper, will be provided to the faculty member at the student’s home institution who is supervising the independent studies course for the applicant. Although the Course Director will recommend a final grade, only the supervisor can assign the official grade, and the institution the number of academic credits for the course. Grading will be based on the quality of the research and analysis in the written work, including handling of sources, critical thought about their use and application, and some indication of a comparative approach. Participants in the program who are teachers or graduate students in education can submit a curriculum with strategies.

Eligibility

The successful candidate will be a graduate student engaged in research and study related to the Holodomor who will benefit from training in comparative approaches to genocide studies and whose career plans include integration of the topic of the Holodomor into research and teaching.

Selection

All complete applications are reviewed in June by the Admissions Committee, consisting of university professors and IIGHRS Academic Board members. Because of the seminar nature of the course, only a limited number of applicants are admitted to the program. Selection will be based on a combination of strength of interest, scholastic aptitude, and relevance of the course to the candidate's future.  

Application process

The successful applicant must apply and be admitted to the Genocide and Human Rights University Program. Students interested in applying to the GHRUP program must download and complete the application form and submit the following:

• Most recent university transcripts
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Resume
• Application essay: a personal narrative on your passion for making a difference and how you envision that fits with the GHRUP program (maximum 2 pages)

Please send all completed forms, with the exception of the Recommendation Form that will be e-mailed directly by your referee, to admin@genocidestudies.org.

Applicants for the HREC fellowship, in addition to applying directly to GHRUP, must send the materials to hrec@ualberta.ca using the subject line ‘GHRUP fellowship.

For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.