CIAO DATE: 04/2011
September 2010
Human Rights & Human Welfare (University of Denver)
We have prepared this two-part case study with two pedagogical purposes in mind: (1) To develop an understanding of the concept (and political meaning) of human rights. (2) To facilitate discussion about processes of reconciliation and reconstruction and the importance of holistic conceptions of rights and security for future stability. Instructor notes are organized around these two themes. For each theme, we have provided some background commentary and discussion questions that can accompany both parts of the case study. We have divided the case study into two parts with the expectation that discussion will be enhanced if students are able to develop an understanding of El Salvador’s civil war and human rights crisis of the 1980s before considering the country’s current events and circumstances. Part I of the case study focuses on the crisis years and relies on a “classic” understanding of human rights (see below). Part II builds on this information thematically and chronologically, directing attention toward the mid- to long-term difficulties of promoting peace in a politically-charged environment and questioning the classic conception of rights. Taken together, the two parts invite discussion of the extent to which current challenges are linked to unfinished business of El Salvador’s human rights crisis and civil war.
Resource link: Teaching Notes: Rights and Rebuilding in El Salvador [PDF] - 390K