In Defense of Human Rights
A CATHOLIC CALL TO JUSTICE
Raising Awareness of Catholic Social
Teachings through Race Relations in
From the
framing of the US Constitution to the more recent congressional debates concerning
the Patriot Act, human rights have played an integral role in the history of
the
1. What is meant by human rights?
2. How have human rights been defined at various points in history?
3. What groups or major issues of human rights have had an impact on American History?
4. What does Catholic Social Teaching and scripture teach us about human rights?
5. How has the research done in this unit raised your awareness about human rights and race relations in US History?
Relating this Unit to our Catholic Faith
The main source we will study is a textbook called Catholic Social Teaching – [Student Text (Revised) (ISBN 10: 159471102X / ISBN 13:9781594711022)]. Students will examine what social justice is. How it is measured, and how we can cooperate with God to bring justice to this world.
1. Analyzing Primary
Sources
Each investigation includes a list of primary sources and a series of reflection questions. Students record responses in a journal (notebook).
Make a chart as you conduct your research and create and develop your project. Evaluating while completing the research will make it easier to write your process paper afterwards. Each student should create a chart like the one shown below. (What I learned – focus on what we're trying to learn about human rights, see five major questions above. Questions I'll need to answer – in what ways has what you learned in this step prompted further questions about human rights you want to research).
Step |
What I learned |
Questions I'll need to answer |
1. Human Rights Word Web |
|
|
2. Human Rights Video(s) |
|
|
IN THE END…after completing research with primary sources you will write a process paper is a description of 500 – 1200 words explaining how you conducted your research and created and developed your group project. You must conclude your description with an explanation of the relationship of your topic to social justice issues
3. Catholic Social Teaching & Scripture
A few class sessions
will be devoted to the study of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and Scripture
examining how both provide guidance related to human rights.
4. Writing a Process Essay
Each student will write a process paper explaining their research process on this project. Process writing describes a sequence of actions or operations…telling how something is done, is made, or happens. Two types of Processes: How to do something; give step-by-step directions (may use second person, “you”); Example: How to make the best German chocolate cake…and…How something happens or how a certain situation came about. (Example: The event leading to the outbreak of WWI)
- Introduction (explain how you developed an understanding of human rights)
- 1st Body Paragraph – explain how you conducted your research
- 2nd Body Paragraph – explain anything significant you learned about human rights and Catholic social teaching during this process
- 3rd Body Paragraph – explain how you and your group created your group’s project and presentation
- Conclusion – explain how this research project raised your awareness about human rights and race relations in US History
5. Project & Group Presentation
Groups will create a display board
(similar to one used for the History Fair) or if they prefer a PowerPoint
presentation that examines the issue of human rights in