Zoryan’s Genocide and Human Rights University Program Graduates 175th Student

Toronto, Canada— Upon the conclusion of the sixth annual of the Genocide and Human Rights University Program (GHRUP), Prof. Roger W. Smith, Director of the program, stated that “encouraging the development of the next generation of genocide scholars is crucial for creating the capability to recognize impending genocides and the will to prevent them.” The GHRUP, run by the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) (IIGHRS) in partnership with the University of Minnesota, has now graduated over 175 students from this comparative genocide studies program. “Currently, there is also much work that needs to be done regarding the aftermath of genocides, in terms of justice, reconciliation and reconstruction,” Prof. Smith continued. “It is this generation, properly prepared, spread out through our global society, which will serve as the enduring force of human rights protection.”

When asked about his experience at the GHRUP, Dr. Alex Hinton, Prof. of Anthropology and Global Affairs at Rutgers University, exclaimed “what a great group of students!” Sentiments shared by Dr. Herbert Hirsch, Editor of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal and Prof. of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, who said that  “the program is, by far, the best of its kind and the students were tremendous.” Dr. Joyce A. Apsel, historian, attorney and Master Teacher at New York University, is “compelled to teach at the GHRUP because education is fundamental to preventing genocide and the GHRUP successfully brings together those who will work to raise awareness of the tragedy of genocide.”  Dr. William A. Schabas, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights and Chair in Human Rights Law at the National University of Ireland, travels all the way to Toronto each year to teach in the program, because he “would not want to miss such a special opportunity with this unique course.” Dr. Maureen Hiebert, Research Fellow at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, added that “what makes the GHRUP so worth while for me as a genocide scholar is the sense of genuine camaraderie that evolves every year during the course. Despite the fact that we study such a pressing and depressing subject, the participants' common concern for the plight of humanity and our common sense of purpose to end genocide seems to generate a bond among the students and faculty unlike anything I have experienced in a typical university setting.”

Twenty-six advanced international students, working with eleven renowned scholars and dynamic teachers in the fields of anthropology, education, history, international law, philosophy, political science, and sociology, completed an intense, two-week, graduate-level seminar on genocide, the challenges of its prevention and reconciliation. “This year was a very strong class, with seven doctoral candidates, seven MA students, two senior undergraduates, two NGO employees, two anti-denial activists, two teachers, a lawyer, a Human Rights Archivist, a theatre director, and a documentary filmmaker,” reflected Torrey Swan, Coordinator of the program. “These committed students came from Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.”

 “Beyond the strong academic composition of the program, I was pleased to see the various ways students are engaged in addressing human rights violations,” stated George Shirinian, Executive Director of the IIGHRS. “For example,” he continued, “there were two representatives from the Luisa Hairabedian Foundation in Buenos Aires.  One is developing an Armenian Genocide curriculum for the school system there. The other has launched a case for a truth trial (a formal means of addressing past injustices) in the Argentinean legal system regarding the Genocide. There was also a legal activist against Armenian Genocide denial from Vienna.”

Students discuss the genocide in Darfur, Sudan with Dr. Scott Straus, Prof. of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin

Many of the students gave feedback at the end of the program. One student felt that “this course is very comprehensive and has definitely increased my knowledge of the field. It was structurally well put together and had an excellent curriculum, containing numerous relevant concepts and methodological approaches.”  Describing their motivation for attending the GHRUP, another student “came to figure-out what path (they) wanted to take and how (they) could go about following it. This program really facilitated that.” One spoke for many by saying that “this is my passion and I want to make a difference.” Another student concluded that “The course not only met, but surpassed my expectations. The interdisciplinary nature of its approach, the well qualified professors, the organization and the opportunity for exchange and the impressively insightful and diverse student body made this last two weeks an excellent learning and thinking experience for me.”

Aren Sarkiyan, the Fundraising Coordinator, during a presentation at graduation, expressed his sincere gratitude to the sponsors of the program: Varouj Aivazian, Diran Avedian, Ara Boyajian, Sara Chitjian, the Daughters of Vartan (Toronto), Shant and Nayri Gueyikian, Dicran and Diane Hadjetian, Edgar Hagopian, Mig and Ani Migirdicyan, the National Association for Armenian  Studies and Research, André and Seza Nazarian,  Pauline Ngirumpatse, Rosalind Raddatz, Alan Whitehorn, and Joe Yalkezian, by saying, “it was because of their donations that we were able to raise $20,000 towards this year’s education program. This is very helpful to the Institute, however, there is a lot to be done, and hopefully people will be more responsive to our fundraising efforts, as the cost of holding a two week graduate course with eleven professors and international students— travel, accommodation, course material, classroom facilities, etc. — is over $100,000.”

The mission of the Genocide and Human Rights University Program is to help develop a new generation of scholars to engage in research and publication in the field of genocide and human rights studies. This goal is achieved through the comparative and interdisciplinary analysis of such cases of genocide as the Jewish Holocaust, the Cambodian Genocide, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Darfurian Genocide, among others, using the Armenian Genocide, the archetypal genocide of the 20th Century, as a point of reference.