DISTINGUISHED FACULTY ANNOUNCED FOR GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS UNIVERSITY PROGRAM

Toronto, Canada - As Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, recently noted:

For nearly half a century -- almost as long as the United Nations has been in existence -- the General Assembly has recognized the need to establish…a court to prosecute and punish persons responsible for crimes such as genocide. Many thought...that the horrors of the Second World War -- the camps, the cruelty, the exterminations, the Holocaust -- could never happen again. And yet they have. In Cambodia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Rwanda. Our time -- this decade even -- has shown us that man's capacity for evil knows no limits. Genocide...is now a word of our time, too, a heinous reality that calls for a historic response.

As there is a continuing need for understanding the phenomenon of genocide and a response to it, the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of Zoryan Institute) and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities are offering the Summer 2004 Genocide and Human Rights University Program (GHRUP) and are pleased to announce the distinguished faculty who will be participating this year.

In addition to Roger Smith and Stephen Feinstein, Co-Directors of the course, some of the instructors this year include Taner Akçam, Visiting Associate Professor, Dept. of History, University of Minnesota; Joyce Apsel, Master Teacher in the General Studies Program at New York University; Stephan Astourian, Professor, Department of History, University of California-Berkeley; Major Brent Beardsley, Research Officer at the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute and former Personal Staff Officer to Major-General Roméo Dallaire, UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda; Frank Chalk, Professor, Department of History, Concordia University and Co-Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies; Vahakn Dadrian, Director of Genocide Research, Zoryan Institute; Richard Hovannisian, Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed Chair of Modern Armenian History, University of California-Los Angeles; Jacques Kornberg, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, University of Toronto; Eric Markusen, Senior Research Fellow, Department for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Danish Institute for International Studies; Gregory Stanton, Professor of Human Rights, Mary Washington College, President of Genocide Watch and Director of the Cambodian Genocide Project; and Eric Weitz, Arsham and Charlotte Ohanessian Chair in the College of Liberal Arts and Director of the Center for German and European Studies, University of Minnesota. With a few variations, the faculty at both programs, in Minneapolis, July 5-16, 2004, and in Toronto, August 3-13, 2004, will be the same.

"This course has always been a unique opportunity for students to experience a broad comparative perspective on genocide. We are very proud that among the faculty we have not only some of the foremost scholars in their respective fields, but also individuals who are active in international efforts to both document and prevent genocide around the world," stated Dr. Roger Smith.

The purpose of the program is to provide students with a framework for understanding genocide and its effects. It explores the universality of the issues related to genocide and takes a comparative approach for understanding the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian Genocide, the Rwandan Genocide, and more recent events with genocidal overtones. In addition, many special themes are explored, such as the mass violation of human rights; women, children and genocide; how to teach about genocide; issues of memorialization and representation; and possibilities of dialogue and reconciliation between perpetrator and victim groups.

Students wishing to participate in this unique program must have their applications in by May 15, 2004 for the Minnesota program and by May 31, 2004 for the Toronto program. In order to maintain the seminar format in this high demand course, the number of students is limited, so early application is recommended. Limited scholarship assistance will be available.

For more information or to apply, contact the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights at (416) 250-9807, www.genocidestudies.org, or by email at admin@genocidestudies.org, or contact Stephen Feinstein, Director, Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, University of Minnesota, at (612) 626-2235, feins001@umn.edu.