College Dean’s Prize: Improving the Educational Experience

Renowned children’s advocate Marian Wright Edelman considered the purpose of education to be “for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.” Every year the University of Southern California calls on its students to submit suggestions for enhancing their academic experience. Students are encouraged to think seriously about learning, be creative, daring and inspiring. The student whose proposal shows the most potential for enriching the academic life at the institution is awarded the College Dean’s Prize. For this reason today's post will lay out my proposition for advancement of undergraduate life here at USC. As stated in the undergraduate admissions page, “USC is committed to excellence in undergraduate education. Top-ranked programs in virtually every field offer an experience that combines breadth with depth." This institution encourages broad academic interests and advocates double majors and/or minors. According to the 2004 Strategic Plan “Since societal problems rarely fall within the domain of a single discipline or school, collaboration that brings together different perspectives and skills may be the best means of addressing such problems.” Keeping this in mind and in concert with the main focus of this blog, I would like the university to seriously consider offering a minor in human rights.

Consistent with USC’s encouragement of interdisciplinary collaboration and exploration, the curricula for this minor would be comprised of courses across all disciplines relevant to human rights. For example, a history course that provides an overview of international human rights or Japanese Americans and World War II, a philosophy class such as ethics, and even a writing class with topics in human rights issues would be appropriate. Relevant courses already offered at USC in political science, economics, health and psychology would also be fitting. The University of Connecticut currently provides such a minor. In addition to coursework, students are able to make a difference in the real world by completing a required internship in humanitarian organizations such as Amnesty International, Global Exchange, Human Rights First and the United Nations Development Programme. I am inclined to believe that a human rights minor would enhance USC, which has received well deserved national acclaim for its innovative community outreach programs, and would advance two of the goals stated in the 2004 strategic plan: to bring forward “knowledge and at the same time addresses issues critical to our community, the nation, and the world” and to “create a significant global presence that will increase international visibility, reach, and impact of our research, scholarship, art, education, and service.” A minor in human rights would be an excellent complement to almost any major. Currently the University of California Berkeley offers a course that focuses on the relationship between human rights and health through its School of Public Health. This class provides an overview of the role of health professionals and other health promoters in “documenting the health consequences of human rights violations, treating survivors of state-sponsored abuse, identifying the impact of health policy on human rights, and participating in human rights education and advocacy.”

In order for USC to adhere to its central mission which is dedicated to “the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit,” it must continue to teach students “how to add value to their lives and the lives of everyone around them,” as President Steven B. Sample stated. As a psychology student, I strongly believe that a minor in human rights would enrich anyone’s academic experience. Psychology emphasizes an individual level of functioning but a minor in human rights would allow implementing of that knowledge to affect change on a collective level.