SMU Human Rights Education Program
Faculty Course Development Grants

The SMU Human Rights Program will award up to six (6) $5,000 grants per academic year for faculty members to develop course proposals and to teach classes centered on human rights themes in their respective disciplines.

Application Procedure:
Each course proposal must be submitted to the Human Rights Advisory Board for preliminary approval.  After this initial approval is granted, the proposal must also be approved by the department chair of the faculty member submitting the proposal, and by the appropriate committee or council from the faculty member’s school (e.g., Dedman Undergraduate Council).

Course proposals should follow the form required by the faculty member’s school, and should include a statement of goals and learning outcomes.

When all approvals have been obtained, the faculty member should submit a copy of the final proposal (with endorsements) to Dr. Halperin at the address below.

Selection criteria include:
The centrality of the human rights issues to the course; the faculty member’s demonstrated human rights concerns and interests; and the importance and timeliness of the human rights issues addressed.  Courses with a service-learning component will be given priority.

Disbursal of Grants:
The first installment of the grant ($2500) will be disbursed upon approval of the course by the faculty member’s school (e.g., Dedman Undergraduate Council).   The second installment ($2500) will be disbursed at the end of the semester in which the course is first offered.

Payments will be made to a faculty member’s research account or as supplemental income, as the faculty member chooses.   

Applications consist of:
a)         the completed course proposal,
b)         faculty member’s current c.v., and
c)         a 1-page statement to the Human Rights Advisory Board about the importance and timeliness of the issues to be covered.

SMU Human Rights Faculty Council

Each faculty member receiving a grant will become a member of the SMU Human Rights Faculty Council, which will meet every semester to discuss curriculum and to plan future course offerings within the minor.

Submission of applications:

Applications should be submitted to Dr. Rick Halperin at rhalperi@smu.edu.
There is no deadline for applications.

For Further Information: 

Contact Dr. Rick Halperin at  rhalperi@smu.edu or 214-768-3284.