World Dignity University Initiative - Description

• Education Team

• Founding Members of the World Dignity University Initiative

• Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Sustainable Post-Disaster Reconstruction

• "Humiliation in the Academic Setting": A Special Symposium Issue (2008)
• Global Education Fund

• Bibliography
• Syllabus Example
• Teaching Done So Far by HumanDHS Members
• Ideas
• Links

The World Dignity University (WDU) initiative is an invitation by its founders to all educators and learners who wish to place dignity at the core of teaching and learning. The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, meaning "a community of teachers and scholars." The WDU initiative envisions returning to the original meaning of the word and form a universitas magistrorum et scholarium globalis, a global community of teachers and scholars, who share the aim of furthering dignity in the world. All like-minded educators and learners of the world are invited, whether they are part of local universities or not, to share their knowledge as a gift to the world.

The WDU initiative is a invitation to all who wish to walk the talk of dignity in mutually shared learning activities and experiences. The WDU initiative is dedicated to doing so by realizing the spirit and practice of dignity in all of its proceedings. It is an invitation to develop ideas for dignity within a global community, and to explore how those ideas can be turned into dignifying action.

The WDU initiative aspires to be a bridge-building space for learning, bringing together individual teachers and learners, in concert with supportive institutions, who share in this effort according to their ability, and where their gift is not measured and calculated.

The WDU initiative wishes to create a mutually beneficial community of educators and learners, that supports the personal growth and intellectual development of all involved. We like to think of the experience of the WDU initiative as a gift to the world. The many benefits of the WDU initiative, especially for the educators involved, include:

• it provides a one-of-a-kind platform for global learning in a diverse community of learners and scholars
• it brings global attention to the important work of educators who put dignity at the core of learning
• it provides the opportunity for practical training in online learning and conducting dignilogues (dignity + dialogue)
• it provides the opportunity for mutual support within a community of dignity-minded people.


History

On 19th December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly in New York adopted the Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training. This landmark document recognizes the right of every one of the planet's seven billion people to have access to human rights education, a lifelong process involving all ages, all parts of society, and every kind of education, formal and informal.

On 24th June 2011, we launched the World Dignity University initiative at the University of Oslo in Norway (in the University library, in "Klubben"). The Vice-Rector of the university, Inga Bostad, was the host of this event. She invited everybody to recognize that "…education concerning human rights and dignity is a never-ending process of making knowledge meaningful."

We would like to express our warm appreciation to everybody who joined us for the launch of the World Dignity University initiative. It took place at the Library (Georg Sverdrups House) at the Blindern Campus of the University of Oslo in Norway, 10.00-12.00. We were ca. 50 people in the room and at times up to 40 people online from all around the world in our chat room, apart from an unknown number of people who followed the streaming. We had online participants in our chat from all continents of the world:
Recife, Brazil; Panama; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Shanghai, China; Tokyo, Japan; Cairo, Egypt; St. Petersburg, Russia; Sydney, Australia; Timaru, New Zealand; Kolkata, West Bengal, India; Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India; Toronto, Canada; Istanbul, Turkey; Jemen/Kenya; Goma, Congo; Freetown, Sierra Leone; South Africa; USA: New Jersey; Kansas; Massachusetts; Tennessee; Boston; Los Angeles; Europe: Lund, Sweden; Copenhagen, Denmark; Berlin, Germany; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Athens, Greece.
Please see the agenda of the launch event, the pictures, and the press release.

Linda Hartling contributed with her presentation from Portland, Oregon, USA. She was also the host of the chat throughout the entire launch ceremony. She emphasized, "we will need everyone’s participation to solve these problems. Dignifying education is the key to participation."

Francisco Gomes De Matos sent a "Communicative Dignity: A Checklist" from Recife, Brazil, where he concludes that "dignity is more than a quality; it is the essence of our humanity." Uli Spalthoff printed this checklist 40 times in Germany, and brought to Oslo to distribute on the tables of the launch event. Francisco Gomes de Matos coined the term digniversity, and Bhante the term dignicommunity. See also Dignity in Care: Stand up for dignity - The Dignity Challenge by José Carlos Gonçalves.

Part of this launch was Federico Mayor Zaragoza, who headed UNESCO for 12 years. See his very important greetings. He said, "It is very important that education permanently reflects, at the highest level, at the university level...the equal dignity of all human beings."

Also the Norwegian Minister of the Environment and Minister of Development Cooperation, Erik Solheim, very kindly prepared a video greeting for this launch. He confirmed: "Never humiliate anyone!"

See also Evelin Lindner's invitation to join the World Dignity University initiative. She observed, "We are living in times when nothing short of global cooperation can successfully address the urgent problems developing in the world today."

Since this was our first experiment with including people from all around the world into an event, we beg for everybody's understanding that we encountered a number of technical problems. We are very thankful that Lasse Moer from the University of Oslo is continuously working with improving the recording of the event. Please click on https://connect.uninett.no/p22303440/ to watch it. Please excuse the following problems when watching:
- The chat-window does not function (yet). In the meantime, see the chat window in the original World Dignity University video room.
- If the PowerPoint-window does not appear, please try another web browser.
- You may need to pull the main window at the corner a bit (resize up and down) for achieving the recorded correct position of the windows inside. At the second part, with Uli and participants in the room speaking , you may need to pull the window again to get a large video-window in the middle.
- There are some parts without sound.
- The two greetings by Erik Solheim and Federico Mayor have low sound quality, and is best viewed at YouTube.

We would like to convey our warmest thanks to Inga Bostad, Uli Spalthoff, and Lasse Moer, together with Knut Ottersen, Egil Bergh-Telle, and Ragnhild Nilsen - Arctic Queen for making this event possible and very special. Thank you also to Michael Britton and Uli Spalthoff for supportive reflections sent to us after the event.

It is a great privilege to welcome Inga Bostad and Ole Petter Ottersen as Founding Members of our World Dignity University initiative.

Yves Musoni (Goma, Congo, currently Nashville, Tennessee, USA) wrote on 21st June: "I love the logo design of the World Dignity University! I see ubuntu wisdom through it: "None of us comes into the world fully formed. We would not know how to think, or walk, or speak, or behave as human beings unless we learned it from other human beings. We need other human beings in order to be human. I am because other people are." Desmond Tutu.

We appreciate Global Dignity co-founders HRH Crown Prince Håkon of Norway, Professor Pekka Himanen, and John Bryant Hope, for launching the Global Dignity Day for October 20th.

Inga Bostad invited us to the subsequent conference "Reimagining Democratic Societies: A New Era of Personal and Social Responsibilities," 27-29th June 2011, at the University of Oslo.
At this conference, she explained that "the university is something like a bird in a cage, producing students' degrees, with measured and ear-marked money. She called for:
1. First, we need to provide a safe environment.
2. Then we need openness, respect, and listening (ask students to repeat what the other just said and you will note that misunderstandings abound!).
3. Then there is a quest for 'moral disturbance'"
Altogether eight members of our HumanDHS network were present in the launch of the World Dignity University initiative and this conference, Sigurd Støren, as well as Helene Lewis, Rachel Aspögård, Mariana Vergara, Einar Strumse, Jingyi Dong, Brigitte Volz, and Ulrich Spalthoff.
See pictures here.

Please see an introduction into the history of the World Dignity University idea by Evelin Lindner prepared on 23rd November 2021 (Video and PowerPoint) for the 2021 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict.

Dear All!

We would like to invite everybody who shares our values to envision contributing to the World Dignity University initiative. Perhaps you would enjoy creating similar video dialogues as we did (see example 1 and example 2). The process is explained here, and see more examples of mutual interviewing (see example 1 and example 2). The idea is that you first present yourself, then your reflections on why you think that dignity is important, and, third, how you, with your expertise, would like to contribute to the World Dignity University initiative.

Educators are invited to contribute with topics related to dignity for lectures, courses, seminars, workshops. Students are invited to contribute with their ideas and wishes for topics. Learning is reciprocal. A student can also teach and an educator can also learn, and we invite everybody to be both. We envisioin building two data bases of video clips, one collection of topics on offer, and another of topics sought. Our overall aim is to nurture our World Dignity University initiative as a growth process, as an invitation into a movement that grows like a tree, thus manifesting our core principle of unity in diversity also through the way we go about and the structure of our work. The infinity symbol, or Möbius strip, illustrates how dignity can manifest through unity in diversity:

We envisison to proceed as follows:
1. Let us assume you wish to contribute with a topic to the WDU initiative, and you present it in a video clip.
2. Let us assume that ten students from all over the world click on your video, indicating that they find your theme interesting.
3. This motivates you to give a lecture of one or two hours, having it video-taped, so that we can place it on the World Dignity University website.
4. The next step would be that you develop a seminar/course/workshop on your theme. You could help your students to gather for an initial face-to-face meeting, followed by one or two semesters of online teaching, and a final face-to-face meeting (you might want to help your students find the funding for their travels, or, if this is not possible, those who cannot afford the travel cost could participate via video). In that way, unity in diversity will be expressed through manifold themes and manifold ways of teaching and learning.
5. For those students who wish to work for a degree, please see Ragnhild Nilsen's experience further down.

The education branch of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS) aims to increase our understanding of the negative consequences of humiliation and generate support of alternative approaches that promote human dignity. We have therefore begun in 2010 to form a World Dignity University.

We wish to disseminate the research findings related to dignity (with humiliation as its violation) to a wide variety of audiences. Thereby we wish to contribute to the capacity of people to build peaceful societies and be mindful of how humiliation may disrupt the social fabric and how social cohesion may be sustained by preventing humiliation from occurring.

HumanDHS is primarily grounded in academic work. We are independent of any religious or political agenda. However, we wish to bring academic work into "real life." Our research focuses on topics such as dignity (with humiliation as its violation), or, more precisely, on respect for equal dignity for all human beings in the world. This is not only our research topic, but also our core value, in line with Article 1 of the Human Rights Declaration that states that every human being is born with equal dignity (that ought not be humiliated). We agree with Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, who advocates the building of bridges from academia as follows, "I have always believed that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential for public policy. It is possible to affect public policy without being an advocate; to be passionate about peace without losing analytical rigor; to be moved by what is just while conceding that no one has a monopoly on justice." We would like to add that we believe that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential not only for public policy, but for raising awareness in general.

The World Dignity University initiative is strongly committed to:
•  the development of mutual-learning centered thinking that puts caring at the forefront (we are not aiming to train people to fit into existing systems as they are).
•  focusing on questions such as, What is education? What is a university? What is knowledge? What is wisdom? What is the source of true happiness and well-being? What is the good life? What is true wealth? What does dignified and dignifying learning and teaching look like in practice? Why is cooperation and solidarity preferable to competition for domination? What is the practice of solidarity? How can movement toward dignity be created? How can we contribute to creating the new civilization for the common good? (See also Kamran Mofid, more here).
•  making sure the development of the WDU is globally inclusive
•  avoiding duplication of the achievements of others who have already worked with similar issues.
Rather than competing with existing institutions, our goal is to join hands in the spirit of mutual respect and equality in dignity to create something much more powerful than what we would accomplish if we worked independently. We already have connections with highly regarded academic institutions through our network of scholars on our Global Advisory Board.
•  respecting unity in diversity: The views expressed on this website, as in any of the HumanDHS publications, do not represent any official HumanDHS position. All HumanDHS publications present the views and research findings of the individual researchers, educators, and authors, with the aim of promoting the development of ideas and discussion about major concerns of human dignity and humiliation studies and related fields.
•  diverse online courses/seminars/talks/workshops will be shaped by the members of our various teams and boards, particularly our Education Team members, with their diverse expertise and approaches, supplemented with face-to-face gatherings, for example, at our annual meetings.

Please see:
•  The Pdf file of the description of the World Dignity University initiative.
•  "Humiliation in the Academic Setting": A Special Symposium Issue

Why have we decided to turn to Norway for the launch of the World Dignity University initiative, which is multi-local and global, intentionally designed to be without a headquarters. (The launch of our World Dignity University initiative takes place on 24th June 2011 at the University of Oslo in Norway, 10.00-12.00, Klubben, 2nd floor, University Library Georg Sverdrups House, Blindern. Video-participation is available for those who cannot join in person in Oslo.)
This is the reason: Norway is one of the few places in the world from where a culture of equality in dignity can be launched in a credible manner. Likeverd is a Norwegian cultural heritage, unlike in almost all other countries in the world, where hierarchy, or inequality in dignity, characterizes cultural history. Already neighboring Sweden has a much more hierarchical culture than Norway. The likeverd ideal is a resource that Norway has, and this resource is essential if we want to cooperate globally. And a resource entails responsibility. Thus, Norway has a responsibility to bring the ideal of equality in dignity to the world. The likeverd ideal is visible in many contexts in Norway. The Scandinavian model of economy (see, for example, ESOP research) deserves more attention in the rest of the world. Gender equality is achieved to a higher degree in Norway than in most of the rest of the world, including the regions of Europe that share the same Protestant background as Norway. One of the best research centers on Europe is located in Norway (see ARENA; the subsidiarity principle is important to realize equality in dignity and this is applied, among others, by the European Union). These are just a few examples. It is very fitting to launch the World Dignity University when the University of Oslo celebrates its 200 years jubilee. The University of Oslo was planned 200 years ago with an extremely high level of ambition, which speaks to the level of ambition of the World Dignity University. See ""Kunne fått verdens mest moderne universitet" at www.apollon.uio.no/vis/art/2011_1/artikler/visjoner_1812.

RHYMED REFLECTIONS for use at WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil 6th May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
The UNIVERSITY OF OSLO its 200th anniversary is now celebrating
among the significant commemorative events to take place
there stands out in June the WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY launching
Let's admire  the University of Oslo's dignifying face
The best of tradition and innovation at the University of Oslo are side by side
Scandinavia's largest institution of higher education for its research is renowned
Its administration, faculty, and students create knowledge in every kind of tide
May the work of its schools by outstanding academic dignity always be crowned


Evelin Lindner's Invitation to Join the World Dignity University Initiative


Evelin Lindner is being interviewed by Ragnhild Nilsen about her vision of the World Dignity University. This dialogue took place on 8th February 2011 at the University in Oslo in Norway. Lasse Moer, Chief Engineer for Audiovisual Technology at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University in Oslo, was the technical director of this video-take.
Ragnhild Nilsen uses the artist name Arctic Queen. See also a WDU introduction in pdf format and a flyer.



Erik Solheim's Greetings for the Launch of the World Dignity University Initiative on 24th June 2011


Erik Solheim was the Norwegian Minister of the Environment and Minister of Development Cooperation. He would have liked to join the launch of the idea of the World Dignity University on 24th June 2011, however, since he will not be in Norway then, he formulated his greetings via video message on 14th February 2011. Christian Grotnes Halvorsen was the director of this video-take.



Federico Mayor Zaragoza's Greetings for the Launch of the World Dignity University Initiative on 24th June 2011


During the twelve years he spent as head of UNESCO (1987-1999), Professor Mayor Zaragoza gave new momentum to the organization's mission, "to build the bastions of peace in the minds of men." It became an institution at the service of peace, tolerance, human rights and peaceful coexistence, by working within its areas of authority and remaining faithful to its original mission. Following Professor Mayor's guidelines, UNESCO created the Culture of Peace Program, whose work falls into four main categories: education for peace, human rights and democracy, the fight against exclusion and poverty, the defense of cultural pluralism and cross-cultural dialogue, and conflict prevention and the consolidation of peace.
This video has been produced on 18th June 2011, at the Fundación Cultura de PazActualizado.


The World Dignity University (WDU): How It Works
See Pdf files in English, Norsk, Deutsch, Francais, see also a short flyer in English

The following video clips introduce the WDU initiative:

- Evelin Lindner's Invitation to Join the World Dignity University Initiative
Evelin Lindner is being interviewed by Ragnhild Nilsen about her vision of the World Dignity University. This dialogue took place on 8th February 2011 at the University in Oslo in Norway. Lasse Moer, Chief Engineer for Audiovisual Technology at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University in Oslo, was the technical director of this recording. Ragnhild Nilsen uses the artist name Arctic Queen. See also a WDU introduction in pdf format and a flyer.

- World Dignity University Initiative: Introduction by Linda Hartling and Evelin Lindner

This video was recorded on October 28, 2011, in Portland, Oregon, USA. It is a dialogue between Linda Hartling and Evelin Lindner. Annette Engler recorded the conversation. See also a WDU introduction in pdf format and a flyer.

- World Dignity University Initiative: Introduction by Evelin Lindner

This video was created in Berlin, Germany by Evelin Frerk, on 5th April 2011, for the launch of the World Dignity University (WDU) initiative in June 2011. Evelin Lindner explains how the World Dignity University iniative is envisioned to unfold. See also a WDU introduction in pdf format and a flyer.

- Norwegian/Norsk: Verdensuniversitet for verdighet og likeverd: En kort innføring av Evelin Lindner
Denne videoen ble tatt opp av Evelin Lindner i New York den 3. november 2011. Se også teksten i pdf format.
Se også Inga Bostad, prorektor av Universitetet i Oslo, og hennes personlige videohilsen som hun sendte til oss i august 2011, når vi hadde vår 17 årlige konferanse. Hun bekreftet hvor viktig det er å arbeide for en global verdighetskultur og at å utvikle Verdensuniversitetet for verdighet og likeverd må være vår høyeste prioritet. Lasse Moer lagde videoen med Inga Bostad i Oslo.

- Norwegian/Norsk: Norge etter den 22. juli 2011: Betydningen av et Verdensuniversitet for verdighet og likeverd, av Evelin Lindner
Denne videoen ble tatt opp av Evelin Lindner i New York den 3. november 2011. Se også teksten i pdf format.
Se også Inga Bostad, prorektor av Universitetet i Oslo, og hennes personlige videohilsen som hun sendte til oss i august 2011, når vi hadde vår 17 årlige konferanse. Hun bekreftet hvor umåtelig viktig det er å arbeide for en global verdighetskultur og at å utvikle Verdensuniversitetet for verdighet og likeverd må være vår høyeste prioritet. Lasse Moer lagde videoen med Inga Bostad i Oslo. (Nøkkelord: Anders Behring Breivik, Utøya)

- German/Deutsch: Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies & World Dignity University: Eine kurze Einführung von Evelin Lindner
Dieser Videoclip wurde am 5. April 2011 in Berlin von Evelin Frerk aufgenommen, mit Blick auf die Lanzierung der Weltuniversität für Menschenwürde Initiative im Juni 2011. Es ist eine kurze Einführung in die Arbeit des Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS) Netzwerkes und ihrer Weltuniversität für Menschenwürde/World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative. Siehe auch einen einführenden Text in Pdf Format.

- German/Deutsch: Weltuniversität für Menschenwürde Initiative: Eine kurze Einführung von Evelin Lindner

Dieser Videoclip wurde am 5. April 2011 in Berlin von Evelin Frerk aufgenommen, mit Blick auf die Lanzierung der Weltuniversität für Menschenwürde/World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative im Juni 2011. Es ist eine kurze Einführung. Siehe auch einen einführenden Text in Pdf Format.

- French/Francais: Initiative de l'Université Dignité Mondiale: Une Introduction par Evelin Lindner
Ce clip vidéo a été créée à New York par Evelin Lindner, le 4 Novembre 2011, pour l'Université Dignité Mondiale initiative. Evelin Lindner explique comment le Université Dignité Mondiale initiative est envisagé de se dérouler. Voir aussi une introduction en format pdf.



Inga Bostad, Vice-Rector of the University of Oslo, Welcomed the Conference Participants
of the 17th Annual Conference in Dunedin, New Zealand, August 2011, and, in the light of the terrible 22/7 terror attacks in Oslo and Utøya, she encouraged and urged us to work on the World Dignity University Initiative


Inga Bostad, Vice-Rector of the University of Oslo, Welcomed the Conference Participants from Norway, and, in the light of the terrible 22/7 terror attacks in Oslo and Utøya, she encouraged and urged us to work on the World Dignity University Initiative. Lasse Moer, Chief Engineer for Audiovisual Technology at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University in Oslo, made this video-recording with Inga Bostad on 26th August 2011.



Arctic Queen's Interview for the World Dignity University Initiative


This dialogue between Ragnhild Nilsen - her artist name is Arctic Queen - and Evelin Lindner took place on 8th February 2011 at the University in Oslo in Norway. Lasse Moer, Chief Engineer for Audiovisual Technology at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University in Oslo, was the technical director of this recording.



Desmond Tutu Opening Digital Freedom Expression


Desmond Tutu opening Digital Freedom Expression hosted by the University of the Western Cape in 2007.



Ruku Kausay World Dignity University Amazonian Branch in the Rainforest of Ecuador

The videos you see further down were created on in the Ruku Kausay branch of the World Dignity University initiative located in the community of Rio Blanco in the Amazonian part of Ecuador. The Grefa family, an extended indigenous Kichwa family, has developed ecotourism as a way to preserve their sacred rainforest lands and culture for over 20 years. Ruku Kausay (pronounced "roo- koo - kow - sigh") means "wisdom of the ancestors" in the indigenous Kichwa language. Ruku Kausay invites into experiencing the wisdom of the rainforest and the authentic culture and traditions of its people. The Grefa family has practiced the shamanic healing traditions of its people for generations, see also their video Ruku Kausay Eco Lodge.
Please see here some still photos from Andrew's camera, from Mariana's camera, and from Evelin's camera.
See also:
- WDU Amazon Rainforest Initiative (Pdf): World Dignity University Initiative: Co-creating Sustainability in the Amazon Rainforest with the Kichwa Community: Why, Who, What, How, Where, When (2012)
- WDU Amazon Rainforest Initiative (Pdf): The BRIDGE® Model: The Case for Integrating Phenomenological Documentation aAnd Participatory Action Research through Collaborative Inquiry: Transformational Learning in Transforming High Aspirations into Human Agency (2012)
- WDU Amazon Rainforest Initiative (Videos 2012) (2012)
- WDU Amazon Rainforest Initiative (Pdf from Powerpoint) (2011)

Please see the links to all four videos created on the 6th and 7th of July 2012 at the Ruku Kausay World Dignity University Amazonian Branch in the rainforest of Ecuador:
• 01 Tayler Mulcahy and Andrew McInnis Present their Participatory Action Research (PAR) at Ruku Kausay, Amazonian Ecuador
• 02 Mariana Vergara on Building Dignity in the Amazon Systemically: From Idea to Reality - Manifesting the World Dignity University Amazonian Branch in the Rainforest of Ecuador
• 03 Ruku Kausay, Amazonian Ecuador: Evelin Lindner Invites to an Afternoon Strall
• 04 Agustin Grefa's Ancient Knowledge and the World Dignity University Initiative



The Lazy School in Northern Thailand

After the 23rd Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, 'Returning Dignity', in Chiang Mai, Thailand, that took place in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand from 8th - 12th March 2014, some of the participants were able to accept the kind invitation by the Ngak' Nyau (Karen) village Ban Nong Thao in Northern Thailand (at 1200 meters height), the village of Joni Odochaw, a Karen sage and former village headman.
Please see the Proclamation on Rural Resilience that we sent off to the United Nations after listening to Joni Odochao, Zwae, and Otzie. They helped us better understand the dilemma posed by the fact that education, TV, and the digital world can be either beneficial or destructive to sustainable ways of living as demonstrated by this indigenous community.

See the video material we created on 8th March, and 13th and 14th March 2014:
• 04 Special Talk: A Voice from Indigenous People, by Joni Odochaw, a Karen Sage and Former Village Headman from the Karen Village Ban Nong Thao
• 29 Zwae Siwakom Odochao and Otzie (or Chindanai Jowaloo, or also Chai) Present Their Pgak' Nyau Village Ban Nong Thao in Northern Thailand (at 1200 Meters Height) on 13th March 2014, see the long version of one hour or part 1 | part 2 | part 3
• 30 Joni Odochaw, Karen Sage and Former Village Headman from Ban Nong Thao, in Conversation with Mariana Vergara, Sharing the Voice of the Indigenous Peoples from South America, 13th March 2014 (we apologise that the conversation ends abruptly, due to technical problems)
• 31 Joni Odochaw, His Wife, His Son Zwae, Together with His cousin Otzie and His Mother, 14th March 2014
• 32 Joni Odochaw, His Son Zwae, and His Cousin Otzie Speak about the Karen Vision of Life, 14th March 2014

Please see the still photos:
• Day Six and Seven, Post-conference, 13th - 14th March 2014: see the photos taken by Evelin Lindner, and Trine Eklund

The Life University: Learning Institute For Everyone (LIFE)
The 23rd Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, 'Returning Dignity', in Chiang Mai, Thailand, that took place in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand from 8th - 12th March 2014.

Kjell Skyllstad spoke about the Turning the Tide in Rural Thailand, where he presented LIFE:

The Life University: Learning Institute For Everyone (LIFE)
The Inpang Community Network began in 1987 with a group of village leaders in Ban Bua Village, Tambon Kut Bak, Kut Bak District, Sakon Nakhon Province in Northeast Thailand. In order to break the cycle of debt from cash‐cropping, the farmers began to transform their farm landscapes from more costly, high‐input, chemical dependent monocultures to diverse agroforestry systems that included rice for consumption as well as a wide variety of woody perennials. From a small group of twelve members, the Inpang network has grown to over 4000 members in five provinces in northeast Thailand, with linkages to many other farmer groups throughout Thailand. Inpang members grow hundreds of native woody perennial species as seedlings aimed at promoting the use of forest products from on‐farm sources, rather than harvesting and collecting from the natural, protected forests in areas such as nearby Phuphan National Park.
The Life University: Learning Institute For Everyone (LIFE)
"มหาวิทยาลยั ชีวิต"ที่มาของสถาบนั การเรียนรู้เพื่อปวงชน (สรพ.)
These days it seems people all over the country are facing problems concerning debt, family, and their very own livelihood. It is as though their community is about to fall apart; people are unable to solve the myriad of problems they are besieged with.
Despite the above situation, we have discovered that there exists a good number of people who have been able to solve their debt and other problems by themselves. We have also come across many communities that have not collapsed; on the contrary, they are strong and able to support themselves. More than just a few are outstanding to the point that many people from all over the country and from abroad have made an effort to pay them a study visit.
At a time when we are about to lose hope in our education system since it has failed to help mend the problems of poverty, debt, separation and violence, we have found that strong communities throughout the country are strong not because they are granted big budgets and many projects, but it is because they are 'learning' communities. These communities have efficiently managed their own learning processes in ways that can help solve their own problems and develop themselves.
LIFE has 'sought knowledge' from village philosophers, leaders, and from the strong communities we have visited. For the past 30 years, we have collaborated in 'joint development' of local communities all over the country. We have worked with community leaders, academics, then analyzed and synthesized the knowledge obtained from these communities and developed it into both short- term and long-term programs and those at a higher education level ; these programs are then brought back to members of the communities all over the country so they can choose to study. It is hoped that upon graduation, they can take back their knowledge and manage to successfully deal with their own problems in the same way as those individuals and 'prototype' communities.
Life University: The Meaning
The 'Life University' is a phrase specifically coined to describe a learning process that comes from life experiences. Learning here is, therefore, based on real life, real problems in our life, community and society whereas one's potential and that of his local community serve as a solid foundation and an investment capital. Learning at LIFE means learning to solve own problems and to develop oneself rather than learning 'from books' in order to pass 'exams' and take the degree they receive after graduation to look for jobs elsewhere.
The Life University is one 'form' of learning which uses life as the 'content' for learning. Emphasis is put on processoriented learning and not on rote learning or knowledge transmitting. It is a process that helps learners learn how to think, and think systematically as well as be able to create new or 'tacit' knowledge. This kind of knowledge that they have created by themselves is considered the knowledge with maximum efficiency and force that can result in desired effects.
Please read more here.


See more videos

 




World Dignity University - Description

(downloadable also as Pdf files in English, Norsk, Deutsch, Francais, see also a short flyer in English, and an article in Portugese)

What we do know, we do not know in a way that serves our needs. So, we need to know in different ways, and we need to build new knowledge through new ways of knowing. The new knowledge is in the area of designing new realities, which is likely to be done by speculative and creative thinking that would be communally shared and reflected for common formulation that would be tested in a continual process of social invention.
- Betty Reardon, in a personal communication with Evelin Lindner on July 6, 2010, in Melbu, Vesterålen, Norway

DIGNITY is the fundamental innate worth of the human person. A good society honors the dignity of all persons and expects all its members to respect the DIGNITY of others.
- Betty Reardon, in Educating for Human Dignity: Learning about Rights and Responsibilities. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995, p. 5

• The motto of the World Dignity University: "Human behavior must be oriented permanently by equality in dignity.
- Federico Mayor, former head of UNESCO, on 23rd September 2010, in Oslo, Norway
• The equal dignity of all human beings: to put in practice this core value is essential to accomplish our personal and social responsibility. But now, with the capacity of non-presential participation through the cyberspace, the possibility of converting this dream in reality is much higher.
- Federico Mayor, former head of UNESCO, on 27th April 2011, in a personal communication
- See also Federico Mayor's speech to the 65th anniversary of the foundation of UNESCO

• Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights.
- UNESCO

• I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
- Mark Twain.

• Fundamental values must come from more than value added.
- Sjur Bergan, Council of Europe, Head of the Department of Higher Education and History Teachings

• The right to education is recognized as a human right. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (signed 1966, in force from 1976), the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education, as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education in particular by the progressive introduction of free higher education. The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education, the obligation to eliminate discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards, and to improve quality (A Human Rights-Based Approach to Education for All)

• The university is an autonomous institution at the heart of societies differently organized because of geography and historical heritage; it produces, examines, appraises and hands down culture by research and teaching. To meet the needs of the world around it, its research and teaching must be morally and intellectually independent of all political authority and intellectually independent of all political authority and economic power....
- Magna Charta Universitatum, Bologna, Italy September 18, 1988

• Bildung zur Humanität: The German philosopher Herder was one of the first to formulate the idea of "education towards (true) humanity": A person needs education, to become truly human, and this is a task for every generation if they are to avoid sinking into brutality and destructiveness.

• DIGNITY MAKES THE WORLD GO RIGHT
HUMILIATION MAKES THE WORLD GO WRONG
- WDU motto from peace linguist Francisco Gomes de Matos

• "Of nations and Narratives"
Happy endings are
not concocted
nor delivered in
a C-section.
They must germinate in
the belly of the narrative
And have their fate
woven,
exquisitely
in the loom of the plot.
(contributed by Ali Jimale Ahmed on June 5, 2011, from his book Fear Is a Cow)

• We live in times of transition toward increasing global interdependence and more equal dignity for all.
- Evelin G. Lindner, "Emotion and Conflict: Why it is important to understand how emotions affect conflict and how conflict affects emotions," in The Handbook of Conflict Resolution:Theory and Practice, edited by Morton Deutsch, Peter T.Coleman, and Eric C. Marcus. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006, p. 270. See a long edition of the update of this chapter for the third edition of the handbook in 2014 from the second edition in 2006. We thank Francisco Gomes de Matos for suggesting this quote as "An inspiring quotation for DIGNIFIERS."

Today, working for peace is not only crucial to our efforts to reduce human suffering, it is essential to the survival of humankind. For the last decade, the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (HumanDHS) network has brought together distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to advancing peace through dignifying dialogue and collaborative action. We work to end humiliating practices that lead to violence while building “right relationships,” relationships grounded in equal dignity for all.
Our work has shown us how the power of collaborative action can be mobilized, energized, and sustained through the creative use of technology. In particular, we see the need to organize a new educational initiative that can counteract and transcend corporate and nationalistic interests that hinder academic freedom and systematically undermine the practice of peacemaking in the world today.
Please see the Proclamation on Rural Resilience that we sent off to the United Nations after listening to Joni Odochaw, Zwae, and Otzie in Northern Thailand in March 2014. They helped us better understand the dilemma posed by the fact that education, TV, and the digital world can either be beneficial or destructive to sustainable ways of living as demonstrated by this indigenous community. As Peter Dering, the first student of the 'Lazy School' formulated it: our vision must be to expand community learning to include modern knowledge through technology, rather than lose community learning.
We have come to believe an independent “World University”—a network of university networks—would be a powerful vehicle for realizing the ideal of academic freedom and equal dignity. An independent World Dignity University, offering partnerships with and services to all national universities, would be a powerful and enterprising vehicle for realizing a future of equality and sustainable peace. 

The HumanDHS Community

The HumanDHS network is a global transdisciplinary network of concerned academics and practitioners. We are a community of 1,000 personally invited members, which includes a Global Advisory Board of over 250 distinguished scholars, leaders, and activists. Our website is the top ranked site for “humiliation studies” as identified by Google. Each year it is visited by up to 40,000 people from more than 180 countries.
The work of HumanDHS is independent of any religious or political agenda. At the core of our work is the use of transdisciplinary, integrative approaches to generate and disseminate knowledge about human dignity and humiliation.
Humiliation has been described as a “nuclear bomb” of emotions. A growing body of research points to humiliation as one of the most powerful forces that disrupts and damage relationships at all levels of society, from the interpersonal to the international.

"If I've learned one thing covering world affairs, it's this: The single most underappreciated force in international relations is humiliation."
— Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat

More than anything else, humiliation—in all of its insidious forms—is a fundamental obstacle to peace in our time. One only has to open the newspaper to find examples of intractable conflict that are rooted in humiliating trauma, mistreatment, poverty, or injustice. A quote from Faisal Shahzad, the suspected attempted bomber of New York’s Times Square (May 1, 2010), describes how humiliation contributed to his motivation to engage in a terrorist act:

“Everyone knows how the Muslim country bows down to pressure from the west. Everyone knows the kind of humiliation we are faced with around the globe.”
— Faisal Shahzad, suspected terrorist

As a collaborative community, we strive to advance peace by identifying and challenging humiliating practices and by working together to promote equal dignity.
Our research focuses on dignity and humiliation as its violation, or, more precisely, we emphasize respect for equal dignity for all human beings. This is not only our research topic, but also our core value, which is in line with Article 1 of the Human Rights Declaration that states that every human being is born with equal dignity (that ought not be humiliated). We believe that good scholarship is not only essential to the development of positive social change, it is also critical for raising awareness in general.

I have always believed that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential for public policy. It is possible to affect public policy without being an advocate; to be passionate about peace without losing analytical rigor; to be moved by what is just while conceding that no one has a monopoly on justice.”
— Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor of Peace and Development, HumanDHS Global Advisory Board

As a result of our ongoing efforts, HumanDHS has become the world’s leading source of information about the theory and impact of humiliation. We have created a “virtual library” of papers, articles, case studies, book chapters, and other resources that we make accessible to all people at no charge. This is why we are Google’s top-ranked website for “humiliation studies,” “humiliation research,” and “humiliation theory,” but we want to do more!

Toward a World Dignity University

We not only want to do more, we feel that there is an urgent need for us do more to advance dignity that leads to peace in the world. Therefore, we ask: Why isn’t there a World University dedicated to the human rights ideal that all humans deserve to live dignified lives?
One reason for why this type of institution has yet to materialize may be our tradition of taking a highly individualistic, often fragmented, approach to academic achievement. Though many would agree that all humans deserve to live dignified lives, we are only beginning to appreciate that dignity is co-created in relationships, relationships characterized by mutual empathy and mutual respect. While Western social science has traditionally emphasized the “self” as the unit of study, our work with HumanDHS has helped us appreciate the centrality of “relationships” in the development of equal dignity and peace in the world. We strive to establish and advance “right relationships,” relationships that support the growth and well being of all involved (Miller & Stiver, 1997; Miller & Savoie, 2002).
The latest neuroscience research findings emphasize that strong and healthy connections (as opposed to the Western emphasis on “rugged individualism”) are essential to the growth and development of all people (Banks & Jordan, 2007; Jordan & Hartling, 2002; Putnam, 2000). HumanDHS challenges scholars to apply a relational approach to the study of human experience. In particular, we ask, “What are the specific qualities of relationships that promote peace in the world?”
We are convinced that cultivating healthy connections rooted in an unshakeable belief in equal dignity may be the most important pathway to peace in our time.

My father taught me that promoting dignity instead of humiliation will go a long way toward cultivating peace in the world.
—Kim Stafford, Ph.D., son of William Stafford, Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, Peace Activist, and WWII Conscientious Objector (2010)

As a community of witnesses and survivors of international conflict, the members of HumanDHS have learned that there is no more important goal of education today than educating for peace. To achieve this, we need to educate for equal dignity.
Though HumanDHS has already shared a wealth of research, information, and experience from around the globe, we want to make our intellectual contributions and resources even more widely accessible to a global community that is hungry for education on the dynamics of equal dignity and humiliation. Therefore, we are proposing to work in partnership with others to establish the first World Dignity University.

Why a World Dignity University?

One of the most insidious and debilitating forms of humiliation anyone can face is not being able to gain a decent, complete, or fulfilling education. While there are many reasons for why this occurs, we are particularly troubled by the recent evidence that suggests academia is being driven and shaped by corporate and national interests (Bok, 2003; Hersh & Merrow, 2005; Horrobin, 2001; Lewis, 2006). Today the line between academia and business has become blurred. This seriously jeopardizes academic integrity, free inquiry, and educational opportunity.
Now is the time for an alternative approach. Global interdependence requires humankind to face global challenges, both ecological and social, as shared responsibilities that have to be shouldered jointly. Our aim is therefore to invite academics from around the globe into the joint responsibility of leading the world away from intractable divides (often fueled by corporate and nationalistic interests) that could cost our species its survival. We are living in a time when nothing short of global cooperation can successfully address the dire problems developing in the world today.
Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914), pacifist, and the first woman to be a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has inspired us. She showed the way to creating future-oriented organizations by placing them in the future as much as possible and as close to the present as little as necessary. She created new institutions, for instance, Die Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft (German Peace Society), and she was its president, even though this was forbidden for women at the time. In other words, she had the courage to transcend existing cultural boundaries.
The growth of the HumanDHS network serves as an example of the hunger for a higher education, an education informed by a vision of equal dignity for all. A World Dignity University would realize this vision by harvesting the wisdom of diverse cultures and by bringing together leading scholars and peace workers.

"With science and business merged into a new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 'science could be lost in a black hole'"
- British scientists, see also Robert M. L. Winston's BBC World News HARDtalk interview with Stephen Sackur on February 24, 2010

A New Model of Global Academic Cooperation

We are not envisioning another locally based physical institution. Rather, we are looking to build partnerships through the use of emerging technology to generate a new model of cooperative global education. This would be a highly flexible, highly responsive integrative system easily useable by existing universities and colleges, as well as individuals and communities around the world. It will incorporate the latest developments in self-directed learning and multi-centered studies to advance the complex knowledge and skills essential to the global proliferation of dignity and enduring peace.
A World Dignity University must respect and draw from wisdom globally. Our vision is all about connecting across cultures, disciplines, and institutions, serving the important goal of creating “unity in diversity.” Technology allows us to easily build cyber-bridges across cultures, disciplines, and institutions, opening the door to new possibilities and innovative ideas.
The work of HumanDHS is one successful example of this approach. The HumanDHS has taught us that we all need to learn from each other. No one in the world has a monopoly on understanding, knowledge, or constructive solutions. We need the participation of a global community of scholars and practitioners from diverse backgrounds and experiences to address the urgent social, political, and ecological problems we are facing today. Therefore, we envision World Dignity University as an academic “network of networks,” a unity of universities, linked together by a shared commitment to dignity and peace.

Beneficiaries of the Project: "Targeted" Group

The WDU will network universities and academic organizations around the planet that share a common vision, that is, educating for peace and equal dignity. It will both facilitate and be a global role model of intellectual leadership and international collaboration, transcending corporate and nationalistic interests and transcending infighting between academic camps and between peers seeking institutional status and dominance.
The World Dignity University initiative will depend on the synergetic support and accumulated knowledge of all member institutions, especially all institutions that integrate peace and conflict resolution as a priority in academic achievement. In particular, we want to develop partnerships with universities and other academic institutions that actively pursue the educational advancement of underserved and marginalized populations. The work of these institutions merits more recognition throughout the world, and a World Dignity University is one path to achieve this. 

Building on the World of the HumanDHS Network

The HumanDHS community offers a logical starting point for bringing together the expertise and knowledge we need to form a World Dignity University. HumanDHS is connected to more than a 1000 personally-invited global members, has several thousand supporters, and 40,000 people from 180 countries visit the website each year. Further, it has more than 250 distinguished scholars and practitioners on its Global Advisory Board. Members of HumanDHS have well-established connections with colleges, universities, and other institutions around the world.
The richness of the HumanDHS transdisciplinary approach is illustrated in the backgrounds and experiences of its leadership team:
•  Founding President Evelin Lindner, M.D., Ph.D. (Dr. med.), Ph.D. (Dr. psych.), who chooses to live as a world citizen to develop a global understanding of dignity. Please read about her experiences with this experiment, for example:
- How Becoming a Global Citizen Can Have a Healing Effect, paper presented at the 2006 ICU-COE Northeast Asian Dialogue: Sharing Narratives, Weaving/Mapping History, February 3-5, 2006, International Christian University (ICU), Tokyo, Japan.
- "Giving Life to the Human Family," in Journal Offerings, an International Magazine. Please see here a long version of this paper, written in 2006. This is not an academic paper. It is a very personal text that tries to capture the struggles of my life in ways that embed them into larger historical contexts and filter out "lessons" that could be useful for others. It is a analysis of my life, which responds to the questions put to me by the Journal Offerings (the headings represent their questions).
- Auswirkungen von Demütigung auf Menschen und Völker, Vortrag aus Anlass der 3. Verleihung des SBAP. Preises in Angewandter Psychologie, verliehen vom Schweizerischen Berufsverband für Angewandte Psychologie SBAP an Evelin Lindner, October 2006.
•  Director Linda Hartling, Ph.D., who conducted the earliest research assessing the experience of humiliation, is an expert on relational-cultural theory. She is the past Associate Director of the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College (Boston, Massachusetts), the largest women’s research center in the United States.
•  Richard Slaven, Ph.D., formerly the Business Administrator for the Martin Fisher School of Physics at Brandeis University (Boston, Massachusetts), who has decades of experience managing millions of dollars in grants and operating budgets.
•  Ulrich Spalthoff (Dr. rer. nat.), formerly the Director of Advanced Technologies at Alcatel-Lucent in Germany and France. His responsibilities included mentoring start-ups and consulting high-tech companies in IT, telecommunication and semiconductor industries from countries all over the world.
•  Michael Britton, Ed.D., Ph.D., a practicing psychologist and scholar who conducted interview research with retired U.S. military commanders/planners who had dealt with nuclear weapons during the Cold War, exploring their experience of the moral responsibilities involved. He has lectured internationally on the implications of neuroscience for our global future, and provides training for conflict resolution specialists on applications of neuroscience to their work.
For detailed information about the project team, please visit www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/whoweare.php and see the attached curricula vitae. For information about the members of the HumanDHS Global Advisory Board, please visit: www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/board.php.

Preparations

Currently, there is one United Nations University, it is based in Tokyo, Japan, and one UN-mandated University for Peace, based in San José, Costa Rica, both are not truly independent.)

We have developed a Strategic Plan that starts with building an alliance with one university (or a core group of universities) that would seed the development of a step-by-step strategy to build a truly global institutional foundation for a World Dignity University. Soon www.worlddignityuniversity.org will be activated and the Global Advisory Board of HumanDHS will be invited to contribute with their thoughts and advice.

The vision is that every national university should contribute to creating a true World University, which would not have a local physical base, but will exist as part of local universities, funded by a Global Education Fund.

We wish to contribute through our Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Global Education Fund. (The Global Education Fund that Barack Obama announced in a 2007 speech is a related idea — he said: "I will support a $2 billion Global Education Fund.").

Several metaphors can be used to describe the conceptual foundation of unity in diversity that guides this initiative. We use the metaphor of a forest, or a raft, let me here use the metaphor of a tree (see, for example, our Newsletter 12 that describes the work of HumanDHS).

In this spirit, we have embarked on finding similar ideas and movements world-wide. Let us present here a small selection of a growing group of scholars, globally, that share related ideas (we are in touch with some, others will still have to be contacted):

The International Association of Universities, for example, was founded in 1950, as the UNESCO-based worldwide association of higher education institutions. "It brings together institutions and organisations from some 150 countries for reflection and action on common concerns and collaborates with various international, regional, and national bodies active in higher education. Its services are available on the priority basis to Members but also to organisations, institutions and authorities concerned with higher education, as well as to individual policy and decision-makers, specialists, administrators, teachers, researchers and students. The Association aims at giving expression to the obligation of universities and other higher education institutions as social institutions to promote, through teaching, research and services, the principles of freedom and justice, of human dignity and solidarity, and contributes, through international cooperation, to the development of material and moral assistance for the strengthening of higher education generally..." [Read more].

Pledge of IAU Commitment (2006):
"Within this renewed strategic direction and priority actions, the IAU further pledges to continue to work in collaboration and partnership with others in order to:
• Contribute to the development and protection of knowledge, higher education and research in the public interest;
• Strengthen and encourage academic solidarity which aims to reduce inequalities among higher education institutions and promote cooperation rather than undue competition;
• Promote equitable access and equal opportunities for student, researchers and faculty members in higher education;
• Seek to understand and harness the opportunities being brought to the sector by the market, for example through public-private partnerships, while limiting the negative impact of increasing commodification and commercialisation of education with its too narrow a vision of higher education as a service to be bought and sold on the open and competitive market..." [Read more]

Examples of virtual universities (many traditional brick-and-mortar universities have established virtual branches or are at least providing virtual courses), see also an overview over 500 free online U.S. Ivy League courses (January 2, 2022).

The Open University
The Life University: Learning Institute For Everyone (LIFE)
The 'Lazy' School
• The Canadian Virtual University
• The Intercultural Open University
• The Rasmussen College
• The Syrian Virtual University
• The Virtual University of Pakistan
• The Virtual Global University (VGU)
• The American International University-Bangladesh
International Culture University (Bangladesh)
• The IMA Indian Management Academy India
• The World Federation of Scientists
Hong Kong Virtual University
One Laptop Per Child
(see video on La communauté du projet One Laptop Per Child et du SugarLabs)
"European Resource Center on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Intercultural Education" at the "European Wergeland Center"
European Union's Erasmus Mundus Program for Non-European Countries
Networks of Excellence
The World Wisdom Council
Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning (PGL)
Scholars at Risk
The Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR)
Open University of Catalonia, UOC
Academic Impact
Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher educationo (Nuffic)
Intercultural Open University Foundation
The European Business Ethics Network EBEN
European University Institute
The Global Compact Academic Network
Global Education Agent Network (GEAN)
SR Education Group network
Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)
The Khan Academy
Open Education Resource Foundation (OER)
OER Commons
BCcampus
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) OpenCourseWare initiative
Connexions hosted by Rice University
Professors Beyond Borders
Udacity (for-profit by former Stanford Professor Sebastian Thrun, see also news.bbc.co.uk)
Coursera (not-for-profit, by computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller from Stanford University, we thank Neal Gupta for making us aware of this opportunity)
edX (not-for-profit, by MIT and Harvard)
GandhiServe Foundation
Barefoot College, Tilonia, Rajasthan, India
Global Curriculum Project
Trade School
University of the Future
Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship
University of the People
Ubiquity University
Advance Learning Interactive System Online (ALISON)
African Virtual University (AVU)
Global University Systems
edx.org (we thank Neal Gupta for making us aware of this opportunity)
• The Indian/ South Asian K-12, junior, middle high school material free of cost, a very valuable resource, all free to download (we thank Neal Gupta for making us aware of this opportunity)
The Indira Gandhi Open University in India, a large online managed university (we thank Neal Gupta for making us aware of this opportunity)
Sustainability University
World Academy of Art & Science
CEMUS – the Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, see also Transcending Boundaries, and The Solutions Journal

See also:
Global Dignity (see teaching tools, including activities for school classes)
Europeana
Open Culture
Collecta
Wikihow
Wikiversity
Play Audio Video
Soliya
P2PU
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)
The Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi), an organization created by UNESCO, the United Nations University, and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC)
The Talloires Network
The Association of Commonwealth Universities
The Living Knowledge Network
The PASCAL International Observatory
Ashoka U

Closer ties are on their way with:
Uvirtualnet
Ruku Kausay: World Dignity University Amazonian Branch in the Rainforest of Ecuador, see videos
Western Institute for Social Research (WISR): The World Dignity University (WDU) Initiative and the Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) are pleased to announce a collaboration that will provide adult learners who wish to pursue the multidisciplinary study of topics related to human dignity and social change an opportunity to do so through flexible, learner-centered graduate degree programs. The Western Institute for Social Research is a small, non-traditional, non-profit university in Berkeley, California, founded in 1975 to offer innovative degree programs emphasizing social change, community involvement, and multiculturalism. WISR's offerings include Master's and Doctoral [people don't always immediately know what an EdD is] programs conducted largely by the tutorial method, with specific learning projects and course content driven heavily by individual learner interests. The WDU-WISR collaboration will allow students to pursue a WISR graduate degree based largely on multidisciplinary readings and learning projects, and a thesis or dissertation on topics related to human dignity. Students will be working with faculty drawn from WISR's core faculty and from qualified individuals drawn from the WDU and HumanDHS communities who serve as adjunct WISR faculty for this purpose.
Three current WISR graduate degree programs are eligible for this "Dignity Studies" specialization:
- M.S. in Community Leadership and Justice;
- M.S. in Education;
- Ed.D. in Higher Education and Social Change.
In exceptional cases, people may be able to pursue a BS degree (in Community Leadership and Justice), if they can demonstrate prior extensive experience and expertise in community and/or professional involvement. All three programs have a small number of required courses, each of which has some required readings, but primarily involves learner-defined action and/or research projects culminating in papers related to the student's purposes and interests. Students pursuing a Dignity Studies specialization would take a 5-credit course, "Dignity Studies," as part of their required courses.
Leland R. Beaumont is the Founding Manager of the Emotional Competency website.
See his new courses 2016:
- Living Wisely
- Envisioning our Future
- Envisioning Our Future: The World We Want in 2075
- Living the Golden Rule
- New courses 2022:
- Evolving Governments
- Finding Common Ground

See these resources for gathering experience and obtaining a college degree (in the US) without going to college, collected by Alexandria Potter on the Innovative Educator site:
Excelsior College
Get college credit
Scott H Young
Clep Collegeboard

See, furthermore, the concept of joint supervision or Cotutelle, joint doctoral degrees with other universities.
See here an explanation from Norway: "Joint degree means that two (or more) institutions jointly initiate a doctoral degree programme leading to a joint degree. The joint degree can be documented through a joint diploma from the institutions or through a diploma from each of the institutions."

See also the concept of Consortium or partnership between several universities.
Here is an example from the U.S. (Wikipedia): "The Big Ten Academic Alliance, Claremont Colleges consortium in Southern California, Five College Consortium in Massachusetts, and Consórcio Nacional Honda are among the oldest and most successful higher education consortia in the World. "


See, furthermore, The Global Virtual University (2003) by Lalita Rajasingham:
Since 1986, Lalita Rajasingham's area of research and teaching has been in the application of information technology such as the Internet, virtual reality and HyperReality and artificial intelligence to human communication, particularly to education in multicultural settings. She is widely published internationally and has presented several keynote addresses and plenary papers at national and international conferences. Lalita Rajasingham's co-authored book titled In Search of the Virtual Class: Education in an Information Society (1995) has helped to pioneer future directions in education for the next decade in many parts of the world, and introduced the concepts of virtual classes, HyperClasses, virtual universities, and virtual learning on the Internet. Her co-authored book The Global Virtual University (2003) similarly breaks new ground, and sketches a philosophical foundation for the future of the university in an era of rapid technological change and globalisation. Based on material gathered from research in the USA, Japan, UK, Taiwan, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand, this book is about the shift from the modern university of the nation state to the global university of the future, and presents a paradigm from which it might be constructed.

As to questions of accreditation (we thank Heidetraut von Weltzien Høivik for making us aware of these organizations), please see, for example:
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) was founded in 1916 to accredit schools of business worldwide. The first accreditations took place in 1919. The mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation and thought leadership.
The Management Development Network (EFMD), an international membership organization, based in Brussels, Belgium, has EQUIS - the world's leading international accreditation for business schools: EQUIS is the leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration.
The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative aims to inspire and champion responsible management education, research, and thought leadership globally.

A personal message from Annette Engler (August 26, 2006)
I think we, as students, have dismissed our feelings of humiliation in academia in replace of intellectual incompetence. Henceforth, we have accepted intellectual incompetence within ourselves creating a sort of self-humiliating effect. This effect perpetuates a more vicious cycle which we then begin to internalize into variations of silence, i.e., public speaking, journal writing and research presentations. Instances where we are not ourselves or fear being ourselves. Humiliation in the Academic Setting is like a vacuum of intellectual processes because it is the one place where students cannot escape as they journey to scholarship.

PhD in Love! by Linda Hartling and Judit Révèsz (February 20, 2013)

Judit suggests a PhD in Love!
Linda Hartling adds:
PhD in Compassion
PhD in Equal Dignity/Egalization
PhD in Dignifying Dialogue
PhD in Collaborative Community
PhD in Sustainability
PhD in Social Sustainability
PhD in Humility
PhD in Humor
PhD in Appreciative Enquiry
PhD in Awe and Wonderment
PhD in Mutuality
PhD in Creativity
PhD in Waging Good Conflict
PhD in Sustainable Peace
PhD in Dignifying Design
PhD in Dignity Economics

 




Founding Members
of the World Dignity University Initiative, as Invited by the WDU Team together with Francisco Gomes de Matos

Francisco Gomes de Matos, our FIRST FOUNDING MEMBER!

Morton Deutsch

Betty Reardon

Federico Mayor Zaragoza

Arun Gandhi

Ole Petter Ottersen

Inga Bostad

Jorunn Økland

Egil A. Wyller

Kamran Mofid

Shahid Kamal

Ragnhild S. Nilsen - Arctic Queen

Emanuela Claudia Del Re


Inga Bostad and some of her thoughts:
At the conference "Reimagining Democratic Societies: A New Era of Personal and Social Responsibilities," on 27-29th June 2011, at the University of Oslo, she explained that "the university is something like a bird in a cage, producing students' degrees, with measured and ear-marked money. She called for:
1. First, we need to provide a safe environment.
2. Then we need openness, respect, and listening (ask students to repeat what the other just said and you will note that misunderstandings abound!).
3. Then there is a quest for "moral disturbance"!"


Ragnhild S. Nilsen and some of her thoughts:
The model of the University Without Walls and International College, 1987
Tutor based teaching (professor-based teaching)
Recounted by Ragnhild Nilsen on 15th June 2011:
"In 1983-84 I wanted to study movement therapy and I did not find any relevant educational offer in Norway. By chance, I heard about a renowned dancer and movement therapist, Anna Halprin (who is still working today, at the age of 91, see www.annahalprin.org/classes.html). She had a private school, called San Francisco Dancers' Workshop, which was located in Tamalpa, close to San Francisco.
When I first learned about her work, I contacted her secretary. My first concern was that I needed an official accreditation so as to obtain a loan from the state of Norway, and then that I needed to be sure that the credits and degrees were recognized also in Norway. I needed to take a Master’s Degree, rather than only one course. The secretary explained that this was not a problem. Anne Halprin’s workshop and her institute had many contacts with a large network of professors, and I could obtain my degree with the University Without Walls, which was basically located nowhere, as a network of many professors, many of them based in Los Angeles.
Initially, I did not understand how this was supposed to work. Anna Halprin said: Come over and take the summer course with us, and then we work out everything!
In June 1986, I went to San Francisco and studied with Anna Halprin for six weeks. We were 30-40 students from all over the world, living spread in the Bay Area. This was a summer course in movement therapy. Then, Anna Halprin and her secretary came to me and showed me different options as to which tutors I would be able to work with. They had a list of something like 52 tutors, within the United States, and also outside of the US. They asked me in which thematic direction I would like to take my degree. I decided that I wanted to spend one semester at the University of Santa Barbara to study with George Brown, leading professor at the Gestalt therapy center at the University of Santa Barbara, and Judy Brown, a psychotherapist. Anna called them, and he took me in for one semester studying under him. I lived three months in St Barbara, studying Gestalt therapy and psychology with George Brown. I attended all his classes at university and then I had a special tutorial program with him, where I could ask special questions. I had to write a report and pass tests and exams. Everything went well.
Then Anna Halprin called Susan Rapaport and Carolyn S. Kenny. Dr. Susan Rapaport was connected to a private university. She also accepted me as a student. And then the music therapist Carolyn S. Kenny at the Institute of Drama and Dance at Stanford University.
So, I had four tutors: Anna Halprin, George and Judy Brown, Susan Rapaport, and Carolyn S. Kenny. Anna Halprin was my main tutor, and I studied with her in her San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop for one and a half years.
At some point, I started thinking about my master’s thesis. When I came to the Bay Area, I met with Susan Rapaport. She was my tutor for writing my thesis. She taught me the phenomenological method. I decided to write the thesis based on that method. It was titled With Open Hands: The Therapeutic Power of the Sacred Dialogue with Special Focus on Movement as the Sacred Language (1984, International College, Los Angeles California).
This Master’s Degree was an MA in Movement Therapy and Communication Skills. In Norway, I sent in my thesis, a recommendation from all of my four tutors, and a list of the books and some of the material that I had worked with, to the University of Oslo. The degree was recognized as a Master’s Degree in Norway."

We thank Gabriela Saab for finding an overview of the University Without Walls initiative by Rick Hendra and Ed Harris, 2002.

See also the Western Institute for Social Research (WISR), co-founded by John Bilorusky:
In 1975, WISR was founded by four people, and one of them, John Bilorusky (WISR’s President since 1981) has been centrally involved throughout WISR's history. The other three founders, like John, had previous experience with both traditional academia and non-traditional higher education prior to 1975. Two of them, like John, had taught in more conventional universities and were on the faculty of the non-traditional University Without Walls-Berkeley.


Francisco Gomes de Matos, our FIRST FOUNDING MEMBER!
See some of his reflections that he sent us with respect to the World Dignity University Initiative:

Your GENEROSITY a founding member of the WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY
has made me
  Deepest gratitude to YOU: how can it be affectively and effectively
expressed?
  By stating that sustainable my commitment to probing COMMUNICATIVE
DIGNITY will be
  With the mission of this UNIVERSITY BY AND FOR DIGNIFIERS I am
soulfully impressed
Francisco
Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil 20th May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com, 20th May, 2011


A World Dignity University: Some Rhymed Reflections
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil
9th March 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
Humankind needs DIGNITY
It is an individual and social quality
Humankind needs to be educated for DIGNITY
how can that quality be provided to the world community?
Humankind needs to prepare Educators who can educate for DIGNITY
People educated for DIGNITY would be known as DIGNIFIERS
DIGNIFIERS would have the permanent mission of causing INDIGNITY to cease
and would cooperate with HUMANIZERS, people who work for Human Rights and PEACE
Humankind needs DIGNITY
to humanize individual--and--community-LIFE quality
Humanity needs DIGNITY
That calls for HUMAN UNITY
Everybody, everywhere needs DIGNITY
Let's support a WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY !
One way to start a global campaign: Let's interact with COMMUNICATIVE DIGNITY
and urge that all language users treat one another with respect and  AMITY.

A World Dignity University: Some Rhymed Reflections
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil
10th March 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

For students and teachers-to-be at WORLDDIGNITYUNIVERSITY( fondly abbreviated as uniDIGNITY):
For DIGNITY educated
 By DIGNITY elevated
For DIGNITY created
By DIGNITY elated
For DIGNITY connected
By DIGNITY perfected
For DIGNITY humanized
By DIGNITY equalized
For DIGNITY united
By DIGNITY ignited
For DIGNITY globalized
By DIGNITY harmonized
For DIGNITY motivated
By DIGNITY captivated
For DIGNITY enlivened
By DIGNITY enlightened
For DIGNITY realized
By DIGNITY vitalized
For DIGNITY materialized
By DIGNITY spiritualized
For DIGNITY transcended
By DIGNITY open-ended .......
For DIGNITY differences enhanced
By DIGNITY diversity advanced
For DIGNITY Human Rights distinguished
By  DIGNITY Humiliation diminished (or ...extinguished)
For DIGNITY Nonviolence amplified
By DIGNITY PEACE glorified
For DIGNITY communication approximated
By DIGNITY language users cooperated
For DIGNITY arts and sciences integrated
By DIGNITY creativity sublimated
I could go on, but so can you.....Have some serious fun!
Sunniest DIGNITY for HUMANKIND

Admittance to uniDIGNITY
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil
11th March 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

There are many applicants knocking on your door
 To them you say:There is always room for more
 Then you ask: one another, how well do you treat?
 With RESPECT? If so, do come in and a good place you'll seek
 With DISrespect? Sorry, but first, in your life fix that leak

 Wisdom on your door
Students read the beautiful sign on your door
that multilingually says: ENTER WITH RESPECT
They will  learn that DIGNITY is in your core
and that HUMAN RIGHTS and PEACE you'll protect

As the concept of EQUALITY is central to DEMOCRACY,
so the concept of  DIGNITY is central to HUMANITY.
As the concept of SOLIDARITY is central to SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY,
so the concept of HUMILITY is central to TRANQUILITY

Learning at the WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY
an imaginative checklist of topics, by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil
29th March 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

What topics (issues, problems) can be studied at WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY?
After engaging in individual brainstorming this sunny morning, here's an imaginative checklist focused on USES OF DIGNITY. Note that the last word in each item ends in -ATION, so as to enhance memorability.
Learning at the WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY will help understand uses of DIGNITY in....
RESPECT reaffirmation
INJUSTICE reparation
HUMILIATION interpretation
ARTISTIC manifestation
KNOWLEDGE propagation
ECONOMIC stabilization
EQUALITY implementation
CITIZENSHIP preparation
HUMAN RIGHTS education
POVERTY eradication
CHARACTER elevation
TECHNOLOGY innovation
HEALTH preservation
FAMILY fortification
SCIENTIFIC experimentation
COMMUNICATIVE humanization
ECONOMIC deprivation
PEACEBUILDING, NONVIOLENCE, NONKILLING conscientization
CITIZENSHIP plantation
COOPERATION cultivation
CULTURAL adaptation
DIPLOMATIC negotiation
PSYCHOLOGICAL traumatization
LIFE tribulation
SOCIAL appreciation
SPIRITUAL transformation
Now, it's up to you to continnue this open-ended checklist. Have serious fun!

Why a WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY?
some reflections by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil
29th March 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

Because DIGNITY is an essential core-concept for the HUMAN RIGHTS Tradition
Because the indepth, inter-transciplinary study of DIGNITY is a conspicuous gap in the Universal History of Higher Education
Because knowledge of DIGNITY is a prerequisite to understanding about self-respect and respecting others, both intra and interculturally
Because DIGNITY is one of the powerful humanizing forces available to Humankind for overcoming humiliation,inequality, injustice
Because DIGNITY is a necessary component in everyday human interaction
Because DIGNITY is one of the MORAL-ETHICAL-PSYCHOSOCIAL UNIVERSALS
Because, sad to say, INDIGNITY has characterized much of Human History, especially in wars, conflicts, and other types of destructive actions by individuals and nations
Because DIGNITY can help show the WORLD how to go right and avoid going wrong
Because DIGNITY is embedded in human LOVE and compassion
Because DIGNITY can inspire a myriad relevant research projects and programs through a WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY
Because DIGNITY can be creatively,imaginatively probed by inter-trannsdisciplinarians playing a much-needed role: DIGNIFIERS

LET's DIGNIFY
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

11th April 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
Let's DIGNIFY, Let's DIGNIFY
 and WORLD DIGNITY we'll edify
Let's DIGNIFY, Let's DIGNIFY
 and WORLD DIGNITY we'll amplify
Let's DIGNIFY, Let's DIGNIFY
 and WORLD DIGNITY we'll fortify
Let's DIGNIFY, Let's DIGNIFY
 and WORLD DIGNITY we'll beautify
Let's DIGNIFY , Let's DIGNIFY
 and WORLD DIGNITY we'll purify
Let's DIGNIFY, Let's DIGNIFY
 and WORLD DIGNITY we'll vivify

LIVING IN A WORLD OF DIGNITY: An imaginative checklist (nouns beginning with D-)
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

18th April 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
LIVING IN A WORLD OF DIGNITY, what would we respect? Here's an alphabetically checklist nouns beginning with D- for you to reflect on. Have serious fun with, add to, probe, apply in your everyday (inter)actions:
WE WOULD RESPECT
day-dreaming, deafness, decency, decision-making, declarations (such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights),democracy, demonstrations(public), development, dialogue, differences, difficulties, diplomacy, disadvantages, disarmament, discontent, discrepancy, discusion, divergence, diversity, dissidence, dissimarility, division (cf.divided opinion), doubt, duties,.............
Do you organize, systematize your vocabulary?
Checklisting is one of the strategies well worth cultivating to do so.

DIGNIFIERS as world changers: a rhymed reflection
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

23th April 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
So many scientific-technological changes have been globally made
but for such transformations  what price has Humankind paid? Why?
Have there been effective  world changes that are socially motivated?
By such transformations, how high has human character been elevated? Why?
Have there been world changes in how people  psychologically fare?
By such transformations, are the mentally ill being shown compassionate care? Why?
Have there been world changes in how human dignity is respected?
By such transformations, have human interactions been perfected? Why?
Have there been educational changes in how the  diversity of cultures and languages is being recognized?
By such transformations,are students of all ages being humanized? Why?
Have there been world changes in how peoples from East and West have
cooperated?
By such transformations,what  current or forthcoming initiatives should
be appreciated? Why?
If we view DIGNIFIERS as global changers, which of their constructive
responsibilities should be prioritized? Why?

WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY and why?
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

27th April 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
Communicative DIGNITY
Psychological DIGNITY
Social DIGNITY
Educational DIGNITY

WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY will issue several types of CERTIFICATES
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

27th April 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY will issue several types of CERTIFICATES,
a variety of CERTIDIGNITIES (for intensive online workshops, for instance):
Specific CERTIDIGNITY on Psychological Dignity
- on Communicative Dignity
- on Educational  Dignity
- on Environmental Dignity
- on Political Dignity
- on Economic Dignity
- on Humanizing Dignity (Human Rights focused)
- Advertising Dignity
..........................ADD OTHER SPECIFIC TYPES OF  CERTIDIGNITIES.


DIGNITY CAN MAKE THE WORLD GO RIGHT
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

30th April 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
DIGNITY is the foundation of every HUMAN RIGHT
DIGNITY can be a LIFE-improving light
DIGNITY can be a global education might
DIGNITY can be a power against every humiliating plight
DIGNITY can help make HUMANKIND´s history bright
DIGNITY can help all peoples in the world  go RIGHT.


What nouns keep DIGNITY company, in English?
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

2nd May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
According to the Frequency Dictionary of Contemporary American English, by Mark Davies and Dee Gardner, published by Routledge, 2010, DIGNITY is among the 5,000 most frequently used words in English. Interestingly that reference work lists the 7 nouns which keep DIGNITY company, that is, which most frequently occur with it. They are: sense, right, person, honor, freedom, death, worth, grace, value, being. To help you memorize five of such nouns, here is a rhymed reflection:
DIGNITY is a human RIGHT
with a PERSON's WORTH it has to do
it is a GRACE that gives our FREEDOM a special light
our HONOR it can strengthen, too.


RHYMED REFLECTIONS for use at WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

2nd May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

Of the many worthy psychosocial acts in which human beings can excel
one is globally needed: our always treating one another well
Of the many worthy communicative acts in which human beings can excel
one is globally needed: our always wishing one another well
Of the many worthy humanizing acts in which human beings can excel
one is globally needed: learning to apply Human Rights well
Of the many worthy economic acts in which human beings can excel
one is globally needed: eradicating absolute poverty well
Of the many worthy environmental acts in which human beings can excel
one of globally needed: learning to share the Earth well
Of all the many dignifying acts in which human beings can wisely excel
one is globally needed: learning to live peacefully, nonviolently, nonkillingly

Some thought-and-action provoking questions addressed to students at WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

12th May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
Why do so many human beings mistreat so many human beings?
Because of DIGNITY there is global scarcity?
Why do so many human beings maltreat so many animals?
Because of RESPECT there is global scarcity?
Why do so many human beings ill-treat so many elements in Nature?
Because of  ENVIRONMENTAL DIGNITY there is global scarcity?
Why do so many human beings treat so many human beings badly in everyday interactions?
Because of COMMUNICATIVE DIGNITY there is global education scarcity?
Please note that in English you can say MISTREAT, MALTREAT, ILLTREAT to express TREATING BADLY, ABUSIVELY, etc. 
How about positively? You can say TREAT WELL,TREAT KINDLY, TREAT with DIGNITY, TREAT with RESPECT, etc.
In short, TREAT DIGNIFYINGLY.
Hope my questions will inspire relevant research in your cultural contexts.


Educating for a dignifying world
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

13th May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

Educating for a dignifying world
What does that call for?
For a dynamic, multilocal, innovative WORLD UNIVERSITY centered on multidimensional, everexpanding and everhumanizing DIGNITY
What would that challenging mission specifically call for?
For the sustained, universal application of dignifying actions in all areas
of knowledge and of human interaction
What would be required?
That EDUCATION IN WORLD DIGNITY by DIGNIFIERS be inspired
Who would play the role of DIGNIFIERS?
All those imbued with the principles of DIGNITY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, JUSTICE, PEACE, EQUALITY, COMPASSION, AND HUMILITY and
who could apply such (trans)formative principles

Treating Life with Dignity
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

19th May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

You say you 've had a boring day
but do you have the right to say
"I haven't lived for another day"?

You say you've had a very hard day
but do you have the right to say
"I wish I hadn't lived this day"?

Do we treat LIFE with dignity
as a unique, special quality
that gives us a human identity?

Next time you feel like complaining
about how worthless has been your day
Reflect on what, instead, you could say:
"My day could have been better, but I' m
thankful for being alive today"

No matter how sad your day may have turned out to be
Have faith and tomorrow better things you will see

Life is a challenge every day
but for our existence we don't pay
Let's always seek a humanizing way

What makes a blessed day?
Living that day with humility
what helps us find the best way?
Always treating LIFE with DIGNITY

Let's always treat LIFE with DIGNITY
by referring to it with all respect
As living beings, let's honor our identity
As DIGNIFIERS, our life we can perfect

On DIGNITY: architectural metaphors for the WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY: A Checklist for self-checking and other reflective purposes
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

25th May 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

DIGNITY is a FOUNDATION for HUMAN RIGHTS. How can Humankind build it?
DIGNITY is a BRIDGE to PEACE. How can Humankind cross it?
DIGNITY is a DOOR to EMPATHY. How can we open it?
DIGNITY is a TOWER to EQUALITY. How can we climb it?
DIGNITY is a HOUSE of RESPECT. How can we use it?
DIGNITY is a ROAD to  MORALITY. How can we travel on it?
DIGNITY is a TEMPLE for GLOBAL UNITY. How can we share it?
DIGNITY is a theater  for INTERACTION. How can we make wise use of it?
DIGNITY is a TEMPLE for GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING and COMPASSION. How can we pray therein?
Please add to the above architecture-inspired metaphors and ask
thought-and-action provoking questions.

The force of DIGNITY: Rhymed reflections
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

5th June 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

Ever thought of DIGNITY as a FORCE? Here are some rhymed reflections. Please create other pieces probing the extraordinary force of DIGNITY.

DIGNITY can be a force
humiliation by others to counteract
DIGNITY can be a force
when unfair criticism our ideas attract

DIGNITY can be a force
for enhancing every person's self-esteem
DIGNITY can be a force
even when hopeless our living conditions seem

DIGNITY can be a force
one's full potential at work  to realize
DIGNITY can be a force
even when working conditons are hard to optimize

DIGNITY can be a force
when used for self-affirmation
DIGNITY can be a force
even when we are victims of dehumanization

DIGNITY can be a force
when disrespected we are
DIGNITY  can be a force
when our rights seem too far

DIGNITY is a force
that human character will always elevate
DIGNITY is a force
that global interdependence will always celebrate

An inspiring quotation for DIGNIFIERS
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil
5th June 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

"We live in times of transition toward increasing global interdependence and more equal dignity for all."
- Evelin G. Lindner, "Emotion and Conflict: Why it is important to understand how emotions affect conflict and how conflict affects emotions," in The Handbook of Conflict Resolution:Theory and Practice, edited by Morton Deutsch, Peter T.Coleman, and Eric C. Marcus. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006, p. 270. We thank Francisco Gomes de Matos for suggesting this quote as "An inspiring quotation for DIGNIFIERS." Francisco Gomes de Matos writes (8th June 2011):
This illuminating statement has motivated me to reflect on a world of interdepence, by probing a list of verbs which would describe aspects or dimensions of such global interdependence. Readers are asked to add to the list, reflect on each item, question its relevance, etc.
LIVING IN AN INTERDEPENDENT WORLD:
A Verb-focused list
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist, and founding member of the World Dignity University
IN AN INTERDEPENDENT WORLD, peoples and nations would cooperate communicatively, culturally, economically, educationally, politically, scientifically, spiritually....
help one another
respect one another
exchange relationship-building experiences/research results
share experiences in promoting dignity intra-and-interpersonally and within-and-across communities
recognize the diversity of languages and cultures and the importance of supporting/sustaining them
see one another as partners in global dignifying change
co-design and implement education futures embedded in compassion,
dignity, human rights, justice, peace, nonviolence and nonkilling
negotiate commercially and diplomatically in a spirit of mutual trust
foster creativity and innovation for the good of Humankind
co-write the history of a dignifying interaction of human beings and Nature
share the Earth in environmentally healthy ways
optimizing the right to visit one another's countries in a spirit
of planetary citizenship

Rhymed Reflections (inspired by DIGNITY) for use by students of the WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil
16th June 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

1 - When insults at one another we sling
    DIGNITY complains: I can't sing. I can't sing

2 - When disrespectful we are
    DIGNITY whispers: You can't see me. I'm too far

3 -  Disrespect is a dehumanizing action
    Respect is a dignifying interaction

4 -  The word RESPECT is very frequently used
    but, sad to say, by DISRESPECT Humankind of so often abused

5 -  When others we treat with contempt
    We show that from INDIGNITY we are not exempt

6 -  When we use phraseologies of respect
    We are also doing good to our intellect

7 - If disrespectfully you disagree
   The ship called DIALOGUE may be lost at sea

8 - When we treat one another with respect
   relational dignity is enhanced by affect

9 - When you say "With all due respect"
   Do you feel that DIGNITY you perfect?

10 - What does mutual respect require?
   Relational dignity that will inspire!

EDUCATIONAL DIGNITY: some reflections
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
20th June 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

In 1995,the University of Pennsylvania Press published Betty Reardon's
Educating for Human Dignity: Learning about Rights and Responsibilities.
A K - 12 Teaching Resource
.
In her Introduction, that farsighted ,innovative Peace educator states that
"all rights and entitlements are interrelated and interdependent components
 of one central, generative principle: HUMAN DIGNITY" (p.3). Indeed
those words of wisdom have been influencing the ever-expanding and
relevant tradition of studies focused on equality of dignity and rights,
as cogently proclaimed by Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another
in a spirit of brotherhood." Today, we may paraphrase such statement and
speak of a spirit of relational dignity, but the fact remains that
the interaction between Education and Dignity is a permanent universal challenge.
Interestingly, from the perspective of Peace Linguistics, the juxtaposition
of Education and Dignity can also become an exercise in linguistic
creativity. Thus,we may look at/research Education AND Dignity,
Education FOR Dignity, Education THROUGH  Dignity, Education WITH
Dignity, and more imaginatively-provoking: Education BEYOND Dignity.
Conversely, we may look at/research Dignity AND Education, Dignity
FOR Education (for the processes of Education, for the development
of educational programs, projects, curricula, etc., either actual or
virtual; respect for educational policies, practices, materials, respect
for co-creators of educational experiences, etc.), Dignity WITH Education,
Dignity BEYOND Education (more provocatively imagined scenarios).
It may be worth probing the dimension of EDUCATIONAL DIGNITY, together with
other components such as ENVIRONMENTAL DIGNITY, SPIRITUAL DIGNITY, etc.
What types of key-questions could be asked on Educational Dignity, questions
that would help conscientize those who will be engaged in decision-making
at the World Dignity University? The following list is the outcome of
my brainstorming. Readers are kindly urged to add their questions and to
contextualize the educational contexts they have in mind.
Who is being assured the right to being educated for dignity? Where?
How? Why?
What happens in specific educational settings when learners are not
treated with dignity? What is done to overcome such violations of
human dignity?
What happens when educators experience humiliation in the exercise
of their profession? What is done to help them overcome post-traumatic
educational indignity, especially of a communicative nature?
Is educating for dignity being implemented at all parts in the
education continuum with the support of digital, online literacy?
How is assessment of human educational performance being carried out?
Are fair tools used for evaluating learners' text productions?
Are todayæs youngt citizens and tomorrow's adults being educated
to become DIGNIFIERS, that is, persons imbued with a Human Rights +
Responsibilities awareness and who apply such values in their
everyday interactions?
Are teachers' and students' voices being heard by the communities
 in which they co-create teaching-learning?
Are perceptions of Educational Dignity being documented, across cultures?

USING LANGUAGES IN DIGNIFYING WAYS - A plea for the WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University 8th July 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
With what qualities are the words we use endowed?
Are the texts our minds create phrased respectfully?
Why shouldn't communicative indignity be allowed?
How can our students learn to interact soulfully?
For RELATIONAL DIGNITY let's educate
Effects of dignifying language uses let's investigate
Communicatively constructive conferences let's orchestrate
That all of our students can become DIGNIFIERS let's demonstrate

Deprivation of Dignity: Sociopsychological Damages a List of Adjectives in -ATED
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
14th July 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com
What may happen when someone is deprived of dignity?
That person may be or may feel sociopsychologically
ALIENATED/DEBILITATED/DEPRECIATED/DEVASTATED/DISCRIMINATED/DISSOCIATED/DOMINATED/EXASPERATED/ HUMILIATED/INTIMIDATED/MANIPULATED/SEGREGATED
Please add -ATED adjectives to the list and enhance the mnemonic value of
the list.
18th July 2011, Linda Hartling added:
Dignity deprivation
Relational malnutrition
Relational deprivation
Ridicule survivor
Humiliation resistant
Humiliation resilient

The multidimensionality of DIGNITY: A linguist's list for use by the World Dignity University
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
15th July 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

When we use the word DIGNITY, when we talk about it, do we have in mind a generic concept or a specific concept? DIGNITY permeates human life, so it is manifested in a myriad ways. If we want to communicate precisely, we should choose our words and expressions carefully, rigorously, right? Education experienced at the World Dignity University could reflect that communicative responsibility.
How? By everyone engaged in implementing WDU's mission and vision taking into consideration the open-ended listing below (Please add other items)
The multidimensionality of DIGNITY (an alphabetically arranged list):
Types of DIGNITY which could be focused in education/research at the World Dignity University:
ART(istic), Anthropological, Athletic, assessment,...
Biological, biographical,...
Civic, communicative, (cross)cultural, community, compassion, care, cooperation, criticism,...
Digital, diplomatic, development(al),...
Ecological, economic, educational, environmental, ethical,...
Family, fiction(al),...
Government(al), geographical, global,...
Health, humor, history/historical, Humankind, human beings, human rights, humility,...
Information(al), intellectual, interactive, imaginative, innovative; interpersonal, intergroup, Internet, international
Juridical, judicial, journalistic,...
Knowledge, kids, kindergarten,...
Life/living/love/loving/, learning, learner, literary, literacy, legal, lexicographic, ludic,...
Media, medical, marriage,...
National, nonviolence, nonkilling, nonaggression,...
Organizational, old(er) persons,...
Parental, pedagogical, political, physical, professional, planetary, psychological, peacebuilding, peacemaking, peacesustaining,...
Question(ing)
Relational, religious, reading, research, respect,
Scientific, social, spiritual,...
Text(ual), transportation, taxation, television, textbook, teaching, teacher,....
Universal,....
Verbal, vocabulary, video,...
World, work, workplace, wisdom, writing, websearching,
X ...
Youth,..
Zeal,...

When Does Relational D I G N I T Y Dwindle?
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
18th July 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

When in an interaction there is affront, anger, deceit, demeaning, disrespect, envy, hate, humiliation, insult, intimidation, mockery, offense, ridicule, lying, slander, threaten...
Let's ask ourselves: What happens when we affront a person, when we make that person angry,
when we deceive that person, when we demean, disrespect, envy that person, hate that person,
humiliate the person, insult, intimidate, make fun of the person, offend, ridicule, lie to that
person, slander the person, mislead the person, slander the person, threaten that person?
And when WE experience those actions? How do WE feel?
How can such dehumanizing actions be prevented? How can they be replaced with
constructive, dignifying ways of being, of interacting?
Recently I overheard (in Portuguese) someone say "Se inveja matasse, eu estaria morto"
(If envy could kill, I would be dead...). Do such self-incriminating statements occur
in other languages, across cultures?

Rhymed Reflections for WDU Faculty and students: HOW questions
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
27th July 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

1- HOW can we learn to read the world?
  By integrating wise knowledge new and old?
2- HOW can we teach WDU students to read the world?
   By challenging them to question/correct ideas that are being deceptively sold?
3- HOW can we enhance respect for all countries in the world?
   By documenting and sharing exemplary accounts of national dignity?
4- Of DIGNITY, HOW can we build a world view?
   By researching DIGNITY crossculturally, anew and anew?
5- HOW can we educate WDU students to be communicatively kind?
   By helping them to use languages for the good of Humankind
6- HOW can we apply relational dignity in online communication?
   By interacting in a sustained spirit of trust and cooperation

The Challenging Conditions of DIGNITY EDUCATION
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
12th December 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to environmental responsibility
We will seriously neglect ENVIRONMENT DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to economic equality
We will seriously neglect ECONOMIC DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to political honesty
We will seriously neglect POLITICAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to social responsibility
We will seriously neglect SOCIAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to global unity
We will seriously neglect GLOBAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to educational autonomy
We will seriously neglect EDUCATIONAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to spoken, written, signed communicative responsibility
We will serious neglect COMMUNICATIVE DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to psychological sensitivity
We will serious neglect PSYCHOLOGICAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to crosscultural responsibiliy
We will seriously neglect CROSSCULTURAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to international security
We will seriously neglect GLOBAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to Human Rights-Responsibilities
We will seriously neglect HUMANIZING DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to PEACE, NONVIOLENCE, NONKILLING
We will seriously neglect LIFE-SUPPORTING DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to indidividual and collective creativity
We will seriously neglect CREATIVE DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to spiritual identity
We will seriously neglect SPIRITUAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to intra-inter-family amity
We will seriously neglect FAMILY DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to diversity
We will seriously neglect DIVERSITY DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to relationship mutuality We will seriously neglect RELATIONAL DIGNITY
IF we educate Humankind with little or no attention to humiliation
We will seriously neglect DIGNITY HUMANIZATION
Please reflect on the above challenging conditions and add your own pairs of rhymed reflections.

EDUCATING DIGNIFYINGLY: Rhymed Reflections
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
25th December 2011, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

When dignifyingly we educate
human character, conduct, and communication we elevate
When dignifyingly we teach
higher levels of relational dignity we reach
When our learners' performance dignifyingly we assess
the effect of our action may be equivalent to an educational caress
When challenges to our learners' creativity dignifyingly we raise
the effect of our action may be equivalent to unexpected praise
When to gaps in our educational performance dignifyingly we admit
the effect of our humbling action may be "to serious classroom
preparation let's always commit"
When dignifyingly we ensure our learners' right their opinions to voice
the effect of our action may be "over freedom of expression, let's rejoice"

WORLD DIGNITY UNIVERSITY: What will you do?
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
23st January 2012, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

So sad to see:
In this world, there is lack of honor
respect
dignity
honesty
equality
In this world, there is so much dishonor
disrespect
indignity
dishonesty
inequality
When and where will dishonor always be replaced by honor
disrespect always become respect
indignity always change into dignity
dishonesty always give way to honesty
inequality always be effaced by equality
When and where HONOR+DIGNITY+RESPECT +HONESTY+EQUALITY
will be integrated as a globally shared and sustained quality?
World Dignity University
So much will be expected of you
For DIGNITY in ways of thinking, being, and (inter)acting you will be asked to help educate
and the many blessed qualities of LIVEABILITY everywhere you will be asked to help elevate.

A New Generic Concept-Term for Designating Communicative-Crosscultural-Educational-Human-Psychosocial Professionals
by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, and a founding member of the World Dignity University
14th February 2012, fcgm1933 [at] gmail.com

There are many professionals who in helping improve interaction excel.
Those professionals share the goal of guiding persons, groups, communities in how to treat one another well.
Is there a generic concept-term in your language that to such professionsld would refer?
In your conceptual-terminological repertoire, is there a generic term whose semantic extension you prefer?
Yes, RELATIONAL DIGNIFIERS should be all educators, psychologists, health professionals, social workers, print and online media professionals, diplomats, omsbudpersons, spiritual guides, businesspersons, sports professionals, performers, , ........
Please add to this open-ended listing.
What is expected of RELATIONAL DIGNIFIERS? That such professionals relate in dignifying ways, thus contributing to a dignifying world.
Feedback on this conceptual suggestion will be appreciated.

 




Links

Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies engages in global cooperation and exchange. It is linking up with many academic and educational institutions around the world and is eager to increase its network further. In the following a number of cooperation partners are named. Please see also our specific subpage of partners, our links page, and our Global Core Team with their academic affiliations, as well as our Global Advisory Board.
The idea of a World Dignity University is being launched from the University of Oslo (UiO) in Norway on 24th June 2011, the year of UiOs 200th birthday. Visionary plans stood at the outset of the University of Oslo, as explained by John Peter Collett.

David Yamada is the new director of the WDUi since 2021! Welcome!
He recommends:
Storey, Valerie, and Roschanda Fletcher (2023). "Developing scholar activists: The role of the EdD." In Impacting Education, 8 (1), pp. 1–8. doi: 10.5195/ie.2023.277.

Old and New: Non-Degree Higher and Adult Learning to Advance Human Dignity
Description: In considering the potential roles of the World Dignity University, Evelin Lindner and others have invoked the original origins and meanings of the term “university,” harkening back to a time before institutions of higher learning were organized around departments, credits, and degrees. With those notions as a prod, this small group discussion session will (1) assign participants to do some modest homework before the program, examining schools and programs whose work provides potential examples for ours; and (2) then gather us together to discuss possibilities for organizing programs for WDU and related endeavors via non-credit, continuing education, largely DIY formats.
Kindly see this evolving set of links that lead to information about ancient famous schools, historic learning institutions, adult education centers, universities offering substantial non-credit course offerings, informal and self-directed learning initiatives, and platforms for hosting online courses:
*             Ancient schools and libraries;
*             Current universities and schools that offer non-credit, adult education courses, in-person and online; 
*             Salons and study circles; and,
*             Self-directed learning initiatives.
Examples:
*             Plato’s Academy 
*             Aristotle’s Lyceum
*             Library of Alexandria
*             Origins of the New School for Social Research
*             Ruskin College, Oxford, UK
*             Midwest Academy (social change organizing training)
*             “Open Masters” community devoted to fostering independent learning that mirrors self-designed master’s degree programs
*             Designing and undertaking an “Informal Ph.D.”
*             Salons and study circles
               ~ Salon (gathering) 
               ~ Study_circle 
               ~ Discussion group 
               ~ How to host a salon
*             International Society for Self-Directed Learning
*             The Alliance for Self-Directed Education
*             Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
*             Omega Institute
*             University of Cambridge (UK), Institute for Continuing Education, Summer School
*             University of Chicago, Graham School for Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies
*             The Catherine Project (tuition-free learning community dedicated to Great Books and liberal learning)
*             Meridian University, California
*             GrubStreet (writing school), Boston
*             Highlander Research and Education Center (historic education center dedicated to social justice and sustainability)
*             Henry George School of Social Science, New York
*             Coursera (popular provider of online courses offered by multiple universities)
*             EdX (popular provider of online courses offered by multiple universities)
*             The Great Courses
*             Center for Popular Economics
*             Cambridge Center for Adult Education
*             Chautauqua Institution
*             Search: “best platforms for online courses” (i.e., for platforms that facilitate charging tuition or fees)        
               ~ Zapier.com article reviewing 11 online course platforms
               ~ Adem Enfroy article reviewing 21 online course platforms
               ~ Blogging Wizard article reviewing 15 online course platforms
               ~ Learning Revolution article reviewing online course platforms

Quest University Canada
Quest University Canada is Canada’s first independent, not-for-profit, secular university focusing entirely on excellence in undergraduate education. Located in Squamish, BC, near Vancouver Canada.

The Idea of a University: University As a Place for Independent Thought, by Howard Richards
See also Richards, Howard (2015). "Modernity’s ‘other’ and the transformation of the university." In International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, 7 (2), 6-25. doi: 10.18546/IJDEGL.07.2.03.
Howard Richards, in a personal communication, November 19, 2017:
Let me say a word about my own special interest. It draws on the ideas in John Henry Cardinal Newman's Dublin lectures published as The Idea of a University. It also draws on pessimism regarding the "Bologna process" in the EU and the general trend of university life today.
Newman emphasizes that a university is a place where specialists in different fields talk to each other. Perhaps he had in mind the conversations in the dining rooms of the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. The general trend of universities today is toward being dominated by money and oriented toward satisfying industry's demand for employees with certain skills. They cease to be what Robert Hutchins said a university must be, a centre of independent critical thought.
This relates to the paradox Catherine Hoppers and I note in our book Rethinking Thinking. Today the sheer quantity of knowledge produced by universities is greater than ever before and exponentially growing. Yet humanity's main problems remain unsolved, and even tend to get worse.
I understand and agree with WDU's emphasis in getting the technology set up and recruiting the volunteer-power to provide on line education (ideally with a component of non-virtual presence) for students. Yet my own special interest is not so much in courses, and not so much in research. It is in the life-long formation of peacemakers, as in the Peace and Global Studies programme at Earlham College. I am even more interested in a centre of independent critical thought where specialists in different fields communicate with each other and together contribute to solutions to humanity's principal problems.

MA and Graduate Certificate in Human Rights Practice, University of Arizona

World University Consortium
The Academy’s founders intended that the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) should function as "an informal World University at the highest scientific and ethical level, in which deep human understanding and fullest sense of responsibility will meet." Although some modest beginnings were made to establish a few regional centers of excellence, political conditions at the height of the Cold War, as well as limitations in transport and global communication, posed insurmountable obstacles to realize this vision at the time. Rapid advances in telecommunications and educational technology over the past decade created the opportunity to realize the vision of WAAS Founders.
The World University Consortium in 2013 is a major initiative of the Academy to design a global system of higher education attuned to emerging opportunities and challenges. Following a major international conference on Global Higher Education organized by the Academy at the University of California at Berkeley in October 2013, the World University Consortium was incorporated in California as a non-governmental organization to promote accessible, affordable, quality education at the global level founded on universal human values, relevant to the emerging needs of the 21st century, oriented to promote full employment, and capable of developing the full potential of each individual student for personal accomplishment and contribution to the collective progress of humanity. WUC is intended to become a global network and umbrella group working to facilitate educational partnerships and linkages with interested stakeholders with shared goals, to explore creative solutions to enhance the reach, quality and relevance of higher education globally, to provide a platform for new ideas, trans-disciplinary perspectives and integrated courseware intended to address global opportunities and challenges, and to develop ways to draw upon the extensive knowledge and experience acquired by organizations outside the traditional field of academia which possess essential knowledge for addressing real-world problems.

T.S. Eliot
Where is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
― T.S. Eliot. We thank Kamran Mofid for this quote. See also 'Brexit, Trump and the Failure of Our Universities to Pursue Wisdom', by Kamran Mofid, Globalization for the Common Good, 26 November 2016.

Pasi Sahlberg, Finnish Lessons 2.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? (New York: Teachers College Press, 2011)
Ever wondered how Finland managed to build its highly regarded school system? Look behind the headlines and find out. Finnish Lessons is a firsthand, comprehensive account of how Finland built a world-class education system over the past three decades. The author traces the evolution of education policies in Finland and highlights how they differ from those in the United States and other industrialized countries. Rather than relying on competition, school choice, and external testing of students, education reforms in Finland focus on professionalizing teachers' work, developing instructional leadership in schools, and enhancing trust in teachers and schools. This book details the complexity of educational change and encourages educators and policy makers to develop effective solutions for their own districts and schools. Pasi Sahlberg recounts the history of Finnish educational reform as only a well-traveled insider can, offering the insight and facts necessary for others to constructively participate in improving their schools - even in a tightening economy.
See also "Finland Education Success." Thank you to Adair Linn Nagata for sending us this link!

The Wayfinders, 2009 Massey Lecture by Wade Davis
Wade Davis author of The Wayfinders at the 2009 Massey Lecture in the Convocation Hall, Toronto, October 31, 2009, uploaded on November 20, 2011.

A Higher Calling for Higher Education
by Cristina Escrigas, Boston, MA: Great Transition Initiative, 2016.

Nature the Best Teacher: Re-Connecting the World’s Children with Nature
Written by Kamran Mofid, 10 April 2015
More than parent and student communities, the teaching fraternity needs to understand that the essential purpose of education is not to enable students to earn a living, but to learn how to live life. As the primal teacher, Mother Nature teaches both the secret of life, which is to respect all life, and also how to live one’s own life in harmony and balance with all creation, exemplified by the manner in which various species of the natural world live in peaceful co-existence.'
'Picture a school where the natural environment becomes the classroom and Nature becomes one of the teachers. Even students who don't exhibit "nature smarts" will become more attuned and connected to the world around them. And as many wise people have said, we can't save something we don't love, and we can't love something we don't know. Don't we owe it to our students to help them develop their naturalist intelligence?'
See also: Louv, Richard (2009). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. London: Atlantic Books.
Kamran recommends:
First video: Project Wild Thing: Producer David Bond, 'A gripping story of the desperate struggle to lead our computer-crazed children back to nature.'
Second video: It's Time to Rewild the Child, ' In this video George Monbiot argues that the more time children spend in the classroom, the worse they do at school because our narrow education system only rewards a particular skill set. He says that when you take failing pupils to the countryside, they often thrive – yet funding for outdoor education is being cut.'

Frohes Schaffen
Ein Film zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral, 12th May 2014
Der moderne aufgeklärte Mensch ist nicht frei von Irrglauben und geistigem Zwang. Er hat längst einen anderen Gott erwählt - die Arbeit. Arbeit ist Sicherheit, Selbstbestätigung, Existenzberechtigung. Sie ist eine Sucht, ein Fetisch, ein Mantra, das uns tagtäglich umgibt. In Zeiten von Wirtschaftsboom und rasantem Arbeitsplatzabbau hinterfragt "Frohes Schaffen" diesen "heiligen" Lebenssinn der Arbeit. Regisseur Konstantin Faigle begibt sich auf eine Reise zu den Wurzeln unseres Arbeitsbegriffs. Er besucht die Stätten des Arbeitsglaubens und dessen Niedergangs. Er fährt ins Ruhrgebiet zu den letzten "heiligen" Bergarbeitern und zum geschlossenen Nokia-Werk. Er begutachtet in Hamburg ein virtuelles Übungskaufhaus, eine Aktivierungsmaßnahme für Langzeitarbeitslose. See more.

Slow Movement/Slow University, by Maggie O'Neill et al.
Forum: Qualitative Social Research Vol 15, No 3 (2014)
•  Slow Movement/Slow University: Critical Engagements. Introduction to the Thematic Section, by Maggie O'Neill, Luke Martell, Heather Mendick, Ruth Müller
•  The Slow University: Work, Time and Well-Being, by Maggie O'Neill

Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, by William Deresiewicz, New York: Free Press, 2014.
Excellent Sheep takes a sharp look at the high-pressure conveyor belt that begins with parents and counselors who demand perfect grades and culminates in the skewed applications Deresiewicz saw firsthand as a member of Yale's admissions committee. As schools shift focus from the humanities to "practical" subjects like economics and computer science, students are losing the ability to think in innovative ways. Deresiewicz explains how college should be a time for self-discovery, when students can establish their own values and measures of success, so they can forge their own path. He addresses parents, students, educators, and anyone who's interested in the direction of American society, featuring quotes from real students and graduates he has corresponded with over the years, candidly exposing where the system is broken and clearly presenting solutions.

Culture, Politics & Pedagogy: A Conversation w/ Henry Giroux
Uploaded on 5 Dec 2006
An active citizen, says the prolific and influential Henry Giroux, is "somebody who has the capacity not only to understand and engage the world but to transfom it when necessary, and to believe that he or she can do that." In this provocative new interview, Giroux speaks with passion about the inextricable links between education, civic engagement, and social justice. Strongly influenced by Paulo Freire, the Brazilian scholar of progressive education, Giroux advocates for a pedagogy that challenges inequality, oppression, and fundamentalism. Essential viewing for students of education, cultural studies, and communication.

Traditional Rural Contexts Are an Optimal Learning Environment
Wendell Berry: Agriculture for a Small Planet Symposium

This talk was given on July 1, 1974, and the Berry Center uploaded it on July 4, 2014, on the 40th Anniversary of Wendell Berry's speech about the culture of agriculture that was delivered at the "Agriculture for a Small Planet" Symposium in Spokane, Washington. The first few lines of this speech, written on a yellow legal pad in route to the symposium, inspired his book The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture published in 1977. Berry's speech was also a catalyst for the launch of the Tilth Movement in the Pacific Northwest. "Your symposium, as well as a lot of other meetings I've been to in other parts of the country, proves the literature of a thoughtful and even known constituency for a better kind of agriculture," wrote Berry in a letter to Gigi Coe and Bob Stilger following the Symposium (July 4, 1974).
In his 1974 presentation Wendell Berry remarked: "Few people, whose testimony would have mattered, have seen the connection between the modernization of agricultural techniques and disintegration of the culture and the communities of farming... This community killing agriculture, with its monomania of bigness, is not primarily the work of farmers, though it has burgeoned upon their weaknesses. It is the work of institutions of agriculture, the experts and agribusinessmen who have promoted so-called efficiency at the expense of community and quantity at the expense of quality... In the long run, quantity is inseparable from quality. To pursue quantity alone is to destroy those disciplines in the producers that are the only assurance of quantity. The preserver of abundance is excellence... Food is a cultural, not a technological, product."
Mark Petz wrote on July 8, 2014: This fits in very much with what organic agriculture does with the IFOAM Principles, where they have Community Supported Agriculture "adapted to the natural rhythm of the seasons and is respectful of the environment, natural and cultural heritage and health." They value cultures through the participatory guarantee schemes, "We consider it essential to recognise local cultures and to preserve traditional know-how, which has always respected nature and favoured a sustainable management of resources."

Global citizenship education (GCE)
Global citizenship education (GCE) is one of the strategic areas of work for UNESCO's Education Programme (2014-2017) and one of the three priorities of the UN Secretary-General's Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) launched in September 2012. Global Citizenship Education equips learners of all ages with those values, knowledge and skills that are based on and instil respect for human rights, social justice, diversity, gender equality and environmental sustainability and that empower learners to be responsible global citizens. GCE gives learners the competencies and opportunity to realise their rights and obligations to promote a better world and future for all. More UNESCO's work on GCE is guided by a three-pronged approach:
- policy dialogue in connection with the post-2015 education agenda
- providing technical guidance on GCE and promoting transformative pedagogies
- Clearing-house function.

Future Earth
Future Earth, a UNESCO-sponsored initiative that aims to provide the knowledge required to address risks posed by global environmental change through international scientific collaboration, will be coordinated by a new secretariat with a unique and innovative structure that spans three continents. Future Earth will mobilize thousands of scientists and local and indigenous knowledge holders, working closely with the private sector, civil society and governments to provide early warning signals of environmental risk and change, and stimulate new research to support the transition of societies towards sustainability.

"Making Sense of Place: School-Farm Cooperation in Norway," by Erling Krogh and Linda Jolly (2011)
In: Children, Youth and Environments 21(1): 310-321
Abstract
This paper describes the Norwegian "Living School" national project and its related university extension course, "The Farm as a Pedagogical Resource." Since the national initiative began in the late 1990s, more than 250 separate local projects have been developed through the course. Here we focus on one such project in the community of Aurland. It illustrates the basic principal of "rooting" students in life processes and in the places in which they live through participation in practical, meaningful work outdoors.

The Life University: Learning Institute For Everyone (LIFE)
The Inpang Community Network began in 1987 with a group of village leaders in Ban Bua Village, Tambon Kut Bak, Kut Bak District, Sakon Nakhon Province in Northeast Thailand. In order to break the cycle of debt from cash‐cropping, the farmers began to transform their farm landscapes from more costly, high‐input, chemical dependent monocultures to diverse agroforestry systems that included rice for consumption as well as a wide variety of woody perennials. From a small group of twelve members, the Inpang network has grown to over 4000 members in five provinces in northeast Thailand, with linkages to many other farmer groups throughout Thailand. Inpang members grow hundreds of native woody perennial species as seedlings aimed at promoting the use of forest products from on‐farm sources, rather than harvesting and collecting from the natural, protected forests in areas such as nearby Phuphan National Park.
The Life University: Learning Institute For Everyone (LIFE)
"มหาวิทยาลยั ชีวิต"ที่มาของสถาบนั การเรียนรู้เพื่อปวงชน (สรพ.)
These days it seems people all over the country are facing problems concerning debt, family, and their very own livelihood. It is as though their community is about to fall apart; people are unable to solve the myriad of problems they are besieged with.
Despite the above situation, we have discovered that there exists a good number of people who have been able to solve their debt and other problems by themselves. We have also come across many communities that have not collapsed; on the contrary, they are strong and able to support themselves. More than just a few are outstanding to the point that many people from all over the country and from abroad have made an effort to pay them a study visit.
At a time when we are about to lose hope in our education system since it has failed to help mend the problems of poverty, debt, separation and violence, we have found that strong communities throughout the country are strong not because they are granted big budgets and many projects, but it is because they are 'learning' communities. These communities have efficiently managed their own learning processes in ways that can help solve their own problems and develop themselves.
LIFE has 'sought knowledge' from village philosophers, leaders, and from the strong communities we have visited. For the past 30 years, we have collaborated in 'joint development' of local communities all over the country. We have worked with community leaders, academics, then analyzed and synthesized the knowledge obtained from these communities and developed it into both short- term and long-term programs and those at a higher education level ; these programs are then brought back to members of the communities all over the country so they can choose to study. It is hoped that upon graduation, they can take back their knowledge and manage to successfully deal with their own problems in the same way as those individuals and 'prototype' communities.
Life University : The Meaning
The 'Life University' is a phrase specifically coined to describe a learning process that comes from life experiences. Learning here is, therefore, based on real life, real problems in our life, community and society whereas one's potential and that of his local community serve as a solid foundation and an investment capital. Learning at LIFE means learning to solve own problems and to develop oneself rather than learning 'from books' in order to pass 'exams' and take the degree they receive after graduation to look for jobs elsewhere.
The Life University is one 'form' of learning which uses life as the 'content' for learning. Emphasis is put on processoriented learning and not on rote learning or knowledge transmitting. It is a process that helps learners learn how to think, and think systematically as well as be able to create new or 'tacit' knowledge. This kind of knowledge that they have created by themselves is considered the knowledge with maximum efficiency and force that can result in desired effects.
Please read more here.

The 'Lazy' School
After the 23rd Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, 'Returning Dignity', in Chiang Mai, Thailand, that took place in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand from 8th - 12th March, some of the participants were able to accept the kind invitation by the Ngak' Nyau (Karen) village Ban Nong Thao in Northern Thailand (at 1200 meters height), the village of Joni Odochaw, a Karen sage and former village headman. See the video material we created on 8th March, and 13th and 14th March 2014.
Please see the Proclamation on Rural Resilience that we sent off to the United Nations after listening to Joni Odochaw, Zwae, and Otzie in Northern Thailand in March 2014. They helped us better understand the dilemma posed by the fact that education, TV, and the digital world can either be beneficial or destructive to sustainable ways of living as demonstrated by this indigenous community. As Peter Dering, the first student of the 'Lazy School' formulated it: our vision must be to expand community learning to include modern knowledge through technology, rather than lose community learning.
On the wall in the sleeping room under the roof we found a poster of the
Inaugural International Symposium on Local Wisdom and Improving Quality of Life, August 8-10, 2012, Chiangmai:




This is the text that introduces Joni Odochao:
Mr. Joni Odochao, Thai wisdom teacher in the field of natural resources and environmental management, Northern Thai wisdom teachers Year 1:
Born and raised in a Karen village of Northern Thailand, Kru Joni Odochao witnessed major changes in the highlands andf became concerned about the erosion of Karen culture and the rapid degradation of the environment.
Elected as headman of his village, Kru Joni led 13 other hill tribe groups in a campaign to protect forests and wild animals and map out collective action for watershed management in harmony with nature.
Together they promoted ecological farming and consecrated 50 million trees. He also led an effort to form the northern farmers' alliance, to set up the Mae Wang River Basin conserrvation network, and to open a rice bank. As a Karen elder, he strongly believes in Karen wisdom and stresses relationship with the environment.
Kru Joni was instrumental in developing local curricula for hill tribe people's education emphasizing their own culture. He is also actively involved in knowledge sharing and has served as an advisor and resource person for several NGOs and government agencies.

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) is a 501 c 3 charitable organization dedicated to promoting the optimal education and development of children in a changing world through various programs and projects that align with ACEI's mission. ACEI's tagline is "Bright futures for every child, every nation," which highlights ACEI's commitment to support and advocate for access to education, equity in educational settings, quality educational content, and the child's right to education. These key areas of focus have evolved from the Association's vibrant and active past. As ACEI's mission to promote child well-being continues to strengthen and evolve with the changing world environment, the organization commits to bridging the gap between global initiatives and local needs. In this era of rapid change and increased connectivity, ACEI recognizes the significance of promoting international and intercultural understanding through dialogue and mutual respect. Over the years, ACEI members have acted as social change agents, involving themselves in various critical societal issues in their efforts to ensure that children around the world are protected, supported, and educated in ways that allow them to reach their full potential.
ACEI was established as the International Kindergarten Union (IKU) in 1892, by educators concerned with the professional preparation of kindergarten teachers. In 1931, the National Council of Primary Education joined with the IKU to form the Association for Childhood Education (ACE). Realizing the critical importance of advancing childhood education throughout the world, ACE added "International" to its name in 1946, becoming the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). Today, ACEI has members in many nations, country liaisons, and network groups.

Amazonian Community University of the Rivers
Message from Dan Baron, 14th September 2013
Dear friends!
Greetings from Cabelo Seco, Marabá, in the Brazilian Amazon!
Imagine a university based not on competitive entrance tests, competitive exams, fees, and the need for individual qualification to ensure a place in a predatory and unsustainable economic paradigm, but simply on the shared agreement to respect and practice human rights, to learn through dialogue and the exchange of knowledge with others, and on a commitment to asking new questions and developing project communities that will create a just and sustainable world.
Tonight, we are launching our Community University of the Rivers, inspired by many similar independent projects from around the world and by our collaboration with you!
This initiative values the popular knowledges, reflexive questioning, and solidarity reflexes of the Afro-Indigenous riverside community of Cabelo Seco, and of hundreds of thousands of similar communities around the world. It has already established collaborations with the neighbouring schools and Federal University of Pará in Marabá and with cultural and social movements throughout Latin America to nurture and promote a new paradigm of education, based on the arts as pedagogical languages, and guided by the principles of cooperation, solidarity and sustainability, rooted in the community's living popular culture.
Tonight, we will open our independent 'Home of Culture' which will host our dance, theatre, music, video, visual arts, and language courses, and 'living history and culture circles', coordinated by the community's arts educators, young artists and 'masters' (griots), through a Celebration of the Rivers Tocantins and Itacaiunas. Like all of the rivers and forests of the Amazon, these two rivers which define the lives, identity and culture of our community of 300 families, and of the city of Marabá, are threatened by the industrialization of the Amazon by the vast mining multinational, Vale, its mining partners, and the political, legal, educational and financial institutions. Vale now finnaces and controls, primarily through the cultural needs of local communities. 
We hope that our Community University of the Rivers will both advance the development of a new paradigm of education and create the needed mechanisms of international regulation and research to prevent an irreversible socio-ecological distaster on an unprecedented scale, driven by the desire to monopolizise and profit from the largest deposit of gold, iron and drinking water in the world.
Our Community University of the Rivers has already launched Amazon, Our Land, a CD made by our young artist-leaders, which asks questions which most have on their minds, but are afraid to pose in public. We hope our courses and collaborations with you will give people here and across the world the courage to ask these questions in public, before it is too late. 
This week, we will send you a more detailed invitation to collaborate in the development of this community-based world project. For now, please feel free to share this invitation with others and to send us any messages of solidarity and support!
Many thanks for reading this invitation!
The 'Rivers of Meeting Project'

• See also the 33rd Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies, a 'Caravan' conference titled 'Cultivating Good Living Amazon: Nurturing Solidarity with Mother Earth', in Amazonia, Brasil 28th August – 3rd September 2019.
See, for instance, The World Dignity University Initiative in Vila Praia Alta

Schooling Ourselves in an Unequal America
By Rebecca Strauss, June 16, 2013
Averages can be misleading. The familiar, one-dimensional story told about American education is that it was once the best system in the world but that now it's headed down the drain, with piles of money thrown down after it. The truth is that there are two very different education stories in America. The children of the wealthiest 10 percent or so do receive some of the best education in the world, and the quality keeps getting better. For most everyone else, this is not the case. America's average standing in global education rankings has tumbled not because everyone is falling, but because of the country's deep, still-widening achievement gap between socioeconomic groups. Read more here.

The Semester at Sea
Nearly 100 years ago, the idea for a floating university that would travel the world became the passionate pursuit of James Edwin Lough, a psychology professor at New York University. He believed changes needed to be made to traditional teaching methods of American universities and soon became a leader in a new educational movement. Travel and first-hand experience, he felt, must be part of every scholar's education and he set out to find others who shared this vision.

The Spirit of Adventure
Spirit of Adventure was started by Andy Telfer in 1994 with the purpose of developing the potential of young people, conveying modern leadership theory, personal development and team building through outdoor leadership. Andy came from a military background as a Lieutenant in the Rhodesian Army he was awarded the silver Cross of Rhodesia for his leadership in action; as a Captain he selected and trained officer cadets; and after 1981, was chosen to direct courses to integrate young leaders from both his own army and the former enemies of ZANLA and ZIPRA. As a Major in the Middle East he commanded and trained a Squadron of Arab special forces soldiers for the Sultan of Oman. Andy has also led a number of major expeditions, the most prominent being: A crossing of the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Deserts A canoe venture across the 300 kilometer waterway of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe Captain of the SA team entered in the Discovery Channel 1999 Eco Challenge race in Patagonia. In 2005 Andy sold Spirit of Adventure to Rudi Clark and he and his family now reside in New Zealand. Rudi Clark joined Spirit of Adventure in 2000 as a Leadership Year Instructor after he completed his matric at Durban High School (DHS). Due to his passion for leadership training Rudi went on to become the Schools Director in 2001 and fulfilled this role until Andy offered Rudi to purchase Spirit of Adventure in 2005 - which he did. Since then Rudi has partnered with his brother Deta Clark who formally came from a teaching background. Together they have grown Spirit of Adventure not only to fulfil the requirements of the school sector but also those of the corporate and tourism sectors.

Facebook Marks Digital Learning Day With List Of Resources For Educators
David Cohen on February 6, 2013
Facebook marked Digital Learning Day Wednesday by offering a list of available resources for educators on its Facebook in Education page. The social network outlined the following resources:
Educators Guide: Many educators want to know more about using social media — in the classroom, in the community, and in professional development. Created by education and technology experts Linda Fogg Phillips, B.J. Fox, and Derek Baird, the Facebook for Educators Guide provides a wealth of resources for teachers and administrators.
School Counselors Guide: School counselors are on the front lines of many issues that impact students online. iKeepSafe and the American School Counselors Association created a guide that provides advice to school counselors on many of the issues that happen at the intersection of school and the Internet.
Edutopia’s Social Media Policy Guide: Many educators are starting to create schoolwide policies for the use of social media. The George Lucas Foundation’s Edutopia recently created a guide for educators who want to learn more about social media in the classroom and how to create appropriate policies.
Bullying Prevention: Regardless of where it occurs, bullying is unacceptable. Many educators want to learn more about how to address this issue. Take a look at the Bullying Prevention section of the Family Safety Center for resources in this area.

Learning for Life
11 November, 2012- 24 February 2013
Learning for Life is an exhibition, film program, an international seminar, workshops for children, and an anthology. Learning for Life aims to re-energize public debate about what school ought to be. It is a collaborative project between Tone Hansen, Director of Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, and artist and researcher Ane Hjort Guttu. Taking its title from the Swedish TV series by Carin Mannheimer of 1977, the project which looks back to ideological discussions that took place in the late sixties and seventies and the principles of education formed at the time, comparing these to dominant current debates on education. The curators contention is that the primary school system remains one of society's most hotly contested ideological battlegrounds. But today there is remarkably little public discussion about educational methods and about the basic purpose of schooling. Instead the media focus has turned to national and international assessments of students' level of knowledge. When schools are criticized, it is for poor discipline, low levels of achievement relative to specific European standards, or the proportion of foreign language speakers in classes. Learning for Life will ask fundamental questions about notions of universal education, especially in the Scandinavian welfare state model. What has happened to this model since it was introduced after World War II? Has it worked as intended? What kind of citizens has it created, and what kind of education does it represent? How is it changing, and how is it debated today?
Participating artists: Jeannette Christensen, Joost Conijn, Harrell Fletcher/Ella Aandal, Priscila Fernandes, Ane Hjort Guttu, Luis Jacob, Abbas Kiarostami, Servet Koçyiğit, Darcy Lange, Erik Løchen, Line Løkken, Carin Mannheimer, Edvard Munch, Palle Nielsen, Øystein Wyller Odden, Allan Sekula, Arvid Skauge/Nils Utsi, Kjartan Slettemark and Peter Tillberg.
The project is part of the large scale European project Europe to the Power of n, organized by Barbara Steiner, The Goethe Institute, Munich, and is supported by the EU cultural program.
Learning for Live will tour to Tensta Kunsthall, Stockholm and other institutions afterwards. Exhibition: November 11, 2012- February 24, 2013
Anthology: launched by end of November, 2012 Seminar: February 8, 2013 at HOK.
Curators: Ane Hjort Guttu and Tone Hansen

Course on Wisdom by Lee Beaumont on Wikiversity
This is the fifth completed course in the Applied Wisdom curriculum.
See: http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wisdom/Curriculum

Why I am Not a Professor OR The Decline and Fall of the British University
By Dr Mark Tarver, 2007
This year, 2007, marks the marks the eighth year at which I ceased to be a tenured lecturer in the UK, what is called I think, a tenured professor in the USA. I've never worked out whether I was, in American terms, an assistant professor or an associate professor. But it really doesn't matter, because today I am neither. You see I simply walked out and quit the job. And this is my story. If there is a greater significance to it than the personal fortunes of one man, it is because my story is also the story of the decline and fall of the British university and the corruption of the academic ideal . That is why this essay carries two titles - a personal one and a social one. This is because I was privileged to be part of an historical drama. As the Chinese say, I have lived in interesting times....

Coalition of Thinkers Vow to Fight Marketisation of Universities
Purpose of university is being 'grossly distorted by the attempt to create a market in higher education', says one CDBU founder.
Read more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/.

United States National Radio Project
Around the world, students have been taking to the streets. They're opposed to rising tuition fees and cuts to education. On this edition, we'll hear how students in Quebec, helped bring down the government and why Chilean students are back out on the streets again. We'll also speak to an activist in Puerto Rico who says she's had enough of US-style higher education.

Course on Virtue by Lee Beaumont
See also http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wisdom/Curriculum.

The Dignity for All Students Act
New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act) seeks to provide the State’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function.
The Dignity Act was signed into law on September 13, 2010 and takes effect on July 1, 2012. 
This legislation amended State Education Law by creating a new Article 2 – Dignity for All Students.  The Dignity Act also amended Section 801-a of New York State Education Law regarding instruction in civility, citizenship, and character education by expanding the concepts of tolerance, respect for others and dignity to include: an awareness and sensitivity in the relations of people, including but not limited to, different races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, gender identity or expression, and sexes. The Dignity Act further amended Section 2801 of the Education Law by requiring Boards of Education to include language addressing The Dignity Act in their codes of conduct.
Additionally, under the Dignity Act, schools will be responsible for collecting and reporting data regarding material incidents of discrimination and harassment by using the annual summary of violent and disruptive incidents form.
Dignity Act News:
• The Dignity Act Voluntary School District Implementation Self-Assessment Tool was developed as an optional tool to assist school districts as they work to implement the various components of the Dignity for All Students Act. This voluntary Self-Assessment Tool is designed for internal use only and should not be submitted to the State Education Department.  Questions on the Dignity Act Voluntary School District Implementation Self-Assessment Tool may be directed to DASA@MAIL.NYSED.GOV. (3/27/12)
Update on the Dignity for All Student Act and Regulatory Amendments: This document provides an update pertaining to the implementation of the Dignity for All Students Act (Dignity Act).
• The NYS Board of Regents recently took action to amend Commissioner's Regulations directly related to the Dignity Act. These include regulations on the Code of Conduct, as well as Instruction in Civility, Citizenship, and Character Education. See:
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2012Meetings/March2012/312p12a4.pdf
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2012Meetings/March2012/312p12a3.pdf (3/22/12)
• In addition, the following regulatory amendments take effect on July 1, 2012: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2012Meetings/ (3/22/12)

Universal Declaration of Human Dignity
Dear Evelin,
Now that a UN Declaration on Human Rights and Training has been adopted, the next indispensable initiative for the good of Humankind would be a Universal Declaration of Human Dignity for all human rights are embedded therein. May The World Dignity University contribute significantly to achieving that goal.
Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist and human rights educator from Recife, Brazil, Co-founder of The World Dignity University, 20th December 2011.

"Universidade Mundial da Dignidade" by Tereza Halliday in Diário de Pernambuco - Recife, Brasil, Monday, October 24th, 2011, p. A-11
The author writes: " I authorize publication and use of my above mentioned text by the World Dignity University site and related sites, with mention of the original source."
Recife, Nov.8th, 2011 Tereza Lúcia Halliday Levy
O Diario de Pernambuco é o mais antigo jornal diário da América Latina (186 anos). Tereza foi neste jornalista por vários anos. Hoje ela é um "escritor convidado", escrevendo Toda segunda-feira outros, sobre temas variados.
The Diario de Pernambuco is the oldest daily newspaper in Latin America (186 years). Tereza was in this newspaper journalist for several years. Today she is an "invited writer," writing Every other Monday, on assorted subjects.

On Social Inquiry, by Nicholas Maxwell
Nicholas Maxwell wrote (6th August 2011): "I use the term 'social inquiry' when I want to refer to social inquiry as I think it ought to be conducted - social methodology or social philosophy, having as its basic task to help people resolve conflicts and problems of living in more cooperatively rational ways than at present. Social science - the pursuit of knowledge of social phenomena - would of course be an important part of social inquiry, so pursued, but not fundamental."
See also Maxwell's Does Science Provide Us with the Methodological Key to Wisdom?, published in Philosophia, 40 (4), pp. 663-704, 2012.

Conference "Reimagining Democratic Societies: A New Era of Personal and Social Responsibilities," Bert Vandenkendelaere's Speech, 29 June 2011
Dear guests, First of all I would like to thank the Council of Europe, the International Consortium, the University of Oslo, the International Association of Universities and the European Wergeland centre for inviting me here, and for having this conference which, although it probably won’t end up on CNN, comes at a crucial turning point in the development of our societies and will hopefully be relevant for citizens on both sides of the AtlanticToday I am representing more than 11 million students, represented in ESU through 45 national unions of students from 38 different countries. The difficult task is upon me to reflect what these 11 million students in Europe are thinking about their society, and about their education. And that’s seriously changing....
See also "Speech Bert Vandenkendelaere @ EUA national conference," and "EUROPE: Time for higher education investment is now," by Bert Vandenkendelaere, 10th July 2011.

Trump's For-Profit School Said to Be Under Investigation
By MICHAEL BARBARO
New York's attorney general is responding to complaints from past students at the school who said they were misled into paying as much as $35,000 a course...
Please read more at http://www.nytimes.com. We thank Linda Hartling for making us aware of this news item.

10 Pillars of Human Knowledge by Chaim Zins
10 Pillars of Knowledge is a systematic map of human knowledge. It presents, at a glance, the structure of knowledge and the meaningful relations among the main fields. Human knowledge is composed of 10 pillars:
• Foundations
• Supernatural
• Matter and Energy
• Space and Earth
• Non-Human Organisms
• Body and Mind
• Society
• Thought and Art
• Technology
• History

Education of My Dream, by Kamran Mofid
At the invitation of the Youth Time and the World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilisations (WPFDC), Kamran Mofid participated at and delivered a series of plenary speeches as well as a student-led seminar on “Education of My Dream” at Moscow State University and Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the MFA of Russia. iSee videos of the seminar and the Plenary Session. See also Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative.

Education, conflict and development, edited by Julia Paulson, 2011
Under various names - education and conflict, education and fragility, education and insecurity, etc - the understanding of linkages between education and violent conflict has emerged as an important and pressing area of inquiry. Work and research by practitioners and scholars has clearly pointed to the negative potential of education to contribute to and entrench violent conflict. This work has highlighted the struggle for education during and following periods of instability and demonstrated the degree to which communities affected by conflict prioritize educational opportunities. It has also offered powerful normative arguments for the importance of quality education for peacebuilding, reconciliation, postconflict reconstruction and development.In many instances, however, these important insights are derived less from rigorous research and scholarship in the social sciences than from the delivery and evaluation of educational programming in situations affected by conflict. This volume, therefore, seeks to broaden enquiry into education and conflict by exploring, through conceptual and empirical work, its linkages to broader theories and practices of development and peacebuilding. The volume begins with a conceptual and theoretical section, followed by a series of international case studies, before closing with three chapters focused on the case of Northern Uganda. Contributors present a diverse set of studies that together deepen understandings of the ways the education functions in various situations affected by conflict and the ways in which it might best be mobilized to contribute towards peacebuilding and development.

32nd Ethnography in Education Research Forum
The 32nd Ethnography in Education Research Forum have been posted on online, available at www.gse.upenn.edu/cue/forum.

Why the Age of the Guru is Over by Charles Eisenstein
Created 04/15/2011 - 07:05 Published on Reality Sandwich.

What Works for Promoting and Enhancing Positive Social Skills: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions
This fact sheet reviews 38 rigorously evaluated programs to identify what works to promote social skills among children and adolescents (such as getting along with others, expressing empathy to others, trying to resolve conflicts, and regulating emotions and behaviors). Overall, most of the programs (27 out of 38) significantly increased at least one social skill in children and adolescents. Programs that incorporated peer teaching, group discussion, or role modeling, as well as teacher-led instruction, were effective. The fact sheet includes a chart summarizing the programs and whether they were found to work, not proven to work, or had mixed findings.

AMCHP White Paper Making the Case: A Comprehensive Systems Approach for Adolescent Health & Well-Being
This brief by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) provides background on the importance of focusing on adolescent health using a systems approach, which involves family and community members. The paper offers recommendations and next steps.

Multiple Responses, Promising Results: Evidence-Based, Nonpunitive Alternatives To Zero Tolerance
A new Child Trends brief highlights rigorously evaluated, nonpunitive alternatives to zero tolerance that have shown promise in improving school safety and student outcomes.  The brief, Multiple Responses, Promising Results: Evidence-Based, Nonpunitive Alternatives To Zero Tolerance, also finds a lack of rigorous research on the effectiveness of zero tolerance school discipline policies, and the existing research shows no evidence that these policies decrease school violence.

Realizing the Promise of the Whole-School Approach to Children’s Mental Health: A Practical Guide for Schools
Mental Health Guide
Mental Health Tools
Author: Bershad, C., Blaber, C.
Organization: National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention
Publisher: Education Development Center
Date Published: February, 2011
This is a new SS/HS guide to implementing mental health promotion and prevention programs in elementary and middle schools. This guide enables school and community practitioners to join together for children’s mental health in schools; provides a practical, hands-on approach with examples from SS/HS sites; describes the phases and steps for effective implementation; offers strategies for addressing predictable barriers; and provides tools and links to existing tools.

Connexions
Connexions is a dynamic digital educational ecosystem consisting of an educational content repository and a content management system optimized for the delivery of educational content. Connexions is one of the most popular open education sites in the world. Its more than 17,000 learning objects or modules in its repository and over 1000 collections (textbooks, journal articles, etc.) are used by over 2 million people per month. Its content services the educational needs of learners of all ages, in nearly every discipline, from math and science to history and English to psychology and sociology. Connexions delivers content for free over the Internet for schools, educators, students, and parents to access 24/7/365. Materials are easily downloadable to almost any mobile device for use anywhere, anytime. Schools can also order low cost hard copy sets of the materials (textbooks).

BCcampus
BCcampus is a publicly-funded organization that uses information technology to connect the expertise, programs, and resources of all BC post-secondary institutions under a collaborative service delivery framework.

The Open Education Resource (OER) Foundation
The Open Education Resource (OER) Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that provides leadership, international networking and support for educators and educational institutions to achieve their objectives through Open Education.

The Khan Academy
A free world-class education for anyone anywhere, the Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. They are a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere. All of the site's resources are available to anyone. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.

Kamran Mofid, Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative
Student Manifesto for New Economics
Globalisation and Education for the Common Good: A Path to Sustainability, Well-being and Happiness
Economics and Economists Engulfed By Crises: What Do We Tell the Students?

Guide to Online Schools: Humanities Resource List
Collection of the top 36 resources and guides:
Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS):  Created to preserve and promote electronic resources which result from teaching arts and humanities, the collections made by ADHS are free, organized, and accessible.
EDSITEment: Get excited about EDSITEment, a virtual treasure trove for anyone searching for art and culture, literature and language arts, foreign language, history and social studies.  This site contains resources as well as lesson plans for teachers in this subject area.
eServer.org: This e-publishing co-op gathered hundreds of writers and artists around the globe to provide you with free archives on the humanities and arts, with  diverse topics ranging from architecture to sexuality to multimedia and design. 
Intute for Humanities: A worldwide search engine for multiple academic disciplines, Intute will direct you to extensive online resources.
Voice of the Shuttle: A dynamic search engine for resources and articles, Voice of the Shuttle has links to a multitude of sites for the humanities.

Wikiversity: Composing Free and Open Online Educational Resources
Free and open educational resources have become one of the most discussed topics in the field of education. Projects such as MIT Open courseware, Open Access, Wikipedia, Wikibooks and Wikimedia Commons have challenged traditional methods of delivering education resources and also the methods of creating them. The free software movements idea of developing free, libre and open source software, as well as the Creative Commons search for alternatives to traditional copyright, have had an everlasting effect on the ways we think about education and educational resources. The course readings and the assignments in this course will familiarize participants with the main concepts related to open education resources and to the historical and philosophical ideas behind them. The participants will also do their own projects where they will learn to create and participate in projects producing free and open educational resources ...
Please read more at http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Composing_free_and_open_online_educational_resources.
See particularly Week 8 - April 21st: Sharing VideosWebsites to find video (Note - not all videos on these sites are usable in OER):
• Vidipedia - the free video encyclopedia that anyone can edit
• Video Lectures - On demand and free video from the world's leading scientists
• TeacherTube - Videos for teachers by teachers
• Archive.org - Olden style videos, with an increasing number of new ones
• Blip.tv -
• Sclipo - Broadcast your skills
• Expert Village - How to videos
• Youtube - A lot of video
• Sutree - Collecting how to videos from many other sites
• Graspr - Instructional videos
• Scivee - Research published on video
• Videojug - Explaining videos
• Making video more accessible - what about people who don't have broadband, or who can't hear, or who need it in text?
• Tutorials for making videos - Windows and Macintosh
• KinoDV - Editor for GNU Linux
• Websites to remix video - with the necessary bandwidth, web based editors can solve the problem of not having video editing software on your own computer.
We thank Lee Beaumont for making us aware of these resources.

The Right to Research Coalition (R2RC)
Nick Shockey is the Director of the Right to Research Coalition (R2RC) and the Director of Student Advocacy at the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC). The R2RC is an international alliance of 31 graduate and undergraduate student organizations, representing nearly 7 million students, that promotes an open scholarly publishing system based on the belief that no student should be denied access to the research they need for their education because their institution cannot afford the often high cost of scholarly journals. We spoke to Nick about similarities in the open access and open educational resources movements, the worldwide student movement in support of access to scholarly research, and the benefits of adopting Creative Commons tools for open access literature....
Read more at http://creativecommons.org/.

Global Education Conference
The Global Education Conference is an annual online event where people may offer talks and presentations.

Our Universities: How Bad? How Good?
The rhetoric of crisis seems to have become endemic to writing about the American university. Some twenty-five years ago, Harvard Dean Henry Rosovsky declared American universities to be “the world’s best.” There was a good deal of dissent from this judgment during the 1980s and 1990s, beginning with Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind (1987) and continuing with more juvenile attacks such as Charles Sykes’s Profscam (1988) and Roger Kimball’s Tenured Radicals (1990). But these were salvos in a culture war about the definition and mission of the university, and political dissents from what was seen as a predominantly leftist intellectual and artistic elite...
Read more at http://www.nybooks.com/.

Research Finds Positive Outcomes from Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
The first large-scale meta-analysis of school-based social and emotional learning programs has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Child Development. The research, a synthesis of 213 studies of SEL programs involving more than 270,000 students in grades K-12, reveals that students who participated in school-based SEL programs improved in grades and standardized test scores by 11 percentile points compared to control groups. The programs were offered to all students and were designed to promote students' abilities in one or more areas of SEL, including: 
• Recognizing and managing emotions
• Establishing and maintaining positive relationships
• Setting and achieving positive goals
• Making responsible decisions
• Constructively handling interpersonal situations 
Not only did participating students' academic measures improve, but they showed significant improvement in social and emotional skills, caring attitudes, and positive social behaviors, and a decline in disruptive behavior and emotional distress. 
The study was conducted by researchers at Loyola University Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). From Child Development cover:
"The findings highlight the value of incorporating well-designed and carefully conducted social and emotional learning programs into standard educational practice," said Joseph A. Durlak, the study's lead author. "Such programs can enhance academic achievement while providing students with social and emotional skills they need to succeed in school and life."
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is the world's leading organization advancing research, practice, and public policy focused on the development of children's social and emotional competence. Our mission is to establish social and emotional learning as an essential part of education, from preschool through high school. CASEL's website features extensive information about the results and includes related publications.

Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783–1872)
Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig was the ideological father of the folk high school. Rather than educating learned scholars, he believed the university should educate its students for active participation in society and popular life. A spirit of freedom, cooperation and discovery was to be kindled in individuals, in science, and in the civil society as a whole.

Graduate Education and Professional Practice in International Peace and Conflict: Special Report by Nike Carstarphen, Craig Zelizer, Robert Harris, and David J. Smith, August 2010
Summary:
• Graduate-level academic institutions are not adequately preparing students for careers in international peace and conflict management. Curricula need to incorporate more applied skills, cross-sectoral coursework, and field-experience opportunities.
• Unlike most faculty, students, and alumni, employers see substantial room for improvement in preparing students for the field.
• Overseas experience is, for employers, the most valuable asset.
• General project management skills—program planning and design, monitoring and evaluation, computer literacy, report writing skills, budgeting, staff management, research skills, grant writing, and knowledge of the funding and policy world—and cross-cultural competencies and language skills are critical.
• International peace and conflict management practices increasingly overlap with more traditional work, such as human rights, humanitarian issues, and development programming.
• Employers want candidates who have a holistic understanding of international conflict work, specialized knowledge and skills, practical know-how, and political savvy, yet often fail to grasp what academic programs are in fact teaching students to prepare them for the field.
• Academic programs need to strengthen their outreach and interaction with employers and to market the value of their programs.
• To better prepare themselves for the field, recent graduates and alumni are seeking to increase their applied education, field experience, project management skills, mentoring, and career guidance.

"Globalisation and Education for the Common Good: A Path to Sustainability, Well-being and Happiness," by Kamran Mofid (see the full text )
Kamran Mofid wrote (20th December 2010): "I strongly believe that time has arrived for us to come together and begin a serious debate amongst ourselves on the following questions, amongst others: What is education? What is knowledge? What is wisdom? What is a University? Other questions include: What is the source of true happiness and well-being? What is the good life? What is genuine wealth? How can we contribute to creating the new civilisation for the common good? and more. Is a university just the buildings, the professors, the students or the subjects taught there? Einstein described a university as “a place where the universality of the human spirit manifests itself”. However, as we all know very well, this is not the modern attitude where the emphasis is on the acquisition of knowledge to fit students for jobs in the marketplace. A policy that has brought us all- the students, the academics, the universities, the employers, the society and community-a very bitter harvest. I believe, and I am sure you will agree with me that, it is high time for us all come together and to reconsider the nature and purpose of a university in the light of the more universal ideal of “Wisdom”. I wish to offer the GCGI, its extensive network and website as a place that we come together, addressing these issues, debating the questions, going over the possible answers, overcoming the challenges, focusing our ideas, writing up our papers and more. Then, our formal papers can be published on our online Journal of Globalization for the Common Good, beginning a global dialogue. This should become our “Manifesto”, so that no more of “Academia has become a servant of the status quo”. In order to begin the work, I wish to offer the followings to start us in our debate and conversation:
"The Death of Universities," by Terry Eagleton, Chair in English Literature at the Department of English and Creative Writing at Lancaster University, UK.
"Humanities Can Promote Alternative 'Good Life,'" by By Kate Soper, Emeritus professor of philosophy at the Institute for the Study of European Transformations (ISET) and Humanities Arts and Languages (HAL), London Metropolitan University.
"Student Manifesto for New Economics" by Kamran Mofid.

"The Death of Universities," by Terry Eagleton
Terry Eagleton, Chair in English Literature at the Department of English and Creative Writing at Lancaster University, UK.

What Is a University? by Prof. Fr. Peter Milward SJ (London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 2006)
Prof. Fr. Peter Milward SJ, Professor emeritus of English Literature and Western Culture, and Director of the Renaissance Institute, Sophia University, Tokyo.
Read the book description: "Rather like Alan Bloom in The Closing of the American Mind (Penguin, 1987), the author is concerned with the deterioration in the quality of university education. He argues that the true purpose of a university has been lost sight of and needs to be re-established. The word ‘university’ is in its derivation related to the word ‘universe’ and suggests wholeness. A university, therefore should be a place where human endeavours to understand the universe are brought together. 20th century specialisation, whilst greatly increasing our knowledge, has unfortunately fragmented it. The author considers it is also necessary to review not only the concept of ‘university’ but also ‘education’, and to look beyond the narrow idea of the mere acquisition of knowledge to the more universal ideal of ‘wisdom’. This review, he suggests, is best conducted in terms not just of the history of ideas but of a fresh examination of the ideas themselves. To provoke thinking in this direction he asks some very basic questions about a number of ideas related, first to universities themselves, such as education, culture, religion, philosophy, science, literature, language, art, law and music; and second to the world of philosophy: life, being, light, nature, plants, animals, man, woman, evil, time, food, sex and death. Readers are encouraged to rethink everything they have taken for granted about university education. The book is at once traditional, in looking to the sources of the ideal of education, and revolutionary, in undermining modern preconceptions. It is written for the general reader with an interest in university education but dis-satisfied with what is on offer at most universities today. The style is, therefore, free from learned jargon."

"Humanities Can Promote Alternative 'Good Life'" by Kate Soper
Kate Soper, emeritus professor of philosophy at the Institute for the Study of European Transformations (ISET) and Humanities Arts and Languages (HAL), London Metropolitan University.

The Grim Threat to British Universities by Simon Head
January 13, 2011
The British universities, Oxford and Cambridge included, are under siege from a system of state control that is undermining the one thing upon which their worldwide reputation depends: the caliber of their scholarship...
Read more at http://www.nybooks.com/.

Books not Bombs: Teaching Peace since the Dawn of the Republic, by Chuck Howlett and Ian Harris
Books Not Bombs: Teaching Peace Since the Dawn of the Republic is an important work relevant to peace scholars, practitioners, and students. This incisive book offers an exciting and comprehensive historical analysis of the origins and development of peace education in the United States from the end of the Eighteenth Century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. It examines efforts to educate the American populace, young and old, both inside the classroom and outside, about alternatives to violence. While many in the field of peace education focus their energies on conflict resolution and peace pedagogy, Books Not Bombs approaches the topic from a historic perspective. It undertakes a thorough examination of the evolution of peace ideology within the context of opposing war and promoting social justice inside and outside schoolhouse gates. It offers explanations on how educational attempts to prevent violence have been communicated throughout U. S. history.

Human Development and the Transformation of the Academy, by Howard Richards
Talk given at the University of South Africa, November 20, 2010.

Constructing a New Global Dispensation Beyond Economics, by Howard Richards
Keynote talk at an international conference on “Democracy, Human Rights and Social Justice in a New Global Dispensation – Challenges and Transformations,” University of South Africa, 1-3 February 2010. See more here.

The Race to Nowhere
Documentary
"Director Vicki Abeles turns the personal political, igniting a national conversation in her new documentary about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform. Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.
Race to Nowhere is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.
Featured in the film:
Dr. Madeline Levine, Clinical Psychologist and author of the best-seller, The Price of Privilege
Dr. Wendy Mogel, Clinical Psychologist and author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, Adolescent Medicine Specialist, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Deborah Stipek, Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University
Dr. Denise Pope, Co-Founder, Challenge Success, Stanford University
Sara Bennett, Founder, Stop Homework
US | 2010 | DCP | 85 mins | PG13 | English, Spanish and Mandarin subtitles"

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms
This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award.
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)
For over 250 years the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) has been a cradle of enlightenment thinking and a force for social progress. Their approach is multi-disciplinary, politically independent and combines cutting edge research and policy development with practical action.

Jumo
A new venture, called Jumo, aims to connect people with nonprofits and charitable organizations.
Please read more at http://www.nytimes.com/.

University of Human Unity

Master of Human Rights and Democratisation in Sydney, Australia

Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative (GCGI)
The mission of Globalisation for the Common Good is to promote an ethical, moral and spiritual vision of globalisation and encourage adaptation of public policy at all levels that nurtures the common good of our global community.
Kamran Mofid
Globalisation and Education for the Common Good: A Path to Sustainability, Well-being and Happiness
.
Public lecture presented at the School of Business Administration at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Wednesday, 3 November 2010.

Pax Educare
Pax Educare, as a resource center, seeks to build public understanding of peace education and to promote and advocate for the importance of integrating peace and sustainability principles and concepts into every aspect of education, both formal and informal. We link families, educators and community practitioners to partnering opportunities in order to help promote the processes and skills needed to build a more peaceful world.

NAFSA
The Association of International Educators is a member organization promoting international education and providing professional development opportunities to the field. Hundreds of NAFSA members volunteer to serve the association and thousands advocate for international education.
Mission, Vision, Values: NAFSA is an association of individuals worldwide advancing international education and exchange and global workforce development. NAFSA serves international educators and their institutions and organizations by establishing principles of good practice, providing training and professional development opportunities, providing networking opportunities, and advocating for international education.
International Education: An international education does not just open eyes and broaden perspectives.
Leadership: Hundreds of NAFSA members volunteer to serve the association to create and disseminate knowledge, to influence public policy, and to maintain a strong organization. They serve on committees, teams, and task forces, and in knowledge communities.
Awards: NAFSA honors excellence in international education in many ways and at many levels. Areas of recognition include long-term service to NAFSA and the field, innovation, and collaboration.
Grants: One way NAFSA serves the field of international education is by providing grant opportunities.

Landmark Education
A fundamental principle of Landmark Education's work is that people — and the communities, organizations, and institutions with which they are engaged — have the possibility not only of success, but also of fulfillment and greatness. The ideas, insights, and distinctions on which Landmark's programs are based make Landmark a leader and innovator in the field of training and development. Landmark Education is a global educational enterprise offering The Landmark Forum and graduate courses that are innovative, effective, and immediately relevant. Landmark’s leading-edge educational methodology enables people to produce extraordinary results and enhance the quality of their lives. Landmark Education’s courses and seminars are offered in more than 110 cities via 54 major offices around the world. More than 200,000 people participate in Landmark's courses each year.

The Conflict Resolution Education Connection
People around the globe have started embracing conflict resolution as a key component of a quality education. The Conflict Resolution Education Connectio invites everybody to use their site to explore some of the wide array of available materials that support conflict resolution education (CRE).

"Academe, heal thyself," closing sentence in "Larry Summers and the Subversion of Economics" by Charles Ferguson
In: The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Chronicle Review, October 3, 2010.

Teachers Without Borders
Teachers Without Borders has recently started developing a teacher professional development course on Peace Education. The idea for this program emerged from central Nigeria where our Africa Regional Coordinator, Raphael Ogar Oko, recently witnessed the devastating impact of sectarian violence on the people and communities of his native country. Upon consultation with local partners, including the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria, Mr. Oko suggested that we commence work on a teacher professional development program that assists teachers in becoming peace-builders in their classrooms, schools, and communities, and provides tools and approaches that help educate their students to become peace-builders who can apply the lessons of tolerance and conflict resolution learned in the classroom in their communities. The Teachers Without Borders Peace Education Program will be named Dr. Joseph Hungwa Memorial Peace Education Program, after the late Dr. Joseph Hungwa, an accomplished and respected Nigerian educator who over many years played a crucial role in expanding TWB programs in Nigeria. Dr. Hungwa was a Teachers Without Borders Coordinator in Benue State, and a Millennium Development Ambassador.

UN, UNPAN Capacity Building in Conflict Resolution
Gay Rosenblum-Kumar has developed impressive educational activities that aim at filling with life the very raison d'être of the United Nations, namely global prevention of violent conflict.

Peace Education Center at Teachers College, Columbia University
Janet Gerson was the Acting Director of the Peace Education Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, that was founded by Betty Reardon. She has also taught through the International Center for Cooperation & Conflict Resolution. She was the founding director of Dance Stream, Inc., a dance company and vehicle for community building through the arts in Washington Heights and Inwood. She has served as advisor and facilitator at TOPLAB, Theatre of the Oppressed Laboratory in New York. Her work concerns the interrelatedness of conflict studies, nonviolent strategies, and peace education.

University of Oslo, Department of Psychology
Evelin Lindner has carried out her doctoral research on humiliation at the Department of Psychology of the University of Oslo, starting in 1996, and is regularly teaching in Norway since. She has strong ties both within the academic field in Norway and related research institutions and NGOs. At the universities in Oslo, Trondheim, and Tromsø, currently strong initiatives emerge to set up peace studies. Especially Trondheim is very interested in linking up with Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies. As in the case of LOGIN, the network idea with Norway envisision that students from the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies group and Norwegian universities cooperate and engage in exchange.
Please see:
Strategy 2020 -Strategic objective for the University of Oslo in 2020: The University of Oslo will strengthen its international position as a leading research-intensive university through a close interaction across research, education, communication and innovation
Kunnskap og dannelse foran et nytt århundre: Innstilling fra Dannelsesutvalget for høyere utdanning

University of Trondheim, Department of Psychology
The Department of Psychology in Trondheim focusses on Social Psychology and Community Psychology, see for example, Hroar Klempe's work. The research field of social psychology involves the human being interacting with the surrounding environment. This rather wide definition gives a hint of the multitude of research interests found in the field. It is concerned with understanding, as well as predicting, human behavior. Values and beliefs are basic concepts, and exemplify one point of departure in the area, i.e. the individual point of view, where internal, or internalized, cognitive, affective and emotional structures are studied regarding developments, functions, change and use in social interactions. Studies related to attitudes, cognitive dissonance, self and identity, social explanations and attribution processes, social categories and schemas, are recognized here. One also finds social cognition areas such as studies of social inference, heuristics and biases.

University of Tromsø, Norway
Vidar Vambheim is Associate Professor at the Department of Education at the University of Tromsø and was the Coordinator of the Centre for Peace Studies (CPS). CPS studies nonviolent conflict handling empirically and comparatively and applies a multi-disciplinary pluralistic approach. CPS discusses the theoretical implications and communicate the results to a wide audience.

Center for Global Community & World Law
Virginia Swain is the co-founder of the Center for Global Community & World Law (together with her husband, historian Joseph P. Baratta, Ph.D.; see www.global-leader.org). Virginia Swain would be delighted to have students from the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies network work with her on the future of the United Nations.

AfricAvenir Foundation for Development, International Cooperation and Peace
AfricAvenir
is a non-governmental and non-profit organization created in 1990 by a team of African and European academics and activists in Douala, Cameroon. Eric Van Grassdorff is a central player. The initial idea goes back to Prof. Kum a Ndumbe III, simultaneously traditional leader and university professor with extensive teaching experience in Europe and Africa . Since 2000, AfricAvenir also has an official German section.
As a research institution, AfricAvenir will not only give scholars and students of HumanDHS the opportunity of doing research in an African country, but also provide the necessary environment and connections on the ground.

Falstad Centre
Bjørn Aksel Flatås was Director of Research of Falstad, a Memorial and Human Rights Centre. The foundation was established in 2000. Education, documentation and communication concerning the history of imprisonment during World War II and Human Rights constitute the core activities of the centre. In October 1941, Falstad Special school for handicapped boys was taken over by the German occupying power and transferred into SS Strafgefangenenlager Falstad, a detention camp for political prisoners. Later, Russian POW's were imprisoned here together with Yugoslav partisans and Polish forced labourer's. The camp contained prisoners from 13 countries during the War years. A total of 5000 prisoners were registered at Falstad. Today, the Museum gives the younger generation an insight in conditions during WW II that eventually lead to the Declaration of Human Rights as a resolution in UN in 1948.

The 2nd International Symposium on Peer Reviewing: ISPR 2010
Organized in the context of The SUMMER 4th International Conference on Knowledge Generation, Communication and Management: KGCM 2010, held on June 29th - July 2nd, in Orlando, Florida, USA.
"As you know, only 8% members of the Scientific Research Society agreed that 'peer review works well as it is.' (Chubin and Hackett, 1990; p.192) "A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and an analysis of the peer review system substantiate complaints about this fundamental aspect of scientific research." (Horrobin, 2001) Horrobin concludes that peer review "is a non-validated charade whose processes generate results little better than does chance." (Horrobin, 2001) This has been statistically proven and reported by an increasing number of journal editors. But, "Peer Review is one of the sacred pillars of the scientific edifice" (Goodstein, 2000), it is a necessary condition in quality assurance for Scientific/Engineering publications, and "Peer Review is central to the organization of modern science…why not apply scientific [and engineering] methods to the peer review process" (Horrobin, 2001).
References
• Chubin, D. E and Hackett E. J., 1990, Peerless Science, Peer Review and U.S. Science Policy; New York, State University of New York Press.
• Horrobin, D., 2001, "Something Rotten at the Core of Science?" Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Vol. 22, No. 2, February 2001. Also at www.whale.to.
• Goodstein, D., 2000, "How Science Works", U.S. Federal Judiciary Reference Manual on Evidence, pp. 66-72 (referenced in Hoorobin).

The Idea of a University
The Idea of a University, Hilton Pasadena, California, USA, Aug. 5-8, 2010.

The 3rd International Symposium on Academic Globalization
The 3rd International Symposium on Academic Globalization: AG 2010, June 29th - July 2nd ~ Orlando, Florida, USA.

Scientists Urge Respect on Advice
By Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
A group of senior academics has called for reassurances from the UK government that it will respect the independence and freedom of its scientific advisers. The release of their statement follows the sacking of the former drugs adviser Professor David Nutt. In it, they endorse a set of principles for the treatment of scientific advice. These include protecting advisers from political interference and not using disagreement with government policy as grounds for criticism or dismissal. The statement, which has been sent to government officials and ministers, calls for government to agree to ensure the academic freedom and independence of scientific advisers and to properly consider their advice. The government already has a code of practice which is supposed to ensure the proper use of scientific advice and the protection of its advisers. The new principles also include allowing advisers to speak publicly about their work and enabling expert committees to have independent press officers. There is also a call to ensure that reports by expert committees are not criticised prior to publication...
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/8345823.stm.

The Open University, UK
The OU provides university education to those wishing to pursue higher education on a part-time and/or distance learning basis, including disabled people, who are officially a priority group for the university. The British Government asked the Open University to continue the work of the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) when it was dissolved. The CNAA formerly awarded degrees at the polytechnics which have since become universities.

Universities Merged into Business
Dius, England's department for higher and further education has been scrapped, two years after its creation...
See more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/education/8086233.stm.

Best Practices for Ensuring Scientific Integrity and Preventing Misconduct
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 2007.

Scientific Integrity
THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary
March 9, 2009
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
SUBJECT: Scientific Integrity
Science and the scientific process must inform and guide decisions of my Administration on a wide range of issues, including improvement of public health, protection of the environment, increased efficiency in the use of energy and other resources, mitigation of the threat of climate change, and protection of national security. The public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions. Political officials should not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions. If scientific and technological information is developed and used by the Federal Government, it should ordinarily be made available to the public. To the extent permitted by law, there should be transparency in the preparation, identification, and use of scientific and technological information in policymaking. The selection of scientists and technology professionals for positions in the executive branch should be based on their scientific and technological knowledge, credentials, experience, and integrity. By this memorandum, I assign to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (Director) the responsibility for ensuring the highest level of integrity in all aspects of the executive branch's involvement with scientific and technological processes. The Director shall confer, as appropriate, with the heads of executive departments and agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget and offices and agencies within the Executive Office of the President (collectively, the "agencies"), and recommend a plan...

UNESCO Chairs Network and International University Cooperation
On this site extensive information can be found on UNESCO's International University Cooperation.
See, among others, UNESCO's UNITWIN initiative:
UNITWIN is the abbreviation for the UNIVERSITY TWINNING and networking scheme. The Programme was established in 1992 following the relevant decision of the General Conference of UNESCO taken at its 26th session. The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme was conceived as a way to advance research, training and programme development in higher education by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through transfer of knowledge across borders. Since it was set up in 1992 the programme has aroused great interest among Member-States.

"The Disadvantages of an Elite Education" by William Deresiewicz
In The American Scholar, 77 (3, Summer), 2008, available at theamericanscholar.org.
- Deresiewicz's definition of "being intellectual": "being passionate about ideas"!

Rosika Schwimmer and World Government
Rosika Schwimmer or Bédy-Schwimmer "Rózsa" Rózsika (1877-1948) tried to create a world government. In 1935 she formed the World Centre for Women's Archives with Mary Ritter Beard. She received a World Peace Prize in 1937 and formed the Campaign for World Government with Lola Maverick Lloyd. In 1947 she was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize but no one received it the next year...
Please read more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosika_Schwimmer, or, please read also Remarks on the History of Hungarian Feminism by Judit Acsády.

The Earth Federation Movement
The Earth Federation Movement includes a worldwide association of World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) Chapters and affiliated independent organizations, such as many youth, environmental, and human rights organizations, that affirm the creation of a non-military, democratic Earth Federation under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. We have several web sites associated with our work for global peace with justice, environmental sustainability, and prosperity such as www.earthfederation.info.
Dr. Glen T. Martin is the Secretary-General of WCPA and President of the Institute on World Problems. Since its founding in 1958, the WCPA has focused on creating a non-military, democratic Constitution for the Federation of Earth. It has done this through four Constituent Assemblies of World Citizens meeting from 1968 to 1991, when the Constitution was finally completed in its present form.
WCPA now works to get the nations and people of the world to ratify the Constitution through the criteria specified in Article 17. The Constitution is permeated by the concept of human dignity, focused especially in Articles 12 and 13 on human rights. WCPA sees the ratification of the Earth Constitution as a central structural change, creating global democratic institutions of unity in diversity, that can facilitate the deep spiritual change toward planetary maturity that is also necessary for a world of peace, with justice and sustainability.

Joseph P. Baratta
Joseph P. Baratta (2004)
The Politics of World Federation
Vol.1: The United Nations, U.N. Reform, Atomic Control.
Vol. 2: From World Federalism to Global Governance

Westport, CT: Praeger
Please see here the Introduction to both volumes.
Please see more on the work of Joseph Preston Baratta and Virginia Swain on the site of the 2009 Workshop on Humiliation and Violent Conflict.

Garry Davis: World Citizenship, World Passport, World Presidency, World Service Authority, World Government of World Citizens, World Government House
Garry Davis (Bar Harbor, Maine, July 27, 1921) is a peace activist who created the first "World Passport." A former World War II bomber pilot and Broadway actor, he renounced his American citizenship in Paris in 1948 to become a "citizen of the world." Davis founded the World Service Authority, which now issues the passports - along with birth and other certificates - to applicants. Davis first used his "world passport" on a trip to India in 1956, and has been variably admitted into or jailed by countries around the world after using his world passport. Up to 150 countries have purportedly accepted the world passport at one time or another. In France, his support committee was co-founded by writers Albert Camus and André Gide and the Abbé Pierre (quoted from wikipedia).

Worldwide Universities Network
WUN is an international alliance of 16 leading research universities who have come together to create a worldwide partnership to generate significant advances in research, graduate training, education and knowledge transfer. The partners are committed to excellence, innovation and impact and as such are collaborating in multi-disciplinary areas of global significance to enhance the contribution of Higher Education to the opportunities and challenges of globalisation. WUN serves to build international faculty-driven communities of interest, and provides the infrastructural support and intellectual venture capital necessary to enable innovative multi-institutional projects of the sort that are impossible for a single institution or an ad hoc collaboration to deliver and sustain.

International Bureau of Education
Sobhi Tawil has been co-ordinating the Capacity Building for Curriculum Development programme at the UNESCO International Bureau of Education (Geneva) since 2002. He was formerly the head of the Exploring Humanitarian Law project (19992001) at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He also lectures in Education, Conflict and Development at the Graduate Institute for Development Studies (IUED) in Geneva. Alexandra Harley assisted in developing and managing the Curriculum Change and Social Cohesion in Conflict-Affected Societies project at the International Bureau of Education (20022003). Prior to her work on this project, Ms. Harley taught environmental education in Nicaragua (19982000) where, following Hurricane Mitch, she founded and directed a small NGO to support populations affected by the disaster.
Sobhi Tawil and Alexandra Harley are the authors of Education and Identity-based Conflict: Assessing curriculum policy for social and civic reconstruction, in Tawil, S. & Harley, A., Education, Conflict and Social Cohesion ( Geneva: UNESCO International Bureau of Education, 2004). Please see also the announcement of their publication.

Education for Peace International
The main purpose of EFP-International and its sister Institutes is to develop and implement peace education programs in all parts of the world for all segments of human society. Through in-depth, systematic and sustained programs of Education for Peace (EFP), every generation of new leaders and citizens is equipped with the necessary insights and skills to decrease the occurrence and intensity of conflict to prevent its descent into violence and war. More importantly, they are then able to dedicate their talents and energies to the creation of a sustained and progressive culture of peace.

The Global Campaign for Peace Education
The Global Campaign for Peace Education (GCPE) seeks to develop the capacities, in teachers and learners, to face challenges of unprecedented proportion: the continued development of weapons of mass destruction, armed conflicts between states and ethnic groups, the spread of racism, gender inequality, community violence, the huge and widening gap between the rich and the poor throughout the globalized economy, massive violations of human rights and the degradation of the environment.

Center for Peace Education, Miriam College, Q.C., Philippines
The Center's mission is to help advance a culture of peace through education.
A culture of peace is a set of values, modes of behavior and ways of life that reflects respect for life and for human dignity, rejects violence in all its forms, prevents violent conflicts by tackling their root causes, and recognizes the importance of cooperation, tolerance and dialogue.

International Day for Tolerance

The Ohio Peace and Conflict Studies Network

Peacemakers Trust

Peace Education and Conflict Resolution
This is a handbook about project-work on peace education and conflict resolution in schools.

WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources--Peace

The International Network on Conflict Resolution in Education and Peace Education (INCREPE)

The Peace Alliance - Campaign for a Department of Peace

Mayors for Peace: Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Study Courses
The experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are barely mentioned in most academic systems. Few colleges or universities have any courses at all that convey this experience to our young. While the evil of holocaust has been shared globally as a common recognition, the evil of nuclear weapons has not been shared. In other words, the experience in Hiroshima and Nagasaki has never achieved comparable recognition to the holocaust. Therefore it would be necessary to promote this course to make younger generation to recognize what was resulted by the use of A-bombing and its effect on the human family.

Megaconference Jr.
Megaconference Jr. is a project designed to give students in elementary and secondary schools around the world the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and contribute to each other's learning in real time, using advanced multi-point video conferencing technology. Presenters will design and conduct videoconference-based presentation and activities focused on both academic and cultural issues. Participants will be able to address questions to presenters and to collaborate with geographically diverse peers in collaborative learning activities, thus building international cultural awareness.
The conference addresses local and national curriculum standards in multiple subject areas. It will also help students and teachers develop the capacity to effectively utilize high-speed networks, videoconferencing and other emerging technologies to enhance learning experiences.

Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
Founded in 1986 through a generous gift from Mrs. Joan B. Kroc, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame conducts research, education, and outreach programs on the causes of violence and the conditions for sustainable peace.
The institute's research agenda focuses on the religious and ethnic dimensions of conflict and peacebuilding; the ethics of the use of force; and the peacemaking role of international norms, policies and institutions, including a focus on economic sanctions and enforcement of human rights. In addition to individual research by faculty in a wide range of disciplines, the institute organizes collaborative research projects on these themes.
The institute's unique M.A. program equips scholar-practitioners with theoretical and practical skills needed for diverse careers in peacebuilding. Inspired by the vision of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh CSC, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, the program attracts students from around the world to study peacemaking while building cross-cultural understanding among themselves. The institute also offers an innovative undergraduate supplementary major and interdisciplinary minor in peace studies which focus on the conditions needed for a just and peaceful world order.
The institute reaches out to national and international communities through media commentary , online and print publications, and workshops for non-governmental and religious organizations. Kroc Institute faculty also contribute to both international policy discussions and peacebuilding practice through their various professional roles and responsibilities in international organizations in the private and public sectors.
The institute's programs are conducted by core faculty and staff , and by faculty fellows representing more than a dozen departments and professional schools at Notre Dame.

Education for Economic Growth or Quality of Life?
Sozialdemokratische Betrachtungen über „Wirtschaftswachstum oder Lebensqualität?” (11. April 1972)
Wir zweifeln, ob dies gut für die Menschen sei:
– immer breitere Straßen für immer mehr Autos
– immer größere Kraftwerke für immer mehr Energiekonsum
– immer aufwendigere Verpackung für immer fragwürdigere Konsumgüter
– immer größere Flughäfen für immer schnellere Flugzeuge
– immer mehr Pestizide für immer reichere Ernten
– und, nicht zu vergessen, immer mehr Menschen auf einem immer enger werdenden Globus.

 




Teaching Done So Far by HumanDHS Members

We invite all educators to contribute with their seminars/courses.

•  See a few selected examples of Lindner's teaching further down and here.
(A full list of her lectures and media appearances is also on the Database of University of Oslo, Norway, Cristin, search for etternavn Lindner and fornavn Evelin, you see 536 items in 2014)

•  2004: Course ORLJ 4859 "Conflict Resolution & the Psychology of Humiliation," Fall 2004 at Columbia University, New York, USA, November 12-14, 2004, Teacher Evelin Lindner
•  2004: "The Role of Humiliation in Conflict and War," Graduate School of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, in Professor Adair Linn Nagata's Course of Intercultural Communication, June 9, 2004. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2005: "Gender and Life Designs in a Global Perspective: What are 'Dignified' Life Designs, and When Do We Feel Humiliated?" Graduate School of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, in Professor Adair Linn Nagata's Course of Interpersonal Communication, June 28, 2005. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2005: "Gender and Life Designs in a Global Perspective: What are 'Dignified' Life Designs, and When Do We Feel Humiliated?" Course organised by Professor Kazuko Tanaka, Founder of the Center for Gender Studies at the Division of International Studies, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan, 10th May 2005. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2005: "Humiliation in a Globalizing World: Does Humiliation Become the Most Disruptive Force?," Course organised by Professor Sayaka Funada-Classen, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo, Japan, 12th May, 2005. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2005, Spring: Course PSY 4030, kull 19, "On the Theme of Humiliation," Spring 2005 at the Department of Psychology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 12th-14th January 2005. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2005, Fall: Course PSYPRO 4030, kull 20, "Human Dignity and Humiliation," Autumn 2005 at the Department of Psychology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 10th-14th October 2005. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2006: "Locating the Researcher in Time and Space: What Led Me To Do Research on Humiliation and International Conflict" Course organised by Professor Jacqueline Howell Wasilewski, Intercultural Communication, Division of International Studies, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan, June 8, 2006. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2006: "Avoiding Humiliation - From Intercultural Communication to Global Inter-Human Communication" Graduate School of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, in Professor Adair Linn Nagata's Course of Interpersonal Communication, June 8, 2006. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2006, Fall: Course PSYPRO 4030, kull 22, "Human Dignity and Humiliation," Autumn 2006 at the Department of Psychology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 2nd-6th October 2006. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2007, Spring: Humiliation, PSYPRO 4030, kull 23, in the Series Social Psychological Theory and Method, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway, room 12.405, 29th January-2nd February 2007. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2007: "Intercultural Communication and Humiliation," School of International Politics and Economics, Aoyama Gakuin University, Seminar for Communication Studies, invited by Professor Kiyoko Sueda, Tokyo, Japan, 24th April 2007. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2007: "Getting Acquainted with Humiliation Studies," Graduate School of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, in Professor Adair Linn Nagata's Course of Intercultural Communication Theory, April 26, 2007. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner
•  2007: Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies, Appalachian University, Boone, North Carolina, USA, November 10-14, 2007. Guest Lecturer: Evelin Lindner, invited by Amy Hudnall, Adjunct Instructor, Coordinator of Peace Studies
•  2007, Fall: Course PSYPRO 4030, kull 24, "Human Dignity and Humiliation," Autumn 2006 at the Department of Psychology, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 8th-11th October 2007. Lecturer: Evelin Lindner

•  "Grunnleggende behov og følelsen av ydmykelse blant asylsøkere i norske asylmottak"
Lecture at the Oslo kommune Bydel Grünerløkka "Enhet for mangfold og integrering," 2. juni 2010. Lecturer: Mari Blikom

•  Noam Ebner plans a presence/online workshop on humiliation.

•  Sultan H. Somjee envisions a Dialogue on Humiliation.

 




Ideas

Michael L. Perlin kindly offers his support

1. Michael Perlin offers to help us build our HumanDHS education program with diverse online courses/seminars/talks/workshops shaped by our Education Team members with their diverse expertise and approaches, supplemented with face-to-face gatherings at our annual meetings.

2. Michael Perlin offers interested HumanDHS members to participate in his existing online teaching program.

Michael L. Perlin writes to the Education Team in May 2007:

Dear Friends! I am writing this email as a follow-up to a conversation that I had with Evelin and Linda on Tuesday, May 10, during which we discussed a wide array of new educational initiatives that the HDHS Network might undertake. The conversation was an inspiring one, and I am sharing it with all of you, both hoping for some feedback and wanting to "plant the idea" of what we hope we can do.First, some background. During the December 2006 NYC conference, I had lunch with Evelin, Linda and others of you to discuss an idea that I had been thinking about for the prior months (but had held back on until I actually had a chance to interact with many of you at the conference). We decided then that the idea that I had raised - more about that in a minute - was of potential interest for the group and that, at some point in the future, some of us would get together to discuss it. And that's what we did on Tuesday.For those of you who don't know me, let me share some information about who I am and what I do. In my "day job," I am a professor of law at New York Law School, specializing in mental disability law (that was the focus of my career as a practicing attorney before I became a professor in 1984). In addition, I am director, of the International Mental Disability Law Reform Project in the law school's Justice Action Center, and also am director of the law school's Online Mental Disability Law Program.

In those roles, I have devoted most of my time over the past seven years to the creation and expansion of a program that allows us to offer courses to advocates, activists, scholars, and students around the world in a variety of mental disability law-related topics. Here, we have dual aims: (1) providing an important educational experience in an area of "law and society" that is still shockingly "under the radar" in many parts of the world, and (2)encouraging action on the part of our students to work for social change in this substantive area (much of what we do in an international context is discussed in my article, An Internet-based Mental Disability Law Program: Implications for Social Change in Nations with Developing Economies, 40 Fordham Int'l L.J. 435 (2007) (available online at http://www.humiliationstudies.org/education/teamlong.php#perlin).

We currently have partnerships with five US-based law schools, have done multiple courses in Japan, one in Nicaragua, a version of one in Finland, and we are currently creating partnerships in China, Mexico and yet another time in Japan.  We currently offer six courses - Survey of Mental Disability Law; Mental Health Issues in Jails and Prisons; Sex Offenders; The Americans with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy and Practice ; International Human Rights Law and Mental Disability Law; andLawyering Skills for the Representation of Persons with Mental Disabilities - and will be adding two more in the 07-08 academic year (Forensic Ethics and Forensic Reports; Mental Illness, Dangerousness, Risk Assessment and the Police Power), at which time we will be launching our on-line Masters in mental disability law studies. The pedagogy for the courses include these components (for each course):
- 14 hours of DVDs, all of which I created (or which were prepared by other professors under my supervision)
- weekly reading assignments with "focus questions"
- a weekly, synchronous chatroom
- on-going, threaded, on-line "question-and-answer" message boards, and
- two live day-long seminars, one about a month after the course begins, and one at the course's conclusion.

When we met last December, I indicated that we could take our pedagogy style and use it as a guide to the creation of courses of interest to HumanDHS Network members and their friends and colleagues. [These courses are not free, of course. New York Law School must break even in offering these programs, and there are embedded costs (our OIT provider, creation of DVDs, fees to chatroom teachers, administrative costs, etc.) that must be kept in mind; these will vary depending on what we decide to do]. We also agreed on Tuesday that it might make sense for the live seminars to be optional, so as not to discourage individuals who could not travel to the conferences from taking the courses.

With this as background, these were the three (non-exclusive) options that we discussed on Tuesday:
(1) We can create special sections of our courses for HDHS Network members (we had thought, by way of example, that there might be a significant number of HDHS Network members interested in either the International Human Rights and Mental Disability Law course or the Sex Offenders course or the Mental Health Issues in Jails and Prisons course to make it suitable to create a section just for our members.
(2) We can encourage HDHS Network members to enroll in ongoing courses (we will be offering the first three listed above this fall, and the second three listed above in the spring). If HDHS Network members were interested in any of the courses, but there was not enough of a critical mass to sustain a section just for our members, then individuals could, on a per capita basis, enroll in any or all of the six courses we will be offering in 07-08.
(3) We can create new educational opportunities for the HDHS network, including:
(A) An array of online courses, lectures, seminars, and workshops, covering the field of Humiliation Studies, in other words, an online "menu" on the theory of humiliation and dignity, and its application, namely the relevance of humiliation and dignity for areas such as Migration; Globalization; Peace and Conflict; Human Rights; History and Conflict; Cycles of Violence; Gender Issues, and Public Policy Planning), using our pedagogy model as a basic structure.
(B) Adding the live day-long seminars that complement the online courses to the regularly-scheduled annual HDHS meetings

I am very excited about working with all of you on any and all of these ventures. Please let me know what you think!
All the best,
Michael
Prof. Michael L. Perlin Director, International Mental Disability Law Reform Project Director, Online Mental Disability Law Program New York Law School, New York

How it works

Any individual has the opportunity to make their own course within this framework, but, if they are to be done in conjunction with NYLS, these need to be done in line with the structure that I set out. So it isn't exactly as easy as everyone simply making their own course, but, everyone has the capacity to make their own course.
If, for example, Linda were to want to make a course, once we figured out costs, this is what we would do:
1. You would create a syllabus and I would check to see if the syllabus would "work" in our system (this has NOTHING to do with content, but rather with structure).
2. I would send you an email, spelling out what needed to be done (first, to determine how many of the weekly DVDs would be talking-heads-and-power-points, how many might be roundtable discussions, how many might be demonstrations/simulations, etc; then, to create powerpoints for each week; then, to come up with a schedule for filming.
3. Then, we would need to figure out how many people would be involved in the actual production of the DVDs (would it be just you and Linda? Would others participate? et), and then we would have to come up with a schedule for shooting (we do these on campus)

On 18/08/2007, Michael Perlin gives us the news for fall 2007:


Dear Evelin and friends:
I wanted to alert you all to current developments in New York Law School's online, distance learning mental disability law program (which I have discussed with some of you in prior emails). During the fall 2007 semester, we will be offering three courses as part of this program:
1. Survey of Mental Disability Law;
2. Sex Offenders (for the first time), and
3. Mental Health Issues in Jails and Prisons.

Registration of students for all courses is open now and anyone interested should contact Liane Bass, Esq., Senior Administrator (lbass@nyls.edu). We expect to launch our online Masters in mental disability law studies in August 2008, and credits earned prior to that date in any of these courses will be "grandparented" into that degree.

For more information, write to me. And if anyone is affiliated with an academic institution or NGO that might be interested in pursuing potential partnerships with us, please let me know that as well.

All the best,
Prof. Michael L. Perlin, Director, Online Mental Disability Law
Program, New York Law School

On 10/05/2008, Michael Perlin gives us the news for fall 2007:

Dear Evelin and friends:
During the fall 2008 semester, New York Law School (NYLS) will be offering four courses in its online, distance learning mental disability law program:
* Survey of Mental Disability Law;
* Sex Offenders;
* Therapeutic Jurisprudence, and
* Americans with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy and Procedure.

In the spring 2009 term, it will be offering these five courses:
* International Human Rights and Mental Disability Law;,
* Advocacy Skills in Cases Involving Persons with Mental Disabilities: The Role of Lawyers and Expert Witnesses;
* Forensic Reports, the Role of the Expert and Forensic Ethics,
* Mental Health Issues in Jails & Prisons; and
* Mental Illness, Dangerousness, the Police Power and Risk Assessment.

The courses are appropriate for human rights workers, practicing lawyers, mental health professionals, sociologists, criminologists, mental health activists, advocates, and all those interested in this important area of social policy and the law.

For more information, please write to Prof. Michael L. Perlin, mperlin[at]nyls.edu, Director, Online Mental Disability Law Program, New York Law School.