The View from Norge: Rights-Based Discourse and Human Rights Education in Norway

Authors

David A. Tow, University of San FranciscoFollow

Author Bio

David Andrew Tow is a high school English, social science, regional occupation program (ROP), and environmental leadership teacher and seven-time teacher of the year at Terra Linda High School, a public school just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. He is a member of the California Federation of Teachers’ Civil, Human, and Women’s Rights Committee. Currently, he is a doctoral student in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco, with an emphasis on Human Rights Education. His research aims to develop a mechanism for evaluating school performance that focuses on human rights and centers marginalized communities in both the evaluation and program improvement process. datow@dons.usfca.edu

Abstract

This paper uses the author’s time as a Fulbright Roving Scholar in American Studies to Norway as an entrée into exploring human rights discourse and Human Rights Education in Norway, a country that is often thought of as one of the centers of human rights work in Europe—and appreciates this association. It begins by situating human rights in Norwegian law and history, connecting it to the author’s home and teaching context. It then recounts the experience of serving as Roving Scholar, connecting it to observations both positive and potentially detrimental within Norway, concluding with some brief thoughts on a balance between Norwegian and American education systems.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Tow, D. A. (2024). The View from Norge: Rights-Based Discourse and Human Rights Education in Norway. International Journal of Human Rights Education, 8(1). Retrieved from https://repository.usfca.edu/ijhre/vol8/iss1/9