PRESS RELEASE
ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807
Fax: 416-512-1736
E-mail: zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org

DATE: April 15, 2008

CONTACT: Megan Swan

Tel: 416-250-9807

New Faculty Joins Genocide and Human Rights University Program

Toronto, Canada- Nine renowned genocide scholars will lead students this
summer in tackling the challenging and urgent phenomenon of genocide
through an intensive two-week program. These scholars, the faculty of
the Genocide and Human Rights University Program (GHRUP), represent a
variety of expertise, including history, sociology, philosophy,
political science, psychology and international law, providing the
students with a strongly interdisciplinary, as well as comparative
approach.

"For the seventh straight year, the International Institute for Genocide
and Human Rights Studies will continue to develop the next generation of
scholars that conduct genocide research, produce publications and expand
academic-level support for activists and human rights practitioners,"
said Prof. Roger W. Smith, Director of the GHRUP. "Bringing together
dedicated scholars and concerned students from around the world in such
an intensive seminar creates a bonding and learning experience far
different from that of a conventional classroom experience. Further,
faculty stand ready to respond to student inquiries and to support
research: many of the students, or as I like to think of them, as junior
colleagues, have published works in major journals and presented papers
at important international conferences. The impact of the seminar
extends far beyond the two week duration of the course."

Returning as faculty of the 2008 program will be: Joyce A. Apsel,
Master Teacher, New York University; Doris L. Bergen, Chair in
Holocaust Studies, University of Toronto; Maureen S. Hiebert, Assistant
Professor, Law and Society Program, University of Calgary; Herbert
Hirsch, Prof. of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth
University; William A. Schabas, Director, Irish Human Rights Centre,
National University of Ireland; Roger W. Smith, Prof. Emeritus, College
of William and Mary; and Scott Straus, Assistant Prof. of Political
Science, University of Wisconsin.

There are two new faculty members this year. Simon Payaslian is the
Charles K. and Elisabeth M. Kenosian Professor in Modern Armenian
History and Literature at Boston University. He is the author of many
articles and books, among them United States Policy toward the Armenian
Question and the Armenian Genocide (2005) and The History of Armenia
(2007). Ervin Staub is Professor of Psychology, University of
Massachusetts-Amherst. He is the distinguished author of numerous
publications, including The Roots of Evil: The Origins of Genocide and
Other Group Violence (1989), a leading figure in the study of the
origins and prevention of genocide, and in reconciliation, with major
efforts over several years in Rwanda.

>From July 28 to August 8, 2008, these scholars will convene in Toronto
to teach their specialties to a diverse group of students from around
the world, covering the following topics:

. The Development of Human Rights (Apsel)

. Introduction to Genocide (Smith)

. Theories of Genocide (Hiebert)

. The Armenian Genocide (Payaslian)

. The Holocaust (Bergen)

. The Cambodian Genocide (Hiebert)

. Children, Gender, and Genocide (Smith)

. The Rwandan Genocide and the Great Lakes Region (Straus)

. The Genocide in Darfur (Straus)

. International Law and Genocide (Schabas)

. Genocide Denial (Smith)

. Facing History: Solving Past Conflicts (Staub)

. Human Rights Abuses in Argentina (Staub)

. Preventing Genocide (Hirsch)

. Making Comparisons, Drawing Conclusions (Hirsch, Smith, and
Staub)

The program will appeal to a wide variety of students interested in
various cases of genocide, their comparative study, as well as broader
issues of human rights. Applicants must be current university students
with three years or more of undergraduate experience. Limited
scholarships are available for qualified students. The deadline for
application is May 31, 2008.

Details and registration information, as well as faculty biographies,
are available on the program’s web site, For
more information, contact the International Institute for Genocide and
Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute), 416-250-9807,
admin@genocidestudies.org.