The second issue of the Research in Human Rights Education Papers Series is a study on the impact of a nationwide human rights education curriculum in the framework of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project in Germany. In 1980, the German Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK) issued Recommendations for the integration of human rights education in primary and secondary schools. This study evaluates the application of these recommendations and based on a study named “UNESCO-Associated Project Schools (ASP) and Human Rights Education”. The study valuates the application of these recommendations based on a 1999-2000 study conducted in 43 schools with a total of 144 teachers and 2824 students. This paper evaluates the application of these recommendations based on a 1999-2000 study conducted in 43 schools with a total of 144 teachers and 2824 students. It covers the recommendations in all their aspects – the content objectives, the methods used, the holistic approach to human rights education appealing to students’ minds, emotions and actions as well as results and consequences – and it also correlates human rights education practice with socio-demographic variables. The findings show that while the UNESCO schools are more actively engaged in human rights education, their students objectively do not have more knowledge of human rights than those in regular schools. The data also show that emotion is the key to sustainable human rights education. Students who are emotionally involved in the subject and learn through emotion-oriented methods are inclined to become active for human rights. Moreover, subjects that can be tackled from an affective angle are more likely to have an effect on students’ behavior and effective human rights education.
