The Legal Studies Association at Missouri Western State University is sponsoring two events on Nov. 29 in celebration of International Human Rights Day. Both events are free and open to the public.

  • Human Rights Fair, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Blum Student Union, first and second floor lobbies. Approximately 30 posters from social work, criminal justice and legal studies classes will be displayed. Students are working on projects in several classes including readings and research related to local and global human rights issues.
  • Panel Discussion, 1 p.m., Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum Student Union 218-219. This panel, titled “Myanmar Applied Learning Experience: Empowering Law Students, Teachers and the Community,” will discuss how Missouri Western students and faculty worked to empower law students, teachers and the Taunggyi community to improve access to justice. The panel will consist of students Britane Hubbard and Kaylee Sharp, David Tushaus, professor of legal studies, and Stephen A. Rosenbaum of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at the University of California, Berkeley, who will join via videoconference from Myanmar.

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages.

The Missouri Western celebration of Human Rights Day is co-sponsored by the Legal Studies Association and the Missouri Western State University Foundation.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.