The United Nations' founding in 1945 and the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reflected the international community's growing commitment to the protection and recognition of what is now referred to as human rights. Despite increased international attention, human rights violations continue to occur at the local, regional, national, and global levels. This unit introduces students to the concept of human rights and adds issues to that concept to heighten their awareness of the complexities of protecting human rights. Students are encouraged to consider multiple perspectives when discussing case studies from around the world. The unit introduction contains a rationale and introduction to lessons; unit goals; connections to curriculum standards; materials needed; time required; subjects and suggested grade levels; simulation overview; and icons. Lesson 1, "What Are Human Rights?" considers an appropriate definition of human rights. Lesson 2, "Minorities, Minority Rights, and Genocide," asks students to consider their personal experiences with discrimination and to develop a working definition of minorities and minority rights and then looks at genocide. Lesson 3, "Civil/Political Rights," asks students to identify civil/political rights issues and uses six real case studies to delve deeper into these issues. Lesson 4, "Women and Human Rights," asks students to reflect on gender stereotypes they may hold and to think about the origins of such assumptions. The lesson focuses on biological and socially constructed differences between males and females to examine why women may be more impacted by certain human rights violations than males. It uses case studies from Brazil, Nicaragua, and Honduras to discuss the feminization of poverty. The unit concludes with a "Unit Debriefing" that highlights contemporary controversies surrounding the protection of human rights. Appendices contain additional resources. (BT)