SMU Assistant Professor of Political Science Eduard Jordaan became fascinated by anecdotes of South Africa’s actions at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, a subset of the UN whose member countries address human rights issues around the world. When he began delving deeper and tracking South Africa’s voting records, he found that the country had been systematically defending unpalatable regimes and blocking the development of human rights. Professor Jordaan’s research also influences how he teaches. In an undergraduate course on Conflict and Justice in International Relations, which involves a simulation of the UN Human Rights Council, each student is assigned a country, and together they have to discuss and write a resolution on a human rights problem in a specific country, such as violence against civilians during conflicts in Yemen or genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region. “I think they have fun with the issue, but become aware of a lot of other things in the process. A lot of them get really into their roles,” he noted.