Educação em direitos humanos no ensino jurídico: caminhos que percorrem a formação do estudante de direito à luz da curricularização da extensão.

Abstract

National Curriculum Guidelines for the Law program foresee a trajectory of the formative process with a humanistic foundation. However, literature indicates that the academic-pedagogical dimension of legal education is based on an emphasis on doctrinal legalism, focusing on the technical and mechanistic aspect. As a rule, there is a fragmentation in human rights education, as it deviates from its social role of ensuring a fair, compassionate, and democratic society. It is in this context that the present research is situated, with the general objective of examining the approach of Law programs to human rights in the formation of legal professionals, including the analysis of the contribution of integrating extension education into the legal curriculum. Using a qualitative approach, the research progressed through interviews with coordinators of Law programs in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. For data analysis, the content analysis technique as described by Bardin (2015) was employed. In this phase, the content of the interviews was coded, in an inductive process, by classifying common themes during data collection, which generated two categories, titled: "Reconceptualizing university extension and the advent of Resolution No. 7 of December 2018" and "The relevance of human rights education in legal training." Among the main findings are the challenges of implementing extension as a mandatory curricular component, such as the profile of the faculty and students, as well as the method of evaluating the teaching-learning process. Furthermore, the interviewees emphasized the importance of incorporating human rights through extension in Law curricula. Therefore, for this process to develop, it is essential to establish connections that unify the institutional philosophy regarding extension and the operational itinerary that clarifies the extensionist path within the curricular structure and the importance of ongoing training in extension practices. Continuously, using extension paths in the educational journey of law students can converge towards human rights education, as stimulating this debate in a cross-cutting manner, involving students in social demands, can contribute to reflections on the potential redirection of legal education and distance it from being a mere transmitter of norms and doctrines. Regarding the contributions of the research, the results hold social, practical, and academic relevance. The social contribution lies in emphasizing a humanistic legal education, whose practice favors more law graduates with skills and competencies that will accompany them throughout their professional journey. In terms of practical aspects, the results can contribute to discussions within the Structuring Teaching Nuclei regarding the adoption of human rights education through mandatory curricular extension. As for the academic contribution, the results of this study are useful for expanding the literature on the transversal inclusion of human rights in legal education in compliance with Resolution No. 7 of December 18, 2018, as the topic is still scarce in research.