Teach-In on Immigrant Rights, 12/11

December 11

Noon - 4:00 PM

61 Broadway at Wall Street (PSC-CUNY Building)

Lunch Provided / Spanish Translation

http://www.facebook.com/events/197525226999799/

The IWJC [http://www.nycga.net/groups/immigrant-worker-justice] is hosting a teach-in on Sunday, Dec 11 that is open to the public. Although immigrants’ and immigrant workers’ rights have been emphasized in protests on the West Coast, these issues and populations have been less attended to in this area. The teach-ins will present an opportunity for people interested in these issues to hear from members of workers' centers, immigrant community groups, and non-traditional labor organizations. Students interested in popular education styles would particularly enjoy themselves.

Internship Opportunity Through Columbia University's Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Spring 2012

Guantánamo Public Memory Project
Research Internship Spring 2012

About the Guantánamo Public Memory Project
“Guantánamo” has become an international symbol of torture, detention, national security, and conflict over America’s “War on Terror.” After more than a decade of bitter struggle over whether and how to “close Guantánamo,” in 2011, nearly 200 prisoners remain at the US naval station, or GTMO. The unique qualities of the site – its legal ambiguity, political isolation and geographic proximity, and architectures of confinement – have been used and reused for a wide range of people and purposes. These include Cuban workers in exile after the Revolution; Haitian refugees with HIV, first welcomed as asylum seekers but then confined in tent cities as threats to public health; and the War on Terror’s “enemy combatants.” GTMO and its residents have been inextricable, if often invisible, parts of America’s deepest policy conflicts: immigration, public health, human rights, and national security.

The Guantánamo Public Memory Project seeks to build public awareness of the century-long history of the US naval station at Guantánamo, Bay, Cuba, and foster dialogue on the future of this place and the policies it shapes. The Project will collect stories, documents, photos, videos artwork, and oral testimonies from different perspectives and time periods throughout GTMO’s 100 year history. It will bring that material to the public through a website, traveling exhibit, curriculum, public programs, and other media. The Project will also invite diverse people to share their own stories of GTMO and engage in debate about the larger issues this site and others like it across the world raise. It originated as a project of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, which currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Project. The Project is now being developed by a growing collaboration of universities and organizations, coordinated from Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights as part of its Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability.

About the Position
Researchers will identify and compile primary and secondary source material on GTMO’s history in a variety of media to serve as the foundation for an exhibit opening December 2012 and a curriculum to be used starting September 2012. The exhibit and curriculum have been divided into themes/subject areas. For each, researchers will:

• Compile a packet of material, including secondary sources that provide background on the subject, articles, websites, images, video footage, oral histories and candidates for interviews.
• Research, price, and secure permissions for images and any other material that requires it.

In addition, researchers will:

• Conduct research for rapid response to events in the media (anniversaries; histories of particular camps; historical perspective on new decisions) as necessary.
• Report regularly to other members of the Project team (other historical researchers, oral historians, bibliography developers), coordinating searches and sharing material as necessary.

Qualifications

• Ability to commit at least 10 hours/week for at least one full semester
• Graduate student in history, public history, museum studies, education, American Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, or related field
• Background and research experience in one or more subject areas related to GTMO’s history, such as 19th/early 20th century American imperialism, Caribbean studies, refugee policy, military history, Cold War
• Knowledge of Spanish or Haitian Creole a plus
• Excellent organization skills and ability to work independently and creatively

How to Apply
Please send resume and cover letter to guantanamo@columbia.edu

The deadline for applications is December 16, 2011.

Human Rights Studies in Academia (Conference, 4/2)

A Conference at Yale University

Saturday, April 2, 9am-4pm. Linsly-Chittenden Hall (LC), Room 102

Click Here to Reserve your Place at the Human Rights in Academia Conference

The purpose of the 2011 Human Rights in Academia conference at Yale University is to bring academics and practitioners together to discuss the importance of developing and expanding upon existing human rights programs and initiatives within academic institutions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The conference will be a forum for debating the place and importance of human rights studies in a global academic context. Advancing the status of human rights studies while generating energy, collaboration, and action is the larger objective of the conference. For more information on the Conference Click Here.

Conference Participant List:

Harlan Beckely (Washington and Lee University) Director of The Shepherd Poverty Program.

Seyla Benhabib (Yale) Eugene Meyer Professor of Political Science and Philosophy.

Charlie Clements (Harvard) Executive Director of The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

Camille Crittenden (University of California at Berkeley) Executive Director of Human Rights Center.

Yasmine Ergas (Columbia) Director of The Institute for The Study of Human Rights.

Susan Gzesh (University of Chicago) Executive Director of Human Rights Program.

Susan Katz (University of San Francisco) Professor. Expert on International and Multicultural Education.

Thomas Keenan (Bard College) Director of Human Rights Program.

Joanne Mariner (Human Rights Watch) Director of Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program and (Hunter College, CUNY) Director of Human Rights Program.

Joseph Martin (Columbia) Director of Human Rights Studies at Barnard.

Timothy McCarthy (Harvard) Program Director of Human Rights and Social Movements.

Samuel Moyn (Columbia) Professor and Historian of Human Rights.

William Schulz (NYU). Former Executive Director of Amnesty International.

James Silk (Yale) Executive Director of The Schell Center for Human Rights, Yale Law School.

David Simon (Yale) Professor of Political Science.

Felisa Tibbitts (Harvard) Lecturer on Education and (HREA) Co-Founder of Human Rights Education Associates.

Terence Turner (Cornell University) Emeritus Professor of Anthropology. Indigenous Rights Expert.

Richard Wilson (UConn) Gladstein Chair of Human Rights, Director of Human Rights Institute at UConn.

Jay Winter (Yale) Charles J. Stille Professor of History.

Conference Schedule

Description	Time
Registration and Breakfast	9:00-9:20 am
Welcome	9:20-9:40 am
Introduction	9:40-10:00 am
Panel I	10:00-11:00 am
Discussion of Panel I	11:00-11:30 am
Panel II	11:30-12:30 pm
Discussion of Panel II	12:30-1:00 pm

Lunch	1:00-2:00 pm
Panel III	2:00-3:00 pm
Discussion of Panel III	3:00-3:30 pm
Last Remarks/Wrap Up	3:30-4:00 pm
Reception	4:00 pm

For More Information Visit: www.humanrightsinacademia.com

or Contact: humanrightsinacademia@gmail.com

Congrats to Megan Schmidt, Winner of Best Academic Achievement Prize, Kingston University

Draper extends its congratulations to Megan Schmidt, who has just been awarded the prize for the Best Overall Academic Achievement at London's Kingston University. Prior to enrolling at Draper, Megan completed a master's degree in Human Rights and Genocide Studies at Kingston, and is being recognized for her excellence in that program. She will be giving the 'vote of thanks' speech at the program's graduation ceremony in London this weekend.

Congrats, Megan!

Megan Schmidt on Interning at the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect

Draper student Megan Schmidt recently took an internship with the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP) and has written about the experience for us.

As many students and recent graduates are finding out, internships are increasingly becoming the new entry level job. This can be frustrating for those of us who end up with an internship position that doesn’t warrant too much energy. Luckily for me, I have found an internship position that is both rewarding and is preparing me for my future employment endeavors. This position is with the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP) as the Coalition’s Research Intern. I would highly recommend this position to anyone interested in human rights specifically relating to the field of mass atrocity crimes.

The Responsibility to Protect is an international norm established at the United Nations 2005 World Summit which calls on governments to protect their citizens from genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. In the event that a state cannot or does not aid its people, the international community is responsible to intervene through humanitarian means and, if necessary, coercive measures if collectively authorized by the UN Security Council.

At NYU I have focused my classes on human rights and international relations, so in searching for an internship I wanted to find a placement that allowed me to continue in this area of study. I was drawn to this internship because my specific area of interest and research is in human rights and genocide studies, making ICRtoP an ideal place to learn about issues and developments in these fields. I began interning with ICRtoP in September 2010. Working with the project requires focus and dedication as the position and the subject matter are substantial and intense. My work for the organization has included theoretical research on RtoP as well as focus on ongoing conflicts and crises.

What is also great about working with ICRtoP is that I have the opportunity to attend events and meetings (Security Council, General Assembly, etc.) at the UN. This requirement of the position is most exciting as I get to witness firsthand the actions and developments happening in this international forum.

ICRtoP is a project of the World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy, which has several other projects relating to the field of human rights and the UN such as Together for a Better Peace, Reform the UN, and the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. I recommend that anyone interested in these areas visit the Institute’s website as internship positions are often available.

For more information on ICRtoP please visit the Coalition’s website at: http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org

-Megan Schmidt

Children and Human Rights in Haiti: Talk this Friday, 2/12