Institute for Human Rights & Humanitarian Studies

The Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies combines support for teaching, research, and service to promote global citizenship among its students, staff, and alumni. Human rights are the foundation for global civil society, and the Institute is an important resource for spurring positive change and inspiring future leaders.

The Institute is uniquely positioned to take advantage of Webster University’s global footprint in order to become a leading hub for human rights education internationally. To get a sense of what is already happening, here are examples of research and study within the Webster community:

• Undergraduate students have given new meaning to "study abroad" by
  undertaking humanitarian fieldwork in Thailand.
  
  
• The Geneva campus offers a Refugee Studies program, and its annual Humanitarian Conference is now entering its 16th year.
  
  
• Faculty members continue to research genocide and the Holocaust in both
  Vienna and Saint Louis.
  
  
• Webster offers professional seminars on international human rights and humanitarian law by leading scholars, enhanced by on-site visits to international legal institutions in Leiden and the Hague.
  
  
• In London, hands-on learning in human rights is facilitated by connections with Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, and the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).
  
  
• The highly successful Year of International Human Rights, along with the annual Human Rights Conference, attract renowned scholars to Saint Louis and generate student interest in right issues.
  
  
• The Institute is here to promote and coordinate activities, as well as to build networks between government agencies, organizations, and businesses. As we move forward, we look forward to creating new opportunities for teaching, research, and service.

Upcoming Events*

On Thursday, November 29 at 7pm in the University Center Sunnen Lounge we will be welcoming educator, writer, speaker, and social/cultural critic Professor Andrew Jolivette.

His lecture, Indian Blood: Mixed Race Identity, Indigenous People, and HIV/AIDS, explores issues of inter-generational trauma, Native American cultural resilience, stress coping mechanisms, and identity politics within the context of public health disparities—ranging from mental health in urban environments to political activism, and the sacred role of two-spirit, same-gender loving indigenous populations throughout the United States.

Dr. Jolivette's talk will draw from his recent research study at the Native American AIDS Project in San Francisco conducted in partnership with the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington. In this talk the audience will learn about ways to address best practices in health and wellness among indigenous populations. An Indigenous stressing coping model (Intergenerational Healing and Cultural Leadership Model) will be introduced to explore new ways to reduce rates of HIV/AIDS among Native American people who continue to fight for decolonization and sovereignty.

 

Andrew Jolivette: Indian Blood: Mixed Race Identity, Indigenous People, and HIV/AIDS
Thursday, November 29, 2012
7pm, University Center Sunnen Lounge

Link to information on the program:
http://blogs.webster.edu/mcisa/blog/2012/11/14/indian-blood-mixed-race-identity-indigenous-people-and-hivaids/

More information on Professor Andrew Jolivette:
http://speakoutnow.org/userdata_display.php?modin=50&uid=424

October 29 YIHR Major Speaker Greg Constantine Sunnen Lounge 7pm. Co-sponsored by the School of Communications

 

April 18 and 19: Annual Human Rights Conference: The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Stateless Persons



All other events will be announced on our website at www.webster.edu/humanrights. For questions, please contact humanrights@webster.edu .


* All events and times are subject to change.