CCNY Launches Yearlong Human Rights Forum

December 10 lecture by Dean Eric Weitz kicks off series of events examining human rights issues through multiple lenses

The City College of New York today announced the launch of a yearlong human rights forum that will bring together members of the City College and New York City communities to examine human rights issues through multiple lenses. The inaugural event will be a lecture by Dr. Eric D. Weitz, dean of humanities and the arts at City College, 6:30 - 8 p.m. Tuesday, December 10, in the North Academic Center Ballroom on the City College campus.

“What Do We Mean by Human Rights? An Historian’s Perspective” is the topic of Dean Weitz’ talk. Afterwards, he will be joined in conversation by Joel Rosenthal, president of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

“Human rights is one of the most critical issues of our time,” said Dean Weitz, an historian whose fields of expertise include the history of international human rights. “Through this forum, we want to develop a critical perspective on human rights and raise questions about how we work towards justice for victims and bear witness to human rights violations.”

Recognizing the urgency of the topic, City College’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, Division of Humanities and the Arts, and Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education launched a unique collaboration to sponsor the forum. It consists of lectures, conversations, film screenings, exhibitions and courses.

Among the classes that are participating in the forum through thematic readings and event attendance are Professor Alessandra Benedicty’s Special Topics Speaker Series: Human Rights course (IAS 31300) at the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professor Anne Kornhauser’s Age of Human Rights class (HIST 31556) and History of Human Rights master’s level class (HIST B0910).

Dates and speakers for future forum events follow. Unless noted otherwise, events will be held on City College’s main campus and begin at 6:30 p.m.:

January 22: Sarah Leah Whitson, director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch, and Jillian Schwedler, professor of political science, Hunter College and the Graduate Center (CUNY). Event at the Graduate Center (CUNY).

January 30: Anat Saragusti, director, B’Tselem USA, and Dov Waxman, associate professor of political science, Baruch College and the Graduate Center (CUNY). Event at the Graduate Center (CUNY).

February 20: Kinshasha Holman Conwill, deputy director, National Museum of African American History & Culture, and John Haworth, director, National Museum of the American Indian, New York branch.

February 27: David Marwell, director, Museum of Jewish Heritage.

March 27: Juan E. Méndez, visiting professor of law, American University Washington College of Law.

April 2: Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Senior Fellow, Jackson Institute, Yale University. Event at the Center for Worker Education. Begins at 8:30 a.m.

April 10: Dr. Jo-Marie Burt, co-director, Center for Global Studies, George Mason University; Victoria Sanford, professor of anthropology, Lehman College and the Graduate Center (CUNY); moderated by Irina Carlota Silber, associate professor of anthropology, City College of New York. Event at the Center for Worker Education.

May 8: Andrew Nathan, professor of political science, Columbia University, and Vincent Boudreau, director, Colin Powell Center for Leadership and Service, City College of New York.

The City College of New York main campus is located at 160 Covent Ave. New York. The Graduate Center (CUNY) is located at 365 Fifth Ave., New York, and the Center for Worker Education is located at 25 Broadway, New York.

The following people helped establish the human rights forum: Dr. Eric Weitz, dean, Division of Humanities and the Arts; Dr. Jeffrey Rosen, acting dean, Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership (Powell School); Dr. Juan Carlos Mercado, dean, Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education; Dr. Vincent Boudreau, director, Colin L. Powell Center for Leadership and Service; Dr. Alessandra Benedicty, assistant professor, Division of Interdisciplinary Studies, Dr. Rajan Menon, Bernard and Anne Spitzer Chair Professor of Political Science. Colin Powell School; Dee Dee Mozeleski, director of development, Colin Powell School; Maura Christopher, director of communications, Colin Powell School; Wanda Mercado, director of administration, Colin Powell School, and Amanda Krupman, communicators coordinator, Colin Powell School.

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About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture; the School of Education; the Grove School of Engineering; the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. U.S. News, Princeton Review and Forbes all rank City College among the best colleges and universities in the United States.





 

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