Spring 2021 Courses

Art in Captivity: The Images, Sounds, and Rhetoric of Freedom

Instructor: Vivian Nixon

The course will expand on  the initial ideas presented in the Fall workshop, Blood, Sweat, and Tears which focused on the work of contemporary justice artist Russell Craig.  Through work that is both confrontational and contemplative, Craig’s pieces create a platform to help unify all who have struggled through trauma and advocate for positive change. Russell often describes his art as his expression of the trauma he feels under the weight of white supremacy and the structural violence it supports. Others Black artist throughout American history have done the same things. We will look at others artists who have developed art in or post-release from prison during the era of Mass Incarceration, compare it with the art of Black people in each of four eras that precede Mass Incarceration: Slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and Ghettoization. The goal is to encourage students to view issues of race and justice through the multidisciplinary prism of humanities, social sciences and history.

Course Dates: Thursdays | 10:00-11:50 am ET | April 8-May 27

Credits: 1

Beyond Plastic Pollution

Instructor: Judith Enck

Beyond Plastic Pollution is a public policy course that focuses on the systemic reasons why millions of tons of plastics enter the ocean each year. This cutting-edge class will focus on the how plastic pollution is an urgent climate change issue; how the plastics industry spins the myth that we can recycle our way out of the problem; environmental justice and the the health impacts of plastic production and use. Students will discuss innovative alternatives to plastics and what each of us can do to address this growing problem. This will be a particularly useful class for those who want to tackle this issue in their own community, state, school campus, and nation. There will be a very strong focus on public action. The entire class will take place on Zoom, once a week and in the evening.

Course Dates: Wednesdays | 7:00-8:50 pm ET | April 7, 14, 28; May 5, 12, 26 

Credits: 1

Human Rights and COVID-19

Instructor: Andrea Galindo, Human Rights Lawyer 

States are not responsible for COVID-19, but they are responsible for how they respond to it. The virus cannot be used as an excuse to roll back on fundamental human rights. Human rights are universal legal guarantees that protect individuals and groups against actions that interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity. Under international human rights law, states have the responsibility to respect, protect and fulfill human rights for all. It is both a legal and practical responsibility. States formalize this responsibility when they sign and ratify international treaties. As fear and anxiety around COVID-19 spreads around the world, many people are starting to ask difficult questions about how the pandemic will impact our human rights. Are border controls necessary for containing the virus? Do quarantines or curfews impose by States violate our right to move freely? How are our rights to protest and freedom of expression affected by these limitations? In times like these, it is even more important for us to be able to speak confidently about what states are obligated to do to protect human rights. The course will discuss what are human rights and the many human rights implications of a global pandemic, including limitations on right to health, right to free speech and an increase in discrimination and xenophobia. It will also analyze states’ human rights obligations and what they should and should not do when responding to a pandemic.

Information is powerful, so during the course we’ll discuss things that you can do to share what you’ve learned and help amplify a message of hope and solidarity around the world.

Course Dates: Tues/Fri | 8:30-10:30 am ET | April 6, 13, 16, 20, 23, & 27

Credits: 1

Peacebuilding

Instructor: Vahidin Omanovic, Director of the Center for Peacebuilding in Bosnia

This module will serve as an introduction to the work of Peacebuilding around the world, both in theory and practice. Vahidin Omanovic will be joining us to reflect on his work and introduce us to key topics in peacebuilding. They include peacebuilding in a local community, obstacles for peace, identity, discrimination, and methods of sustainable peacebuilding.

Course Dates: Tues/Fri | 10:30 am-12:20 pm ET | April 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, & 26

Credits: 1