We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest installment of podcast episodes in Human Rights Education NOW! Felisa Tibbitts (www.FelisaTibbitts.com) is Chair in Human Rights Education in the Department of Law, Economics, and Governance at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where she also serves as UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Higher Education. In addition, Felisa is Human Rights Education Associates (www.hrea.org) Executive Director and co-editor with André Keet of Emancipatory Human Rights and the University: Promoting Social Justice in Higher Education (2024).
Episode 13: Felisa Tibbitts, Part One
In Episode 13, Felisa discusses her initial interest in human rights and Human Rights Education (HRE) and how the Cold War influenced her outlook on the world. She elaborates on her research in Central and Eastern Europe along with her early work in HRE with the Dutch Helsinki Committee. Next, Felisa shares her views on the changes occurring within the field of human rights study in pre-collegiate education, and how ad hoc approaches to HRE remain a challenge moving forward. Felisa then discusses how the lack of a centralized system in the US presents both problems and opportunities, and the challenge of American exceptionalism as an obstacle to HRE development. Felisa addresses globalization and how it may make it more desirable to discuss and apply human rights-based approaches in the USA at the national and local levels. Finally, she explains how rights language is becoming more commonplace in the US, demonstrated by the importance of critical pedagogy and feminist scholarship, as well as her work on three conceptual models for HRE.
Topics discussed:
- Initial interest in human rights and HRE
- The Cold War and impact on world view
- Research and work in Central and Eastern Europe
- Human rights work with Dutch Helsinki Committee
- Changes occurring within the field of HRE
- Lack of a centralized education system and HRE challenges/obstacles
- American exceptionalism and HRE
- Globalization and HRE
- Importance of critical pedagogy/feminist scholarship
- Three conceptual models for HRE
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
Episode 14: Felisa Tibbitts, Part Two
In Episode 14, Felisa discusses issues-based education and HRE and her work in developing Human Rights Education Associates. She then elaborates on the role of the internet in fostering online HRE learning and the challenge of engaging local and universal issues through HRE teaching. She explains the relationship of HRE to social justice scholarship and issues and shares her views on the setbacks for human rights discourse in South Africa as tensions between universalism and particularism on a local level. Felisa then shares her thoughts on the need to revitalize and refresh the field, and the importance of connecting HRE to social problems by using disciplinary approaches from various fields. She describes her perspective on using HRE to create new pathways for research in disciplines and to inform public discourse about social problems and solutions. Felisa then proposes future trends in HRE and elaborates on the progress of human rights, and how human rights are at the forefront of the Ukraine War. Felisa concludes the conversation with her most influential HRE role model along with an inspiring quote.
Topics discussed:
- Issues-based education and HRE
- Human Rights Education Associates
- Role of the internet in fostering HRE
- Challenge of engaging local and universal issues in HRE
- Relationship of HRE to social justice scholarship and issues
- Setbacks for human rights discourse in South Africa
- Connecting HRE to social problems via disciplinary approaches
- Future trends in HRE
- HRE and the Ukraine War
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
HRE USA 