We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest installment of podcast episodes in Human Rights Education NOW! Episodes 58 & 59 with Kristina Eberbach!
Kristina Eberbach is a consultant specializing in human rights and education programming. She works as a strategy and curriculum specialist for the Human Rights Close to Home Program at the University of Connecticut. She teaches human rights at both the University of Connecticut and Columbia University. Kristina serves on the steering committee of Human Rights Educators USA and co-founded the University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education. Previously, she served as Deputy Director and Director of Education at Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, where she developed numerous human rights programs and workshops. Her international work spans research, advocacy, and education in countries such as Colombia, Iraq, Kenya, Myanmar, and South Africa. She is currently pursuing a doctorate at Utrecht University, with a focus on critical human rights education in transitional contexts. Kristina holds a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Episode 58: Kristina Eberbach, Part One
Kristina Eberbach shares her journey into human rights and human rights education, shaped by her international studies and activism. She reflects on the risks of political manipulation in human rights work and her experience collaborating with law faculties in Myanmar, emphasizing the need for long-term projects to track progress. At Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, she highlights achievements such as developing internships and funding for students, while advocating for a critical approach that balances content knowledge with skills, dispositions, and pedagogy. Kristina also discusses her current consulting work with the Human Rights Close to Home project, which centers student voices, fosters intergenerational learning, and supports teachers in integrating human rights education across curricula.
Topics Discussed:
- Origins: Her interest in human rights and human rights education
- International impact: Overseas study, activism, and Myanmar law faculty partnerships
- Long-term projects: Importance of documenting change and growth
- Columbia Institute work: Achievements, challenges, critical approaches, and student support
- Current consulting: Human Rights Close to Home; intergenerational focus and student voice
- Curriculum development: Helping teachers integrate HRE across subjects
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
Episode 57: Loretta J. Ross, Part Two
Kristina Eberbach discusses the limited knowledge many U.S. students have about human rights and the importance of understanding human rights language to address justice and equity issues effectively. She connects human rights education (HRE) to social justice movements, emphasizing its legal foundations and its role in envisioning and creating a more just world. Kristina highlights the need to focus on achieving human rights goals, especially in advancing women’s rights, rather than debating who deserves rights. She emphasizes the importance of education in fostering equal opportunity and references Arendt’s idea of “the right to have rights.” Inspired by Human Rights Educators USA, colleagues working under authoritarian regimes, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, she calls for broadening public discourse on human rights beyond classrooms to make it central in society.
Topics Discussed:
- Student understanding: Limited knowledge of human rights language and concepts
- HRE & social justice: Legal connections, strategic choices, and envisioning a just world
- Women’s rights: Focus on achieving rights, not debating their validity
- Education’s role: Advancing equity and justice through human rights education
- Role models: HRE USA network, advocates in authoritarian contexts, MLK Jr.’s teachings
- Key recommendation: Expand human rights discourse beyond schools into public life
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
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