Sandra Sirota, EdD is Assistant Professor in Residence in Human Rights and Experiential Global Learning and Director of Dodd Impact’s program, Human Rights Close to Home (HRCH), at the University of Connecticut. Her work explores human rights and social justice education in the United States and South Africa. Her current research focuses on how students and teachers conceptualize and actualize human rights in conjunction with HRCH. Sandra’s recent articles have appeared in Comparative Education Review and the International Journal of Human Rights Education. She co-chairs the University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education. Sandra earned her doctorate from Columbia University.
In Episode 23, Sandra Sirota shares her early interest in human rights and human rights education, her work with Human Rights Watch, the creation of the Advocacy Lab, and the Connections Project at Cornell University. Next, she discusses the Human Rights Close to Home Program, the importance of civic engagement for students, and the challenges of implementing human rights education (HRE) in schools. Furthermore, Sandra elaborates on Tibbitts’ three models of HRE, the importance of diverse approaches to HRE in varied communities, and research with the Social Justice Project in New London, Connecticut schools. Sandra then explains the challenges and strategies for educating pre-service and veteran teachers about HRE, resistance to HRE implementation in schools, and approaches to civic engagement with HRE. Lastly, Sandra highlights the importance of intergenerational collaborations, and the significance of peer support that strengthens solidarity among students.
Topics discussed:
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our HREUSA podcast website HERE.
Introduction and Closing Music Credit: “Awakening-Spring” by Ketsa, from the Album Night Vision. Available at the Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/night-vision/awakening-spring/
This music is used in accordance with this Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Information about that license is available here https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Human Rights Education Now! is produced and distributed in accordance with Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International. Information about this license is available here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/