Courses

This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the growing and increasingly complex field of education in emergencies, one which encompasses crises caused by natural disasters and armed conflict and which spans the relief-development spectrum. The course will provide opportunities for students to critically reflect on practice, policy, research, and advocacy efforts within the field and to develop transferable skills related to program design and policy analysis. The course will draw on a combination of readings, lectures, class discussions, simulations, student presentations, multimedia, group work, and guest speakers to deepen our understanding of the education in emergencies field.

Instructor: Dr. Mary Mendenhall

This course addresses theories, models, planning & policy, design, and implementation of curriculum, as applied across different national contexts. The course addresses key issues in working internationally, such as curriculum borrowing and use of ICTs. Students design a contextually responsive curriculum.

Instructor: Dr. Daniela Romero Amaya

Students examine the historical conditions that give rise to human rights violations and the efforts to protect rights through policy and education. They explore different approaches to human rights education, apply them to case studies of specific African countries, and develop human rights education curricula.

Instructor: Dr. S. Garnett Russell

This course provides an opportunity for students from different academic programs to learn more about refugees and their experiences in their own words, while also comparing and contrasting their accounts with scholars, authors, educators, and policymakers who are writing about and influencing policies and practices in educational spaces and beyond. The global refugee “crisis” (as it is often dubbed) and the refugee “regime” that operates around it will increasingly touch the lives of all of us. This course will provide an opportunity for students to learn more about the refugee experience – in both low-income and high-income countries – and critically discuss and debate what needs to change to foster more inclusive systems, structures, schools, and relationships in refugee-receiving and resettlement contexts. While many of the topics discussed will also be relevant to other migrant/immigrant populations, the focus of this course will be on refugees (and the debates about who is and is not a refugee).  

Instructor: Dr. Mary Mendenhall

This course prepares students to plan, manage, and implement education projects in low- and middle-income countries. Students will learn key tools and techniques used by international humanitarian and development organizations, with a focus on culturally responsive, ethical, and effective practices. Through hands-on experience, case studies, and real-world scenarios, students will explore all stages of the project management cycle—from planning and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. The course emphasizes equity, sustainability, and local capacity, equipping students to navigate the challenges of managing education initiatives in diverse global contexts.

Instructor: Dr. Mary Mendenhall

This course focuses on issues of human rights, global ethics, and various aspects of structural and cultural violence. Students explore notions of identity, diversity and reflexive narrative in relation to the concepts of (positive and negative) peace and human dignity. Students are then introduced to examples of nonviolent social movements and reflect on the process of peaceful transformation.

Instructor: Varies

This course provides a grounding in the theory, pedagogy, and practice of peace and human rights education. It draws from the international literature of the field as it has been developed over the past three decades, and reviews teaching practices relevant to various cultures and learning settings.

Instructor: Varies

Peace Education is concerned with the prevention of violence, but this theoretical framework also draws on diverse practices, or co-disciplines, including Global Citizenship Education, Human Rights Education and Education for Sustainable Development. This course explores key inter-governmental and non-governmental actors, processes, curriculum and issues in these peace education areas.

Instructor: Varies

This course examines the politics of armed conflict and peace building and the role of education in promoting peace or exacerbating violence in conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts. We will investigate several of the most pressing challenges facing the various stakeholders (external actors such as international organizations, bilateral donors, and NGOs; local actors, such as governments, civil societies, and nationalist/ideological state factions) and the influence of those stakeholders on education systems in times of war and emerging peace and on educational practices, policies, and curricula in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Instructor: Dr. S. Garnett Russell

This course examines the politics of armed conflict and peace building and the role of education in promoting peace or exacerbating violence in conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts. We will investigate several of the most pressing challenges facing the various stakeholders (external actors such as international organizations, bilateral donors, and NGOs; local actors, such as governments, civil societies, and nationalist/ideological state factions) and the influence of those stakeholders on education systems in times of war and emerging peace and on educational practices, policies, and curricula in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Instructor: Dr. S. Garnett Russell

Morocco stands at a critical juncture in global migration flows, serving both as a transit country and increasingly a destination for refugees and migrants en route to Europe. As migration dynamics continue to shift, education emerges as a critical tool—not only for supporting the academic and psychosocial well-being of displaced children but also for fostering their successful integration into host communities. However, formal educational frameworks for refugees and migrants, particularly those in transit, remain fragmented and heavily dependent on the efforts of international organizations, NGOs, and informal community networks. Addressing the policy and practice barriers faced by local, national, and international stakeholders is essential for advancing more cohesive and effective educational responses.

This 10-day, field-based, interdisciplinary program offers participants an immersive exploration of Morocco’s migration ecosystem, with a concentrated focus on education policies and humanitarian responses for refugees and migrants. Through a blend of academic lectures, site visits, stakeholder consultations, policy labs, and cultural engagements, participants will develop a nuanced understanding of the policy frameworks, institutional strategies, and grassroots initiatives shaping educational access and quality for displaced learners. The program fosters a holistic and critical perspective, equipping participants to analyze challenges and contribute to actionable solutions.

Instructor: Dr. Mary Mendenhall

INAF U6564 Applied Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution

POPF P8639 Gender-based Violence in Complex Emergencies

• HRTS GR6020 Introduction to Human Rights
• HRTS GR6800 International Human Rights Law
• HRTS GR6990 Human Rights Research Seminar
• HRTS GU4011 Indigenous Rights and Settler Colonialism in North America
• HRTS GU4215 NGOs and the Human Rights Movement
• HRTS GU4500 Socio-Economic Rights
• HRTS GU4600 Human Rights in the Anthropocene
• HRTS GU4650 Children's Rights Advocacy
• HRTS GU4950 Human Rights and Human Wrongs
• HRTS GU4965 Gender-Based Violence and Human Rights
• HRTS GU4970 Refugees, Citizenship, Migration