Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs foster a culture of human rights at UConn, in Connecticut, and around the world through outreach and engagement. We develop and support programs and initiatives that seek to directly impact communities by helping them meet their human rights challenges.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 860-486-5131

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Holocaust and Genocide Studies

The core area of Holocaust and Genocide Studies is grounded in the belief that preventing genocide is an achievable goal. There are lessons to be learned, and taught, in preventing genocide from ever taking place, preventing further atrocities once genocide has begun, and preventing future atrocities once a society has begun to rebuild after genocide. This core area includes a post-baccalaureate certificate; training programs for educators and leaders in secondary school, museum, center, civil society, and government sectors; related archival collections; and local community initiatives.

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Human Rights K-12 Education

The Human Rights K-12 Education core area engages educators and youth in the development and implementation of human rights education. Its goal is to encourage civic action in order to strengthen democracy and respect for human rights in our Connecticut communities and beyond. This core area includes our Human Rights Close to Home program and annual Youth Summit; the Malka Penn Award; and related Early College Experience coursework.

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Community Outreach and Engagement

The Community Outreach and Engagement core area joins with coalitions and organizations in Connecticut and the Northeast to address fairness and equity in healthcare, employment, education, housing, and more. Working collaboratively, we engage community partners in collective action to address structural inequities in our communities through resources sharing, joint educational programming including panel discussions, exhibits, workshops, fairs, community fora, etc. A central program advancing the work of this core area is the Democracy and Dialogues Initiative.

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Collaborative Initiatives

The Collaborative Initiatives core area includes two programs that are shared collaborations with the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute (HRI) and other academic entities at UConn: (1) the Business & Human Rights Initiative seeks to develop and support multidisciplinary research, education, and public engagement at the intersection of business and human rights and (2) the Human Rights Film & Digital Media Initiative seeks to foster the creation of, and engagement with, the next generation of human rights and social justice advocates and analysts through digital media.

Signature Programs

Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs also hosts (or co-hosts) a suite of affiliated programs and initiatives that closely align with its public-facing mission. These include the Dodd Prize, the Dodd Summit on Human Rights, and the Levant Initiative (jointly aligned with Abrahamic Programs for Academic Collaboration in the MENA Region and overseen by the Office of Global Affairs).