TEACHING
I have designed and taught courses on human rights, mass violence, and history at colleges and universities in Massachusetts, California, and New Jersey. I am also an instructor for the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide. I endeavor as an educator to make genocide studies both relevant and salient for students who often have little exposure to the people, places, and events depicted in my courses. Underneath the horrors of genocide lay complex processes. These processes enable and facilitate the perpetration of violence on a scale that can ultimately be understood and often prevented. I introduce students to the social, cultural, historical, and political factors that influence instances of genocide with the goal of inspiring and developing in them the “critical imagination” necessary to comprehend the conditions that lead to genocide and ultimately develop tools to prevent it.
As the Executive Director of Chhange, I oversee our innovative educational programming about the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights. Please visit our YouTube channel to view the virtual programming Chhange has developed.
Political Violence
The purpose of this course is to inspire and develop a “critical imagination” necessary to comprehend the conditions that lead to political violence. Studying a variety of case studies, students will learn about different forms of political violence and their consequences. By combining current events with theoretical models for understanding mass violence and more contemporary mediums, this course will emphasize critical analysis of scholarly work, film, literature, and media publications.
Human Rights In A Global Perspective
The 20th century witnessed unparalleled levels of mass violence and unmatched efforts to preserve international peace and ensure human security. This course explores the history and evolution of human rights, human rights abuses including torture, genocide, and other crimes against humanity, international legal mechanisms for protecting human rights, and the role of the United States. This course will introduce students to the main political and moral debates surrounding human rights as well as influencing values, norms, techniques, and processes. Through critical analysis of scholarly work, firsthand accounts, government reports, international conventions, and media publications, we trace the cumulative evolution of international human rights.
Mapping Mass Violence
Divided into four parts, this course breaks down and analyzes processes of sensitization and mobilization, widespread perpetration, and post-violence rehabilitation and reconstruction. The final portion of the class is devoted to the processes of prevention: incorporating the tools developed to identify high risk case studies and pre-violence intervention strategies.
Foundations in Mass Atrocity Prevention
This AIPG course is offered to government officials and policymakers and grounded in the belief that preventing genocide and other atrocity crimes is an achievable goal. That is, there are ways to recognize their signs and symptoms, and viable options to prevent them at every turn if we are committed and prepared.