Dear student,

Welcome to a unique opportunity: study with the only full-semester, interdisciplinary human rights program on offer anywhere in the world! Drawing together teachers and students from liberal arts colleges in the United States and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, the International Human Rights Exchange is dedicated to the following goals:

• Enabling critical and creative thinking about human rights;
• Developing a democratic understanding of people’s role in society;
• Linking academic work with activism, advocacy, and building a culture of human rights;
• Implementing student-centered learning; and
• Establishing relationships of equality, mutuality, and exchange among U.S., Southern African, and international participants.
  

At IHRE, we believe that the subject of human rights provides an excellent framework for realizing the goals of liberal education. As a commitment to teaching and learning that is participatory, dynamic, engaged, and empowering, liberal education is a progressive practice that is particularly suited for the study of human rights.  We trust that the International Human Rights Exchange will provide a challenging and rewarding experience in both liberal education and human rights education. 

This website will give you a more complete idea of the opportunities available through IHRE, who we are, and what we aspire to be. If you are interested in learning more, we encourage you to fill out our interest form and we will contact you shortly. For students from North American institutions, additional information is available from Bard College's Institute for International Liberal Education. For students from Southern African institutions, information is available through the Wits International Office. We hope that you will seriously consider coming to study with us, and we look forward to welcoming you to IHRE!

Sincerely,

Ayesha Kajee

Program Director