Conference Program
April 30 – May 2, 2023 at Albion College
The Challenging Borders in Domestic and International Human Rights conference will explore and critically evaluate the borders that have been created in human rights research and practice. Conference check-in begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 30, with the opening keynote address scheduled for 7 p.m. The conference program will close on Tuesday, May 2, with a final dinner and keynote that begins at 6 p.m.
Download the Tentative Program
Keynote Speaker
Katie Redford, The Equation Campaign
The Revolution Will Not Be Litigated: Movements for Human Rights and Climate Justice
Katie Redford, Esq. is an American human rights lawyer and activist. She is credited with spearheading a movement to hold international companies accountable for their human rights violations abroad. This movement includes the landmark case Doe vs. Unocal, the first time a human rights lawsuit against a multinational corporation resulted in compensation for survivors.
Redford is Co-Founder and former Director of EarthRights International (ERI) an NGO that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment. Reford currently serves as the Executive Director of the Equation Campaign, a funding initiative that supports the climate movement by funding resistance on the ground and diminishing the industry’s sources of financial support, and making grants for strategic litigation and the legal defense of activists.
Academic Presentations
The conference will feature several research panels where faculty and faculty-student research teams will present their scholarship in interactive, in-person presentations followed by a question and answer discussion.
Roundtable Discussions
The conference will include two faculty roundtables. The first will address conference themes. The second roundtable will address human rights pedagogy and integrating experiential learning into human rights courses.
Training Workshops
The conference will feature workshops focused on human rights advocacy strategies and tactics, including a student focused workshop run by student members of the Albion College Human Rights Lab. These workshops will include a training session with human rights lawyer and activist Katie Redford and a student focused workshop run by the student members of the Albion College Human Rights Lab.
Student Poster Session
Student “poster” presentations highlight student research, community-focused work, or advocacy projects related to human rights themes. Posters might include a printed poster, slides on a tablet, an artistic creation, or other visuals.
Poster proposals are being accepted through February 1.
Submit a proposal for a student poster session
Building Cross-campus Connections
Throughout the conference, participants will be encouraged, and have opportunities to establish new connections with their peers and explore future possibilities for cross-campus collaboration in the areas of human rights and social justice teaching, research, and co-curricular programming.