Religion, Human Rights and Religious Freedom Program
An International Exchange & Research Project


Center for the Study of Human Rights
Columbia University
420 W.118th Street, Rm.1108
New York, NY 10025
Tel: (212) 854-2479
Fax:(212) 854-6785
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/humanrights/relbro.html
Printable Application.

Overview

To respond to new challenges & opportunities to promote collaboration between the world's religions and the contemporary human rights movement, Columbia University has established a training and research program for religious leaders, human rights activists and scholars. A major goal of the Project is to promote interaction between religious communities and the international human rights movement, as well as to enhance concern for religious freedom and religious tolerance. The aim is to help develop self-perpetuating institutions promoting such interaction in countries around the world.

The Project will organize annual research and exchange programs at Columbia University for human rights figures. During the first 3 years, they will came from Central & Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Each year, there shall be ten funded fellows, appointed as visiting scholars at Columbia University. The program begins each September and continues for four to seven months. An international advisory board is in process of formation.

To Participate

Persons wishing to participate or institution wishing to host a fellow in a professional exchange, should contact the Center for the Study of Human Rights. Welcomed as individual applicants are men & women from human rights organizations and/or religious groups in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The program is conducted in English and fluency is required. The deadline for application to the program is March 1, 1998. Decisions will be announced eight weeks after the deadline. Ten full scholarship will be awarded each year. Further information on the program and required application forms may be obtained from the Center for the Study of Human Rights.

Program Activities

"Academic & Advocacy Skills Development"
The first part of the Fellows' program consists of a four-month academic component during which the participants study religious freedom and human rights in their social context, together with national and international standards, policies and practices. The core of the program is a seminar on "Religion, Human Rights, and Religious Freedon." All participants are also required to take a basic course on "Human Rights & International Affairs," as well as a course on a religious tradition other than their own. The academic courses are complemented by weekly training workshops on selected advocacy skills.

"Professional Outreach"
Following the four-month academic program, the fellows will disperse to work for three months with organizations around the world that specialize on religious freedom and religious tolerance. The aim is to bring the fellows into contact with organization enjoying notable records of achievement in the field. Placements are based on the need of both the Fellows and the recipient institutions. Institutions interested in participating in these professional exchanges should contact the Project. (Please note that for funding reasons, this option may not be available to participants in the 1998-9 program.)

"Outreach"
Integral to the Project are other initiatives to exchange information & stimulate interest in and commitment to the promotion of religious freedoms and religious tolerance. Each fall, the Project organizes a variety of event in New York featuring as speakers the Fellows in residence, outside experts, faculty and leaders from the human rights and religious communities. The Fellows also visit related programs at other universities in the United States and meet for exchanges with the leaders of human rights and church-state organizations in the U.S.

"Research & Publications"
To focus the scholarly contribution of the program, an annual workshop in held in March to discuss recent research. In addition to publishing the best papers presented at the workshop, the Project will publish a series of handbooks on specific issues for use by activists and teachers. These monographs will eventually be brought together to form a single handbook or guide.

View the Application

The URL for this page is: http://www.friends-partners.org/~ccsi/announce/columbia.htm
Last updated: February 18, 1998

Center for Civil Society International
[email protected]