"Human rights” has emerged as a prominent concept for justice among scholars, activists, politicians, aid workers, and NGO officials. It has wide use and powerful reach and yet remains contested and fluid. What opportunities does the invocation of "human rights" enable, and what does it constrain? How do we understand the intellectual genealogy of human rights? Is human rights a terrain of resistance, or is it the new orthodoxy? Does the existence of widespread injustice prove that human-rights-based social change efforts are ineffectual, or does it prove that such efforts need to be expanded and empowered? The Gallatin Human Rights Initiative seeks to catalyze critical reflection and engagement with these and related questions.
The Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights is a year-long program that supports selected NYU students with up to $5,000 in funding to focus on these issues while working with human rights organizations. Fellows pursue extended projects and internships (including research and report writing) for the host organization during the summer. The fellowship aims to allow students to contribute to the host organizations’ work while gaining experience in the human rights field in ways that complement their academic trajectory at NYU.
See below for eligibility and application requirements. Also see application FAQs and learn more about past Fellows' summer projects through their blog site and annual symposium presentations.
APPLICATION DEADLINE, 2020-21: November 1
Attending an info session and the annual symposium below are highly recommended for prospective applicants.
Fall 2020 Information Sessions (virtual, select a date below to RSVP and get Zoom meeting details)
Fall 2020 Human Rights Symposium (virtual, select below to RSVP and get Zoom meeting details)
Fellows are required to attend and participate actively in two courses:
Update: The seminar will be offered online in Spring 2021 at NYU’s Washington Square campus; fellows must be available to attend even if located in a different time zone.
Fellows commit 10-12 weeks of full-time work on a viable human rights-related project or internship supervised by a host organization of their choice. This can involve research, drafting of reports, community organizing, developing communication material, website development, and any other kind of work that will be of value to the host organization and that is in keeping with the spirit and purpose of the fellowship. Fellows submit at least four blog posts about their experiences.
Update: normally, fellows must live on-site for the summer project duration, but given the uncertainty and potential travel risks surrounding the pandemic, prospective applicants should select organizations that will have the capacity to host them virtually during Summer 2021 in the event that in-person work is not possible.
Fellows present their work to the NYU community at the annual Human Rights Symposium. This will involve a substantial panel presentation.
Gallatin has sponsored a cohort of about ten fellows per year. Learn about them below and also see their annual symposium presentations and read their summer blogs.
The fellowship is supported and advised by distinguished leaders in the field of international human rights.
The program is open to all undergraduate students in degree-granting programs at NYU and to master’s students in Gallatin, the College of Global Public Health, the Graduate School of Arts and Science, Law, Nursing, Social Work, Steinhardt, Tandon, Tisch, and Wagner.
NOTE: This fellowship was organized primarily to benefit students who have little access to such funding; therefore, applications from undergraduates will receive priority consideration.
All selected fellows must be matriculated at NYU during the during the Spring and Summer terms following the application deadline. Additionally, undergraduate fellows must be matriculated at NYU during the Fall semester following the summer project.
Interested students are advised to do the following as early as possible in the application process:
A firm commitment from the organization is not required by the fellowship application deadline. However, you should verify that the organization has the capacity to host you during the summer period, supervise your project, and incorporate you into the substantive aspects of their work. A confirmation from the organization will be expected by January.
The independent study need not relate to human rights; it should focus on helping you to better contextualize the summer work (e.g., a history of the conflict, background on sociopolitical aspects of the region, etc.).
Online application that includes the following:
NYU Gallatin Office of Global Programs
411 Lafayette St., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10003
1 (212) 998-7133 phone
1 (212) 995-4265 fax
gallatin.global@nyu.edu
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