We’re excited to offer our new Human Rights and Technology training course over five weeks (two hours of evening class per week) starting on 15 January 2013. Students will learn the relationship between technological tools and human rights through a combination of theory and real-world case studies from Kenya, Iran, and the Arab Spring. Click here for more details and to register.
Activists are constantly adapting to use technology in new ways as it continually impacts the struggle to defend human rights worldwide. As mobile phone usage and Internet access continue to rapidly increase, even in less-developed countries, technology has become an essential part of the landscape, influencing both the economy and civil society.
The ability to use new tools to their full potential, while also recognizing their limitations and inherent risks, has become essential for human rights defenders everywhere. From crisis mapping to social media to satellite imagery, people working in human rights and international development need to understand the opportunities and adversities they face when using technology to promote change.
In addition to the success stories, we will examine the useful lessons from unsuccessful cases and look at how technology is being wielded by oppressive regimes to stifle dissent.
Students will finish this course with a comprehensive understanding of how technology and human rights relate to each other and how they can use this knowledge to develop strategies for using technology to defend human rights.
NOTE: This course is initially being taught in person but future offerings will be online. If you are not able to attend the class in person but want to be notified when it is available online, please send us your contact information.