Human Rights Internship Program
Training & Orientation
Spring 2014
Columbia Law School
Social Justice Initiatives
Little Warren
3rd & 9th Floor____________________________________________________________
Heather Moore
Associate Director
heather.moore@law.columbia.edu
(212) 854-3247
Catherine Kirchhoff
Program Coordinator of Summer Programs
catherine.kirchhoff@law.columbia.edu
(212) 854-6158
Overview
All 1L HRIP interns are required to complete 20 hours of Training and Orientation to
prepare for the work they will do this summer. All 2L HRIP interns are required to
complete 10 hours of approved independent study to prepare for the work they will do this
summer.
For 1Ls, the T&O will be divided into sessions presented by SJI and independent study
pursuant to the intern’s own plan after approval by SJI. Second year students will pursue
independent study plans devised by them and approved by SJI. These plans may include
programs presented by SJI, if the intern previously did not attend a similar program.
SJI will also require first year students who are HRIP interns or recipients of Guaranteed
Summer Funding to attend professional development sessions. These will not be credited
towards the required 20 T&O hours.
SJI also will provide opportunities for HRIPs to engage with one another, upper-class
mentors and others (including SJI and HRI) in social activities in order to build community
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and provide informal guidance. These activities are not required and will not be credited to
the 20 T&O hours.
General HRIP Sessions
All 1L HRIP participants will be required to attend each session. These sessions will start in February and
continue into the spring semester.
a. “History of the Human Rights Movement” - Daniela Ikawa; Program Officer –
Strategic Litigation – International Network on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
Tuesday, February 11th 6:00-8:00; JG 103
b. “Introduction to Human Rights Law” - Sarah Cleveland; Louis Henkin Professor of
Human and Constitutional Rights / Faculty Co-Director Human Rights Institute – Columbia
Law School
Wednesday, February 19th 4:30-6:30; JG Annex
c. “International Human Rights Research” - Silke Sahl; International, Comparative, and
Foreign Law Librarian – Columbia Law School
Tuesday, March 4th 12:10-1:10; JG 102A
d. “Safety and Security, Cultural Sensitivity” – Rebecca Schelifer; Visiting Fellow –
Yale Global Health Justice Partnernship
Tuesday, April 29th 4:30-6:30; JG 106
Region Specific HRIP Session
All 1L HRIP participants will be required to attend the regional session designed to give students a broad
overview of human rights
a. “Regional Perspectives on Human Rights” featuring Rona Peligal; Deputy Director –
Africa Division – Human Rights Watch; Joey Lee; Asia Law and Justice Fellow – Leitner Center
for International Law and Justice; Jorge Contesse; Assistant Professor of Law – Rutgers Law
School; Zeina Jallad; Visiting Scholar – Columbia Law School; Daniel Stewart; Legal Officer –
Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat
Monday, March 10th 6:10-8:10; JG Annex
Skills Sessions
Students are required to attend two of these two hour skills building sessions based on the work they will do
during the summer. Students can choose the two sessions that most align with their interests and the work
they will be doing over the summer.
a. “Direct Representation: Interviewing and Counseling” – Alexis Lorenzo; Staff
Attorney – Legal Services NYC – Bronx
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Friday, April 4th 4:30-6:30; JG 501
b. “Impact Litigation/Group Representation” – Rachel Kleinman; Assistant Counsel
of the Education Group – NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Friday, April 4th 4:30-6:30; JG 502
c. “Documentation + Advocacy” – Rebecca Schelifer; Visiting Fellow – Yale Global
Health Justice Partnernship
Tuesday, April 1st 4:30-6:30; JG Annex
HRIP Self-Study (8 hours for 1Ls; 10 hours for 2Ls)
All HRIP interns will design their own self-study plan tailored to their placement. A portion of the readings
must result from consultation by the interns with their host organizations about what would be most useful.
In addition, self-study plan must include a mixture of the requirements listed in
subsections a, b, and c below or can be a mixture of a “Hot Topics in Human
Rights” session, a “Human Rights Reading Circle” session, and a “Human Rights
Field Trip.”
a. Lectures, panels, etc. at the Law School, SIPA or other educational institution
relevant to the placement
b. Readings of law, economics, social science relevant to the placement
c. A novel, film or other cultural experience relevant to the placement
Hot Topics in Human Rights
HRIP students can choose to attend one or two sessions based on their area of interest to satisfy the self-study
requirement.
a. “Land Grabbing , Human Rights and the Law” ” – Kaitlin Cordes; Associate
Research Scholar – Columbia Law School + Heather Eisenlord; Human Rights Program Director
– International Senior Lawyers Project
Thursday, April 17th 12:15-1:15; JG 107
b. “LGBT Refugee + Asylum Claims: Looking Back and Looking Ahead” –
Rachel Tiven; Founder - Immigration Equality
Tuesday, April 22nd 12:15-1:15; JG 101
Human Rights Reading Circle
HRIP students can choose to attend reading circle sessions based on their area of interest to satisfy the selfstudy requirement. Reading circle dates are TBD.
Human Rights Field Trips
HRIP students can choose to attend only one field trip based on their area of interest to satisfy the self-study
requirement.
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a. Human Rights Watch National Headquarters
Friday, March 14th 2:30-4:30 pm
b. International Rescue Committee Headquarters
Friday, March 28th 11:30-1:00p.m.
c. United Nations Hearing on Disability + Human Rights
Thursday, April 24th
Human Rights Movie Screening
a. “God Loves Uganda”
Tuesday, April 1st 7pm; JG 106
HRIP SOCIAL EVENTS
General Social Events
a. HRIP Orientation – Wednesday, November 20th 12:00-1:00 p.m.; JG 101
b. HRIP Lunch – Wednesday, February 19th 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.; JG Case Lounge
c. HRIP Lunch - Wednesday, March 26th 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.; JG Case Lounge
d. HRIP Send-Off Dinner – April 30 6:00-8:00 p.m., Freda’s Global Soul
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DATES TO REMEMBER
MARCH
1. Tuesday, March 4th 12:10-1:10; JG 102A - “International Human Rights
Research”
2. Monday, March 10th 6:00-8:00; JG 102A - “Current Trends in the InterAmerican Court and Commission”
3. Monday, March 10th 4:30-6:30; JG 722 - “Current Trends in the Middle
East”
4. Monday, March 10th 6:10-8:10; JG Annex - “International Tribunals: An
Overview”
5. Wednesday, March 12th 4:30-6:30; JG102B - “Human Rights Advocacy in
Africa”
6. Wednesday, March 12th 4:30-6:30; JG 104 - “Law, Society, and Human
Rights in Asia” –
7. Wednesday, March 26th 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.; JG Case Lounge – HRIP
Lunch
APRIL
1. Tuesday, April 1st 4:30-6:30; JG Annex - “Documentation + Advocacy”
2. Wednesday, April 2nd 4:30-6:30; JG 102B - “Impact Litigation/Group
Representation”
3. Friday, April 4th 4:30-6:30; JG 501 - “Direct Representation: Interviewing
and Counseling”
4. Thursday, April 17th 12:15-1:15; JG 101 - “Land Grabbing, Human Rights
and the Law”
5. Tuesday, April 22nd 12:15-1:15; JG 101 - “LGBTQ Refugee + Asylum
Claims: Where the Movement Has Gone and Is Going”
6. Thursday, April 24th - United Nations Hearing on Disability + Human
Rights
7. Tuesday, April 29th 4:30-6:30; JG 106 - “Safety and Security, Cultural
Sensitivity”
e. Wednesday, April 30th 6:00-8:00 p.m. - HRIP Send-Off Dinner
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