A World-Class Research and Policy Institute
Located in the heart of San José, the SJSU Human Rights Institute [HRI] provides research and policy analysis guided by the highest standards and principles of international human rights law. You can help the HRI to address the most pressing social problems facing our communities by donating today!
Follow the research, reporting, and news analysis of the SJSU HRI. The SJSU HRI Calendar provides a schedule of events, the live Twitter feed and Facebook page provide news and updates, and the emergent Human Rights News Network (coming soon!) will be an international source for Human Rights reporting, scholarship, and curated news.
An annual report on the state of inequality and quality of life for San José and Silicon Valley residents. Its inspiration can be found in Professor Bill Quigley's Katrina Pain Index following the devastating 2005 storm. The SVPI measures are meant to reflect fundamental (IBHR) International Human Rights and to serve as one of many potential illustrations of Santa Clara County’s [SCC] performance as a “human rights county.”
Initiated as part of an effort to evacuate and place Afghan scholars, journalists, and artists following the departure of U.S. forces in 2021, the Visiting Scholars Program [VSP] provides academic and research opportunities for scholars while providing collaborative educational opportunities for SJSU students, faculty, and community members. The HRI is currently hosting two Afghan scholar-journalists who will be reporting on conditions in Afghanistan and for the Afghan diaspora throughout the 2022-23 AY. Their critically important reporting—notably as widespread poverty and famine grip Afghanistan in one of the largest humanitarian disasters on Earth—will be updated on our website and presented in multiple forums.
2023 Human Right Lecture Series
Please check back in with us soon for information on our 2023 Annual Human Rights Lecture Series! Registration will open late Fall for the Spring 2023 event!
The HRI faculty include award-winning authors, educators, and journalists who partner with one of the most diverse student bodies in the country and some of the most impressive organizations in the region to inform policy and practice according to international human rights law, standards, and scholarship.
In partnership with the SJSU Human Rights Minor Program, students gain access to a wealth of applied and scholarly experience in human rights law, philosophy, advocacy, policy design, and reporting.
A central goal of the SJSU HRI is to demonstrate the potential for critical scholarship and human rights frameworks to address the many challenges that confront our local and global communities. The HRI creates and engages policy at the local, state, and federal level, working with stakeholders and policy makers to craft effective policy solutions.
The SJSU HRI facilitates and supports groundbreaking scholarship that continues to shape the broader field of Human Rights. Beyond traditional publications, research is often conducted in partnership with students and community organizations to create, improve, and inform policy solutions to pressing social problems.
The Annual Human Rights Lecture Series and other co-sponsored events bring the community and university together to examine our mutual challenges and build cooperative solutions. Look out for the next Annual Human Rights Lecture.
