IWU Hosts Human Rights Workshop

Feb. 22, 2018

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University will host its sixth annual Human Rights Undergraduate Research Workshop: Revolution and Human Rights Feb. 23-25, organized by The Center for Human Rights and Social Justice.

The workshop, which showcases undergraduate presenters from IWU and other universities, will engage students and faculty in the topic of how addressing human rights concerns has profoundly impacted political, social and economic relations around the world.

During the workshop, keynote speaker Mark Steinberg, Professor of History and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Illinois, will deliver an address titled "The Russian Revolution as Utopian Leap." Steinberg will give his keynote address on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 12:45 p.m. in State Farm Hall (205 E Beecher St, Bloomington), room 102. The keynote address is free and open to the public.

Steinberg draws from his decades-long research into the cultural, intellectual and social history of Russia and the Soviet Union, with particular focus on topics such as religion, urban history, revolutions and utopias.

In addition to teaching at the University of Illinois, Steinberg has also taught at the University of Oregon, Harvard University and Yale University, where he has received several awards for his teaching. These awards include the Sarai Ribicoff Prize for Teaching at Yale University (1993), and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2002) at the University of Illinois. In 2001, the University of Illinois named him a University Scholar, one of the school’s highest honors.

Four IWU students, along with students from other universities, will also present their research relating to human rights and social justice during the workshop: Matt Banaitis ’18, Josie Blumberg ’19, Zoe Bouras ’18 and Muyi Yang ’18.

By Rachel McCarthy ’21