Social Justice Speaker Series Presents:
Human Rights Education Through Dialogical Pedagogy and Building Community
A Panel Discussion with the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights
Presenter: Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, Executive Director, Oxford Consortium for Human Rights, Susan R. Dichter, Chief Operating Officer, Oxford Consortium for Human Rights, Jessie DePonte, Program Director, Team Success Scholars, CT State Oxford Consortium for Human Rights Coordinator, Andrew VanOrden, Psychology Student.
Date & Time: Â Thursday, September 25th, 2025 from 7:00PM – 8:00PM Eastern Daylight Time
Location: Live Via Zoom (Zoom Link: Emailed with ticket)
Zoom will require name and email address to enter the webinar.
Cost:
FREE to attend
FREE CE for CPA Members (Log into account to access discount!)
$15.00 CE Processing Fee for Non-members
Continuing Education: Â Eligible for 1 CE
Abstract:
The Oxford Consortium for Human Rights (OCHR) hosts teaching and research seminars on human rights, global conflict, humanitarian aid, peace building, and related subjects. Our aim is to understand and develop constructive solutions to the problems of today, drawing from scholars and students from a wide variety of disciplines.
OCHR recognizes that human rights education ought to be embedded in concrete experiences at the local, national, and global level. Each OCHR workshop brings together students, scholars, and practitioners from around the world to simultaneously understand human rights, experience human rights, and advocate for human rights in order to enrich their conception of ethical global citizenship.
Our model of dialogical engagement and relational teaching builds a learning community in which ideas are debated, shared experiences create sociability and familiarity, and a common purpose drives participants toward advocacy and action.
First and foremost, we aim to empower students toward practical action by applying global principles in a local context. Our workshops put students, scholars, and practitioners of human rights in dialogue in order to create a more holistic understanding of human rights praxis.
What makes the experience of attending the Oxford Consortium workshops so meaningful is the resulting community of practice among participating students, scholars, and practitioners from different disciplines, backgrounds, regions, and countries around the world. There is a special bond among OCHR alumni. Alumni still identify their engagement in the OCHR workshops as one of the most transformative experiences of their lives.
Attending an OCHR workshop is for many the first step on their path to global engagement. We focus on providing opportunities for students who may not otherwise have these resources available. Many of our alumni have been inspired to continue their passion for human rights through national and global fellowships and internships in humanitarian and non-governmental organizations.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe at least 3 ways to communicate more effectively with clients for tangible solutions and informed advocacy.
2. Identify at least 2 ways to deepen intercultural understanding when engaging with an international community of scholars and practitioners.
3. Describe the role of empathy in international human rights appreciation.
Research Citations
Hung, R. (2014). Toward an affective pedagogy of human rights education. Journal of Pedagogy, 5(1), 48.
McLeod, J. (2014). A peaceful pedagogy: Teaching human rights across the curriculum. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 152, 1225-1232.
Mihr, A. (2012, November). Towards a human rights pedagogy. In Keynote speech for the Council of Europe Janusz Korczak Seminar on Education for Democracy European Youth Centre, Strasbourg (Vol. 28).
Woldeyes, Y. G., & Offord, B. (2018). Decolonizing human rights education: Critical pedagogy praxis in higher education. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 17(1), 24-36.
Zembylas, M. (2017). Emotions, critical pedagogy, and human rights education. Human rights education: Theory, research, praxis, 47-68.
Presenter Biography
Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox is Professor of Legal Studies at Quinnipiac University. She is also Executive Director of the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights and a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, and a State Senator representing Connecticut’s 22nd District (Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Monroe). Sujata was previously appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to serve as a Commissioner on the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities in Connecticut (CHRO). She teaches classes in comparative constitutional law, constitutional law, public international law, human rights law, and introduction to law, among other subjects. She received her BA in Government from Cornell University, her MPhil in Politics from the New School, and her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to coming to Quinnipiac, she served as the program director of Juvenile Law, a non-profit legal education program helping students understand their rights and responsibilities under the law, and before that worked as a litigation associate. Sujata has presented papers, given podcasts, and published articles on domestic violence law in India, First Amendment jurisprudence in the United States, and legal pluralism in constitutional discourse. She is currently writing a book on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the drafting of the Indian Constitution.
Susan R. Dichter  is the chief operating officer for the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights (OCHR), and a 21-year employee at CT State Northwestern Community College, where she worked as program director of Team Success Scholars, a mentoring program for underrepresented students. In 2021 Susan developed Peer2Peer, a peer-based mentoring program. Both programs continue to serve students at CT State Northwestern. Retiring in 2022, Susan continues her mentorship with students, teaching College & Career Success to first-year students. In 2012 Susan was nominated for the State of CT Higher Education Community Service Award for establishing a mobile food pantry system in her college community. Susan received the CT Congressional Merit Award in 2017 and 2021 for continuous high levels of service and positive impact on the college. Marrying into a family of Holocaust survivors and as a first-generation college student herself, Susan is dedicated to advancing human rights, fostering community action, and empowering students to achieve their highest potential. In 2022-2023 Susan worked as an ambassador to OCHR across the 12 Connecticut State Community Colleges, developing a pipeline of opportunity for students statewide to attend OCHR workshops. She has been sending students to OCHR workshops since 2017.
Jessie DePonte: Jessie DePonte is passionate about providing equitable educational opportunities for community college students, and this is the cornerstone of her work as the Program Director of the Team Success Scholars Program. Jessie specializes in program development, grant management, and career placement for young adults. In addition, Jessie works as a faculty member teaching College and Career Success courses along with a Humanities course that is geared towards the OCHR conference and human rights. Jessie also works as a financial manager for OCHR. At home, Jessie is the mom to three amazing kids, (Max Mollie and Mason) along with her wonderful husband Josh.
Andrew VanOrden: Andrew is a CPA member, March 2024 Oxford Consortium alum, Quinnipiac University psychology major and hopes to work deradicalizing extremists in the United States.
Post-Webinar Evaluation Form:
Post-webinar evaluation form will be provided during the event and must be completed to receive a Continuing Education (CE) certificate.
Closed Captions:Â Live audio captions are accessible for this event. If you need additional disability-related accommodations, please contact us by email us at info@connpsych.org or by phone (860) 404-0333. Requests should be made at least two weeks in advance of workshop date.
Refund Policy: Participants may direct questions to CPA by email at info@connpsych.org or by phone at (860) 404-0333. Registrants may cancel and receive a full refund up to two-weeks in advance of workshop date. Â An administrative fee of $30 will be charged for cancellation of registration within two weeks of the workshop date (Social Justice events will not be charged an administrative fee). Please note, no refunds will be granted within 24 hours of workshop date.
Continuing Education Approval:
The Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. CPA maintains responsibility for the program and its content. CPA will issue certificates of completion. APA CE rules require that we only issue credits to those who attend the entire workshop. Those logging into the Zoom webinar more than 15 minutes late or logging off before the entire workshop is completed will not receive CE credits (i.e., partial CE credit will not be issued).
CPA GRIEVANCE POLICY:
The Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA) is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists. The CPA will comply with all legal and ethical guidelines for non-discrimination in promotional activities, program content, and in the treatment of CE participants.  While the CPA strives to assure fair treatment for all participants and to anticipate problems before they occur, occasionally grievances may be filed. In cases where a participant files a written or oral grievance, the following actions are taken:
If the grievance concerns the content of the workshop, a CPA representative will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the CPA will either provide a credit for a subsequent CE offering or provide a partial or full refund of the CE fee already paid. Â Actions involving a credit or a refund will require a written note documenting the grievance for record-keeping purposes. The aggrieved individual need not sign the note. If the grievance specifically concerns the CPA, the CPA will attempt to arbitrate.
Direct correspondence to: The Connecticut Psychological Association, P.O. Box #1167, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 or by email to executivedirector@connpsych.org.
