Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (PJHR)
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
About The Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (PJHR)
The Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (PJHR) grew out of the Peace Studies Program which was established at Florida Atlantic University approximately twenty years ago. The commitment of the University to the themes of the Center is profound and led to PJHR being included as one of nine key platforms in the University's 2015-2025 strategic plan. PJHR is a multidisciplinary effort that brings together scholars, practitioners, students and community leaders that are invested in the themes of human rights, peace and justice. This is a University-wide commitment to issues of global importance that affect the South Florida area.
Angela D. Nichols, Ph.D.
Luciana De Souza, M.Ed.
Mission Statement
Who We Are
Launched in 2014, the Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights (PJHR) grew out of FAU’s highly successful Peace Studies Program, which was founded in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters in 1999. PJHR is a university-wide, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary effort that brings together scholars, students, practitioners, and community leaders engaged in the themes of justice, human rights, and peace and nonviolence.
Our collaborative community includes students, university staff, and community partners, as well as over 100 Faculty Affiliates who represent disciplines from across the university and FAU’s six campuses. Our goal is to create positive change locally, nationally, and internationally by advancing knowledge and offering bold solutions to universal problems through our research, teaching, and community engagement.
Our world faces a host of social, political, public health, economic, environmental, and other challenges that people face all around the world. As we work to meet these challenges, we are committed to upholding the following values:
- Universal human rights.
- Peace and nonviolence.
- Community engagement.
- Critical inquiry.
- Mindfulness.
- Collaboration and dialogue.
- Asking difficult questions.
- Seeking innovative solutions.
What We Do
We develop innovative approaches to studying and actively advancing peace, justice, and human rights. PJHR’s main activities fall into the following categories:
Excellence in Teaching and Learning
PJHR offers an undergraduate Minor and Certificate in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights. The minor is designed to complement a major in any field for degree-seeking students. The certificate provides an enriching educational experience for non-degree seeking students. The minor and certificate have a tailored, interdisciplinary curriculum that allows students flexibility to design a program of study that matches their interests and academic objectives. Graduates enter fields such as law, international relations, social and community work, and education, and many go on to graduate school. PJHR also supports our faculty in developing new courses and provides a welcoming environment for our community to discuss and share best practices in pedagogy. Several units under the PJHR umbrella advance teaching and learning in novel and distinctive ways: the Arthur and Emalie Family Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE), and the Leon Charney Diplomacy Program. The CHHRE conducts in-service and professional development for K-12 teachers in southeast Florida, and it promotes respect for all people through studying the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights. Each year, the Center serves more than 500 K-12 teachers and 350 FAU student teachers by offering professional development, travel opportunities, and community programs. Finally, the Diplomacy Program trains student leaders and offers students interested in international affairs unique opportunities to enhance their diplomatic skills. Each year, the Program fields and trains delegations of FAU student diplomats who have successfully competed in diplomatic simulations throughout the United States and abroad. The Diplomacy Program’s students have won multiple awards for their excellence, including several national titles.
Innovative Research
PJHR promotes faculty and student research and collaboration, and we are a model of interdisciplinary scholarly inquiry. We provide student fellowships, as well as research and professional development funds for our Faculty Affiliates. Through our Faculty Working Groups and other activities, PJHR provides space where interdisciplinary collaborations and research can grow and flourish.
Community Engagement
PJHR seeks to take our scholarship and skills outside FAU’s walls and to draw upon the experience and wisdom of our neighbors by fostering our student, faculty, and staff’s community engagement with the local, national, and international community. These activities include public scholarship, partnerships with external organizations, and public programming. PJHR’s programs, which include guest speakers, workshops, and other events, reflect issues of local and global concern. Past speakers have included Arun Gandhi, Jane Goodall, and the Dalai Lama.
Contact Us
The main Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights office is located at AH 209B, inside the School for Interdisciplinary Studies suite (AH room 211) at Florida Atlantic University on the Boca Campus.
Click here for our location on the Boca Raton campus.