The International Affairs Concentration at Brooklyn College
CUNY INTERNSHIPS on HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN
Overview
In 2012, the Masters Program in International Affairs at Brooklyn College CUNY established the Human Rights in Iran Unit (HRIU) to provide research support to United Nations’ Special Rapporteur (SR) on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, an independent expert authorized to investigate evolving human rights conditions in the Iran in and to report findings to the UN.
This project includes the following efforts:
▪ Investigation of Iran’s human rights practices on rights specified in existing national laws and ratified international treaties.
▪ Scholarly research on topics such as Iran’s criminal justice system, gender equality, the treatment of civil society and minority groups, and the impacts of economic sanctions
▪ Coordination with non-governmental organizations and human rights defenders to monitor human rights developments in the country
- Conducting interviews with individuals with first-hand knowledge of human rights violations
▪ Contribution to and maintenance of the project website
▪ Monitoring human rights developments in Iran through news reports, blogs, and other social media
For all report and other work of the SR, please visit the SR website, http://www.shaheedoniran.org/english/
Internships
To assist in this research, we seek four interns: two full-time at 30 hours a week and two part-time at 10-15 hours a week, to start on August 1. We expect interns to commit to the project for at least one semester with the possibility of extension to a full year. Interns may be current or recently graduated CUNY students of any level of education, but full-time interns should be current or former graduate students or undergraduate students with a background in Iran. While we do not expect any one applicant to have all of the following, we are looking for a team of interns who will combine the following experiences, skills, and academic specializations:
▪ Professional experience in human rights issues
▪ Academic specialization in international relations, particularly with a focus on intergovernmental organizations, or in comparative politics, especially in the Middle East or Islamic cultures and societies
▪ Media experience, such as organizing press conferences, or drafting talking points for interviews
▪ Training in research methods, including both qualitative and quantitative methods
▪ Strong writing and analytical skills
▪ Meticulous attention to detail as well as the critical perspective needed to understand and detect bias
▪ Ability to be diplomatic on sensitive issues
Internship Stipends
Internship salaries are very competitive; please inquire if interested.
Application
To apply, please submit the following via email to humanrightsiranunit@gmail.com by May 1, 2013:
1. Cover letter describing what skills, experience, and knowledge you could bring to the project, your interest in the project, as well as the time that you could commit to the project
2. Resume or CV
3. One letter of recommendation (as an e-mail message, word document, or PDF attachment). The letter may be from a professor, employer, or supervisor.
For more information, please see http://bcpolscima.wordpress.com/human-rights-in-iran-unit/ or contact Prof. Mark Ungar at mungar@brooklyn.cuny.edu.
