You seek to engage with complex social challenges that affect our ability to thrive in a just and equitable world
You believe that knowledgeably navigating global and culturally-diverse environments is essential to addressing inequities and social justice.
You are not content to accept things as they are and want to be a voice for change.
Featured Resource
Using the lens of human rights and social justice, the Weissberg Program at Beloit College inspires and empowers students to take informed action to address complex global problems. Programming funded by the Weissberg Program includes film series, lectures, panel discussions, as well as participation off-campus in actions supporting human rights and social justice.
Student grants are available to connect academic studies with real-world experiences in the field of human rights. These grants defray travel and living expenses required to undertake internships and research over winter and summer breaks and attend professional conferences.
Historical and Philosophical Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
Socio-Cultural Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
International and Comparative Perspectives in Education and Youth Studies
Special Topics Seminars. Recent topics: Accommodations and Assessment for Students with Dis/abilities; Immigrant Students and Educational Policy; Ecology, Development and Education
Sustained Dialogue is a program that brings together people of different identities to talk about the way that they experience our campus and the world.
Elizabeth Brewer helps students find domestic and international study abroad opportunities that will allow them to both broaden and deepen their interests in human rights and social justice.
Daniel Brückenhaus studies how both prominent anti-colonial leaders and grass-roots members of anti-colonial movements used laughter as a form of resistance.
Michael Dango and his students examine contemporary art, media, and literature to see how people are developing frameworks for making sense of urgent political, social, and environmental questions.
Political scientist Rachel Ellett studies comparative judicial policies, rule of law development, gender and judging, and lawyers and the state in sub-Saharan Africa.
Equity Trainers will learn to co-lead trainings on gender equity, approaches to anti-racism, and cross-cultural communication
Sustained Dialogue moderators facilitate dialogue among student groups on topics related to race and equity
The Weissberg Program employs outreach specialists to inform students about opportunities to engage with human rights and social justice on and off-campus
Beloit students interested in social justice and human rights can take advantage of a broad array of study abroad opportunities as well as local activities. Students study in Argentina, Ecuador, England, France, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Scotland, Turkey, and other countries, and also participate in the American University’s Washington Semester Program and the Philadelphia Center.
Alex Villegas’19 studied in Morocco and Belgium, and in between volunteered at a refugee camp in Greece. Now he plans for several years of professional work in preparation for doctoral studies.
Javid Ahmad’12 studied abroad in Belgium, earned a master’s at Yale, and is a senior fellow for the Atlantic Council, specializing in security, defense, and terrorism.
Oceana Gilliam honed her language skills during a year in Russia. Post-graduation, she’s studying public policy at UCLA.
While studying in Senegal, Claire Ramos interned with a health organization. Post-graduation, she is working for an organization in Chicago that works across immigrant communities to end gender violence as well as support victims of gender violence.
Amanda Lawnicki’14 studied war monuments and museums in the Balkans. Having earned joint masters’ degrees from Indiana University in Development and Democracy and in Russian, Central European, East European, and Eurasian Studies, she is serving as a Program Development Associate at Solution Tree.
Marcail Distante’16 tutored local children while studying in Ecuador. She currently works as a Housing Coach at the Mission Economic Development Agency in San Francisco.
Emily Verburg’12 went to Rwanda to study the genocide. After working at the Center for the Study of Social Policy and the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, she’s pursuing a masters’ degree in social work at the University of Chicago.
Grace Glover’18 studied community health in South Africa and is now a Connections Coordinator at Christ United Methodist Church in Rochester, MN.
Nissa Parker’18 interned with an environmental group while studying in Jordan. She works as a Regulatory Assistance Specialist for the Washington Department of Ecology.
An organized group of alumni, parents, and local social justice professionals provide you with multiple opportunities to build a personal network focused on your own professional goals. By participating in a Justice & Rightsprofessional network, you get access to the knowledge of others who share your passions and you can take advantage of their advice and opportunities to connect you to other people, internships, and career possibilities.
Student Work
A New Generation Advocates for the Mounds
Awareness and protection efforts around Beloit’s most sacred places continue to gain steam.
Ensuring Illinois Communities have Access to Employment, Housing, and Affordable Food
Alex Armour’02, Director of the Charitable Trust within the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, helps non-profits support the health of Illinois communities.
Ensuring that Native Americans have good health & wellness
Dasheema Jarret-Jones’09, a proud native of Janesville, WI and a Health and Society major, works as a Public Health Advisor for the Centers for Disease Control,
