Tina Kempin Reuter

Psychedelic research has opened unexpected avenues for advocacy. This paper explores the intersection of advocacy and an ethnographic study on psychedelic integration in the Southeast United States. Mental health professionals aim to make information about the safe use of psychedelics more accessible, even in a legal climate where these substances are illegal and enforcement has historically targeted people of color. This case study examines the challenges of proposing a panel on psychedelic medicine for a university symposium on substance use and social justice. The panel sought to discuss how clinicians and scientists could collaborate with communities to use psychedelic therapies to address addiction and its underlying causes, such as racial trauma, in equitable and community‐centered ways. However, resistance from organizers—due to concerns about the legal status of psychedelics and limited clinical trial data—highlighted the complexities of advocating for such discussions in academic settings. This paper explores how people from diverse communities “stand in the gap” together to challenge structural power imbalances and shift paradigms around these critical issues. It underscores the significance of knowledge politics in university spaces and the risk of tokenism in community‐engaged research, calling for more inclusive, courageous, and equitable approaches to these conversations.

It began as a simple experiment. One afternoon in Zürich, Tina Reuter opened ChatGPT and typed a familiar greeting in her own dialect of Swiss German: Hoi zäme, wie gaht’s? The system replied polit...

Returning to society after incarceration is a challenging and stressful process, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this difficult transition. Although previous research has identified social connectedness as reducing stress and improving wellbeing during stressful life events, much of this research has not addressed prison reentry, despite the relevance to the challenges faced by this unique group of individuals. Additionally, examining how such support can be provided during the COVID-19 pandemic with required social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and business shutdowns has not been studied. This study examines the Offender Alumni Association (OAA), a program operated entirely by formerly incarcerated persons, and its ability to provide social support through obstacles created by reentry and the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on focus groups and surveys of OAA members (N = 77) and non-OAA members (N = 41), we find that, when compared to the comparison group of non-OAA members, those in OAA reported significantly stronger social support and less social isolation. Such results strengthen the argument that within-group support matters in providing protection against the impacts of stressful life events. Further, OAA participants overwhelmingly supported the use of technology during times of crisis as a means to feel connected and supported. Findings indicate that technology can support vulnerable groups and protect public health simultaneously. Further, findings reveal important policy implications, as well as arguments to use technology to expand programming during reentry. (230 Words)

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon face many human rights violations, including heavy restrictions of the right to employment. While the detrimental ramifications of the lack of access to employment for Palestinian refugees have been well documented in policy reports and scholarship, few have assessed Palestinian refugees’ perspectives on this issue. Our study offers insights on Palestinian refugees’ perceptions of restricted employment access, especially as it pertains to their standard of living, emotional and mental well-being, interpretation of the right to work, and integration into Lebanese society. Using a mixed-methods study design with a heavy qualitative component, we assess Palestinian’s perceptions and examine the consequences of work restrictions for the situation of Palestinians in Lebanon. Our results indicate that Palestinian refugees’ restricted access to employment negatively affects their everyday life, with some nuances regarding work inside and outside of refugee camps. Further, unlike pervasive findings in the literature stating that lack of access to high-level occupations negatively impacts refugees, we found that availability of any employment is considered positive by the participants in our study. Further, we found that several of the participants used human rights language in their responses, highlighting that there is awareness of employment as a human right.

Purpose: To identify factors associated with reproductive decision-making for women living with HIV in Western Jamaica, to assess their confidence in anti-retroviral therapy to reduce the chances of mother to child transmission of HIV, and to better understand the experience of stigmatization surrounding becoming pregnant after HIV diagnosis. Participants and Methods: Two focus groups were conducted among women living with HIV in the four parishes of Western Jamaica in 2011. A trained moderator conducted the focus groups along with two student notetakers. Qualitative coding and content analysis were used to identify common themes and exemplary quotations characterizing those themes. Results: Participants agree that adherence to antiretroviral therapy as prescribed by a physician facilitates better health and longevity; however, they were conflicted on the efficacy of the therapy to prevent mother to child transmission of the virus. Participants report that becoming pregnant after HIV diagnosis continues to be highly stigmatized. Among participants, fear of MTCT and concern that their children will be mistreated are the primary drivers of reproductive decision-making. Conclusion: Despite advances in HIV treatment and assisted technologies to prevent MTCT, participants show skepticism that ARV medication is effective at preventing MTCT. Stigma and discriminatory behavior by community members and health-care professionals continue to shape reproductive decision-making for the women who participated in this study. More informed counseling that includes education on recent advancements in HIV treatment and its efficacy at preventing MTCT should be more widely available to pregnant women. To reduce stigma and discriminatory behavior, this education should extend to the larger community.

Weber’s bureaucracy has persisted in the public administration literature as a lens through which to analyze organizational structures. The “ideal type,” however, was never meant to be ideal; despite this, it has become a default framework for structuring and studying organizations, as if they should be structured as such. At the same time, research on bureaucracy often explores its negative impacts, such as the value of merit that has become so enmeshed in law and policies, it can neglect to account for performance and diverse abilities, and rules that have evolved into red tape and constrain bureaucratic behavior. These raise questions about the dehumanizing effects of bureaucracy, something Weber himself cautioned. Using a human rights-based approach, we seek to understand Weber’s bureaucracy through the lens of human rights, and offer suggestions for how to structure organizations that are fair, equitable, and oriented around the human condition. We argue that a human- and human rights-centered approach to bureaucracy requires rethinking the way in which we assess bureaucratic outcomes by prioritizing fundamental human rights values, such as nondiscrimination, participation, freedom, access, and inclusion over neoliberal preferences, which in turn impact employee and client well-being and the structure of the organization itself.

Educating global citizens has become part of higher education in international studies. Scholars argue that education includes having a global worldview that critically evaluates complex challenges in an ever-changing environment. Most agree that something more than classroom lecture is required to transform students’ perspectives, but debates exist about exactly what “more” means. Short-term study abroad courses have evolved as one way to offer a global experience to students, especially those who must balance work, school, and family life while also facing the economic restraints of higher education. These programs, however, have been criticized as providing little more than a voyeuristic view into the lives of others with no real experience with cultures, development of global citizenship, or true engagement with global issues. This study assesses the impact of a short-term study abroad program on students’ perceptions of their role as global citizens and identifies pedagogical tools that increase the likelihood that students will embrace global citizenship as a transformative learning experience. Using reflection papers and photo elicitation, this article shows that immersive short-term study abroad experiences that include extensive community engagement have the potential to change students’ perception of the world and the way they see their role in it.

The idea that the city belongs to all individuals inhabiting the urban space is grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the New Urban Agenda, and it is referred to as “right to the city” or “rights in the city.” This article discusses how human rights relate to the city and its inhabitants, examines the meaning of the right to the city and human rights in the city in today’s urban environment, and deliberates how to transform cities into spaces that reflect fundamental human rights principles. By looking at the situation of marginalized groups in cities, the article focuses on the questions of how to build inclusive, fair, and accessible cities and how to eliminate inequalities seen in urban communities. Because technology is often cited as one way to foster integration of marginalized communities, special attention will be given to the smart city and the opportunities and challenges presented by information and communication technologies (ICTs) for human rights, accessibility, and inclusion. Using the case of persons with disabilities as an illustration, the article argues that urban development needs to be fundamentally transformed to live up to human rights standards. Only a multi-stakeholder urban design process will produce truly inclusive urban spaces that fulfill the right to the city.

Background . This article reflects on the use of a simulation of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinians in an upper-level undergraduate course at a liberal arts university in the United States. The university was commissioned to test an externally developed proposal and implementation plan for peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinians (the “IMPLEMENTATION PLAN”). Aim . (1) To contribute to student’s academic learning and understanding of the conflict; (2) to find strengths and weaknesses of the model. Method. Analysis of data collected using a convergent parallel mixed method approach involving surveys, exit interviews, and guided reflection papers. Results . Student Learning Outcomes . The data supports a deeper understanding of the nature of the conflict as well as the complexity of peace negotiations. Students reported a higher level of engagement with the subject matter as a result of the simulation. The model encouraged innovative thinking and new solutions, which might be of interest in real life application. Challenges to student learning were mainly related to (1) student identification with their roles and (2) a need to compromise and finding quick answers. Model . The simulation demonstrated the strengths of the IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, namely to the focused, structured negotiation process with narrowly defined “tracks.” Challenges include the structure of the simulation, the question of applicability of the model to a real life situation, as well as the long-term implementation strategy of negotiation outcomes. Conclusion . The simulation of the IMPLEMENTATION PLAN greatly benefited student learning and led to thought-provoking outcomes concerning negotiations. However, the findings suggest the need for flexibility and modification of the model.