Dr. Beth Simmons to Speak on the Future of Human Rights


Beth SimmonsBerea College welcomes the public and campus community to hear Dr. Beth Simmons speak about the Future of Human Rights on Thursday, November 9, 2017, at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. This event is free and open to the public.

Simmons is a Political Science and Law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She is best known for her research on international political economy during the interwar years, policy diffusion globally, as well as her work establishing the impact that international law has on human rights outcomes around the world.

She will explore the roots of human rights and how human rights became an international priority. She will detail how and why the U.S. has both assisted and resisted international human rights law around the world. Simmons suggests that there is hope that human rights can thrive under certain conditions.


The convocation events, which are provided for both the campus and public communities, are a significant part of students’ educational experience at Berea College. See legacy.berea.edu/convocations for the schedule of all convocations this academic year. All convocations are free and open to the public.

Categories: News, People, Programs and Initiatives
Tags: Convocation, Event, Human rights

Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor and service. The College only admits academically promising students with limited financial resources—primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia—but welcomes students from 41 states and 76 countries. Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition. Berea is one of nine federally recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10 hours or more weekly to earn money for books, housing and meals. The College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive Christian character.