Core Programs
The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life is comprised of four core programs:
ENACT: The Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation
Led by Ethics Center Director Melissa Stimell, with Assistant Director David Weinstein, ENACT is a national program engaging students at colleges and universities in all 50 states in state-level legislative change by teaching them how to work with legislators, staffers and community organizations to advance policy, with a substantial hands-on component in which they engage directly in that process, modeled on the “Advocacy for Policy Change” course developed and taught by Stimell at Brandeis. ENACT has built a national online network of students, faculty, activists and legislators, and is addressing challenges to American democracy by engaging young people in civic activism built on knowledge, cooperation, justice and integrity.
Peacebuilding and the Arts
Directed by Cynthia Cohen, the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts works with artists and peacebuilders to discover and articulate the distinctive contributions of the arts and other aspects of culture to the constructive transformation of conflict. The minor in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST), chaired by Toni Shapiro-Phim, is an integral part of this program.
Programs in International Justice and Society
Directed by Leigh Swigart, the Brandeis Programs in International Justice and Society enhance the work of the international justice system by informing the general public about its accomplishments and challenges, serving the needs of the international judiciary through institutes and meetings, and encouraging inquiry on related activities in the fields of human rights and complementary justice programs.
On Campus
The on-campus mission of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life is to reinforce deep and sustained consideration of issues of ethics, peace building and justice. The Center encourages a climate of balanced consideration, creative response, ethical reflection and responsible engagement on those and other themes, contributing to a central aspect of Brandeis University's culture. In support of that mission, the center offers courses, sponsors events, administers the minor in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST), and also administers four university wide awards: the Maurice J. and Fay B. Karpf and Ari Hahn Peace Awards, the Davis Projects for Peace, and, on behalf of the Office of the President and Office of the Provost, the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize and the Richman Distinguished Fellowship in Public Life.