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Humanitarian Scholar and Alumna Amanda McCorkindale to Deliver Series of Interactive Humanities Talks Nov. 14-15

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Amanda McCorkindale
Amanda McCorkindale

The College of Humanities and Fine Arts will host a series of interactive, humanities-related events on Nov. 14 and 15 featuring Amanda McCorkindale, UMass alumna and senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) at the University of Manchester.

McCorkindale, who earned her bachelor’s in history with a minor in sociology from UMass Amherst in 2006, teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students, contributing to HCRI’s interdisciplinary focus on humanitarianism, history, peace, conflict, medicine, disaster response and resiliency.

With expertise in humanitarianism, education and humanitarian action, McCorkindale’s research and teaching focus on bridging academic theory with real-world practice. Her current research focuses on humanitarian pedagogy, including humanitarian education, empathy, trauma-informed approaches and disaster risk reduction, and humanitarian ethics and decision-making.

Her doctorate in humanitarianism and conflict response from the University of Manchester focused on using empathy as a critical pedagogy when teaching young people about global and local humanitarian topics. She also holds a masters in humanitarianism and conflict response from the University of Manchester and a Master of Education in secondary social studies education from Hofstra University.

McCorkindale will present the following during her return to campus:

“‘You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train’ — Humanitarian Actors and the Challenges of Neutrality”
Thursday, Nov. 14 - 4-5:30 p.m.
South College, E501 Tower Room

This session explores the ethical dilemmas of humanitarian actors and unpacks the concept of neutrality asking if it is possible to remain neutral in today’s international arena, whether humanitarian actors should be neutral and what the impact and potential consequences are of speaking out.

Study Abroad Talk and Info Session
Friday, Nov. 15 - 10-11:30 a.m.
South College Commons

Students will hear from McCorkindale as well as Eric Wirth, manager of global partnerships, AJ LeBlanc, UMass Abroad advising center coordinator and Education Abroad advisor, and Mark Eckman, executive director of Education Abroad, from the International Programs Office.

“Working with Organizations in Humanitarian Contexts”
Friday, Nov. 15 - 3:30-5 p.m.
Thompson Hall Conference Room 420

This event will be hosted by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Political Science and the Legal Studies program.