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Laura Alexander

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  6. Laura Alexander
Laura Alexander, Ph.D.

Laura Alexander, Ph.D.

  • Executive Director, Goldstein Center for Human Rights
  • Associate Professor
  • 402.554.2628

email:
lealex@unomaha.edu
office:
  • ASH 205A

Additional Information

Background

Dr. Laura Alexander is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Executive Director of the Goldstein Center for Human Rights at UNO. She is a scholar of religious ethics, with research expertise in religion and human rights; immigration and migration studies; the tradition of just war thought; national borders and the state; and religious freedom and humanitarian aid.

Dr. Alexander received her Ph.D. in Religious Ethics from the University of Virginia and her M.Div. and B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago. Prior to earning her graduate degrees, she participated in two year-long service programs, teaching English in a small community in Thailand and working in refugee services in Minneapolis, MN.

In research, Dr. Alexander has published peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of Religion and Society, and Political Theology, among others. Alongside UNO colleagues, she conducted qualitative, community-based research on nonprofits in the Omaha area and co-authored the report Community and Network Responses for Assisting Mobile Vulnerable Populations (OLLAS Report #19, May 2023).  Her most recent publication is the textbook Religion and Human Rights: An Introduction (Routledge, 2023), and her current book project examines global migration through the lens of Christian realist ethical thought. 

In teaching, her courses include “Religion and Human Rights,” “Public Health, Religion, and Human Rights,” “Migrants, Refugees, and Human Rights,” and “War, Religion and Human Rights,” in addition to departmental offerings on world religions and global religious ethics. Dr. Alexander has taught multiple service learning courses, and all of her courses seek to engage both a deep understanding of issues in religion and human rights and practical knowledge of how individuals and organizations address these issues in contemporary societies. 

Community engagement is a fundamental aspect of Dr. Alexander’s work, both in Religious Studies and with the Goldstein Center for Human Rights. From 2017-2023, she served as Goldstein Family Community Chair in Human Rights, hosting public educational events and engaging with students and community organizations to enhance connections and understanding of human rights issues in the local area and beyond. As director of the Goldstein Center, she supports public educational events, student and faculty workshops, community-engaged research projects (current projects include global health and migration), and collaboration with human-rights-related organizations on educational initiatives.

Dr. Alexander is also a public scholar, having written public-facing pieces in outlets including The Conversation, The Washington Post’s “Made by History” series, the Omaha World-Herald, and E-International Relations. She has provided an expert perspective on community and human rights topics for local media and for radio programs in both the U.S. and U.K. From 2021-23, she served as a Public Fellow with the Public Religion Research Institute, a role that trains scholars to work with public opinion polling data and bring their research to the general public.

In the wider research community, Dr. Alexander is founder and co-chair of the Religion and Human Rights program unit at the American Academy of Religion, reviewer for several scholarly journals, and a member of the UNO chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network and the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network on refugee studies, established through the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees. She serves as Internship Coordinator for the UNO Department of Religious Studies, as well as academic advisor for Religious Studies majors.

Additional Information

Background

Dr. Laura Alexander is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Executive Director of the Goldstein Center for Human Rights at UNO. She is a scholar of religious ethics, with research expertise in religion and human rights; immigration and migration studies; the tradition of just war thought; national borders and the state; and religious freedom and humanitarian aid.

Dr. Alexander received her Ph.D. in Religious Ethics from the University of Virginia and her M.Div. and B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago. Prior to earning her graduate degrees, she participated in two year-long service programs, teaching English in a small community in Thailand and working in refugee services in Minneapolis, MN.

In research, Dr. Alexander has published peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of Religion and Society, and Political Theology, among others. Alongside UNO colleagues, she conducted qualitative, community-based research on nonprofits in the Omaha area and co-authored the report Community and Network Responses for Assisting Mobile Vulnerable Populations (OLLAS Report #19, May 2023).  Her most recent publication is the textbook Religion and Human Rights: An Introduction (Routledge, 2023), and her current book project examines global migration through the lens of Christian realist ethical thought. 

In teaching, her courses include “Religion and Human Rights,” “Public Health, Religion, and Human Rights,” “Migrants, Refugees, and Human Rights,” and “War, Religion and Human Rights,” in addition to departmental offerings on world religions and global religious ethics. Dr. Alexander has taught multiple service learning courses, and all of her courses seek to engage both a deep understanding of issues in religion and human rights and practical knowledge of how individuals and organizations address these issues in contemporary societies. 

Community engagement is a fundamental aspect of Dr. Alexander’s work, both in Religious Studies and with the Goldstein Center for Human Rights. From 2017-2023, she served as Goldstein Family Community Chair in Human Rights, hosting public educational events and engaging with students and community organizations to enhance connections and understanding of human rights issues in the local area and beyond. As director of the Goldstein Center, she supports public educational events, student and faculty workshops, community-engaged research projects (current projects include global health and migration), and collaboration with human-rights-related organizations on educational initiatives.

Dr. Alexander is also a public scholar, having written public-facing pieces in outlets including The Conversation, The Washington Post’s “Made by History” series, the Omaha World-Herald, and E-International Relations. She has provided an expert perspective on community and human rights topics for local media and for radio programs in both the U.S. and U.K. From 2021-23, she served as a Public Fellow with the Public Religion Research Institute, a role that trains scholars to work with public opinion polling data and bring their research to the general public.

In the wider research community, Dr. Alexander is founder and co-chair of the Religion and Human Rights program unit at the American Academy of Religion, reviewer for several scholarly journals, and a member of the UNO chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network and the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network on refugee studies, established through the United Nations Global Compact on Refugees. She serves as Internship Coordinator for the UNO Department of Religious Studies, as well as academic advisor for Religious Studies majors.

Additional Information

Background

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