41-year-old Angelina Jolie has taken her first step in the teaching business, Hollywood who?! The actress gives a lecture as a visiting professor at the London School of Economics Tuesday morning at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security—the university where she will begin teaching a master’s course in September.
Her visit was very exciting for students, LSE student, Camilla Yahaya says. “It was really amazing having her on campus. Her arrival has been anticipated but we started to think because of her personal situation she might have backed out of the role,” Yahaya says, referncing Jolie’s divorce with Brad Pitt. “There was a real buzz on campus—everyone was looking for her.”
“One of my friends was in her lecture, she took a Snapchat of her…She seemed shy yet, enthusiastic,” the student continued. “She hasn’t officially started, but will be here next term. She is teaching a really small course. There are about five classes and one lecture a week. So I think she will be here weekly.”
According to People magazine, Jolie’s lecture focused on women’s rights while discussing topics such as refugee camps and how displacement and statelessness can lead to more sexual violence and other crimes against women and girls.
“Angelina Jolie spoke to a class of students taking the postgraduate course ‘Women, Peace and Security,’ as part of her role as visiting professor in practice in the Centre for Women, Peace and Security,” a spokesperson for LSE told People. “Miss Jolie spoke about her experience and what has motivated her work as UNHCR special envoy and as co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, and took questions from the class.”
She initially launched this initiative with England’s First Secretary of State William Hague back in 2015 “focus on the participation of women in conflict-related processes and on enhancing accountability and ending impunity for rape and sexual violence in war.”
Then came a year later, we learned Jolie would be taking on the professor role.
“I am very encouraged by the creation of this master’s program,” she said in a statement at the time. “I hope other academic institutions will follow this example, as it is vital that we broaden the discussion on how to advance women’s rights and end impunity for crimes that disproportionately affect women, such as sexual violence in conflict.”
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