Human Rights

Description
The concentration in human rights offers a model for educating and training students through socially embedded, transdisciplinary dialogue, research and practice. Course work in the social sciences, law and the humanities will prepare students to critically examine societal problems and to design culturally congruent and contextually specific solutions to human rights dilemmas in such areas as child welfare; economic development; education; environment; health; indigenous rights; labor rights; violence against women and water and energy resources.

The concentration provides students with historical, legal and philosophical perspectives from which to think broadly and critically about human rights issues. It introduces them to social science and policy research on rights, conflict and governance; to human rights conventions, laws and treaties; and to the institutions that seek to uphold these agreements (i.e., international tribunals, nongovernment organizations). Students gain background and skills needed to work within those professions most closely aligned with human rights, including some aspects of law, nongovernment organizations and other nonprofits and policy development.

Requirements

• Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours including 12 of upper division hours for this concentration.
• All courses must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher.

Global Politics of Human Rights - 3 credit hours 
Select one course from the following:

JUS 352 The Global Politics of Human Rights (Prerequisite(s): minimum 24 hours; Credit is allowed for only JUS 352 or SOC 354)

POS 368 Ethics and Human Rights (3)

POS 480 Global Justice, G (3) (Credit is allowed for only POS 480, SBS 480, CMN 598 (Global Justice), JHR 598 (Global Justice) or MAS 598 (Global Justice)

Human Rights Institutions and Organizations - 3 credit hours 
Select one course from the following:

JUS 355 Human Rights Organiations and Institutions (3) (Prerequisite(s): minimum 24 hours; Credit is allowed for only JUS 355 or JUS 394 (Human Rights Organizations and Institutions) or SOC 355)

POS 465 International Organization and Law, SB & G (3)

SGS 321 International Institutions and Global Governance (3) (Prerequisite(s): minimum 45 hours)

Interdisciplinary Component - 9 credit hours
Notes: Students must select 9 hours of electives on current issues in human rights. Courses not listed may be used as approved by an academic advisor in the School of Social Transformation. Courses must be taken from at least two of the substantive areas listed below and from two or more prefixes. 

Marginalization and Human Rights

AFR 301 / JUS 300: Race and Racism in Africa/African Diaspora (SB & G) (3)
AFR 420 / JUS 421: Race Ethnicity and Politics in the African Diaspora (SB & G) (3)
AIS 455: Human Rights and Cultural Resource Laws (3)
APA 330 / WST 331: Asian Pacific American Genders and Sexualities ((L or SB) & C) (3)
HST 369 / JST 369: History and Memory of the Holocaust (3)
JUS 430: Social Protest, Conflict, and Change ((L or SB) & C) (3)
JUS 435: Cinema and Justice (3)
JUS 438: Human Differences: Dilemmas of Justice ((L or HU) & C) (3)
JUS 456: Human Rights and Sustainability ((L or SB) & G) (3)
JUS 468: Protest, Justice, Law and the Media (SB) (3)
POS 472: Constitutional Law II (SB) (3)
SGS 343 / REL 379: Religion, Nationalism, and Ethnic Conflict (HU & G) (3)
SPA 494 / SLC 494: Latin American Photography and Human Rights (3)
WST 313: Women and Sexuality (SB & C) (3)
WST 345: Gender, Religion, and Global Violence (SB & G) (3)
WST 378: Global Feminist Theory (L & G) (3)
WST 477: Gender and Violence (SB & C) (3)

Social Stratification and Human Rights

AFR 304: Islands of Globalization: Caribbean Politics and Political Economy (SB & G & H) (3)
AFR 305: The Global History of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (SB & H) (3)
AFR 470: Women's International Human Rights (3)
APA 350 / JUS 365: Inequality and Diversity in Education (L & C) (3)
JUS 321: Wealth Distribution and Poverty (SB & C) (3)
JUS 325: Globalization and Socio-Economic Justice (SB & G) (3)
JUS 405: Inequality, Economy and Justice ((L or SB) & G) (3)
JUS 477: Youth and Justice (L or SB) (3)
POS 471: Constitutional Law I (SB) (3)
WST 365: Women and International Health (G) (3)

States and Conflict

AIS 494: American Indian Rights (3)
HST 370: Eastern Europe in Transition (SB & G & H) (3)
HST 436: The Soviet Experiment (SB & G & H) (3)
JUS 374: The Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights (3)
JUS 430: Social Protest, Conflict, and Change ((L or SB) & C) (3)
JUS 467: Terrorism, War, and Justice (SB) (3)
JUS 469: Political Deviance and the Law ((L or SB) & C) (3)
JUS 494: Torture, War and Human Rights (3)
LAS 481: Dictatorships and Dirty Wars: Latin American Cinema from Resistance to Reconciliation (HU & G) (3)
PHI 448: Justice and Reparations (3)
POS 305: Politics and Film (SB) (3)
POS 394: The Future of War (3)
REL 388: Religion, Ethics, and International Politics (3)
SGS 340: Violence, Conflict and Human Rights (3)
SGS 341: Humanitarian Crisis and International Intervention (3)
SPA 472: Latin American Society: Five Case Studies (HU & H & G) (3)

Experiential Learning - 3 credit hours 
Notes: To better connect classroom learning with practical experience, students will be required to participate in either a for-credit internship with a human rights organization in the U.S. or abroad, or a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) under faculty supervision (honors thesis may substitute). A written component to the internship or REU is required. 

JUS 484 Internship (3) OR JUS 498 Topic: Research Apprenticeship (3)