Graduate

Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Graduate Specialization

The graduate specialization in human rights is designed to offer our graduate students a broad, interdisciplinary perspective on human rights with an emphasis on skill-building and professional development. Our graduate students use their training in human rights to inform their coursework and research and as well as to prepare themselves for careers in to build bridges between human rights work and their home disciplines. 

Participating MA Departments: History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Political Science and the School of Global Integrative Studies

Participating PhD Departments: History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Political Science, and the School of Global Integrative Studies.

Masters Degree Program Requirements

This specialization is available to any student pursuing a Master’s degree within one of the participating departments and programs in the College of Arts & Sciences. Successful completion of the requirements will be indicated on the student’s final transcript.

Each student will be required to complete the following:

  1. A Master’s degree in one of the participating departments or programs;
  2. 12 credit hours of human rights courses, including: 
    • 3 credit hours of core coursework; 
    • 6 credit hours of interdisciplinary human rights courses (3 credit hours of which must be outside of the student’s discipline);
    • 3 credit hours of applied human rights courses (see the list below) OR 3 credit hours of research credits on a human rights-related topic, as determined by the thesis advisor in consultation with the Director of the Forsythe Family Program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs program. 

Doctoral Degree Program Requirements

This specialization is available to any student pursuing a Ph.D. degree within one of the participating departments and programs. Successful completion of the requirements will be indicated on the student’s final transcript.

Each student will be required to complete the following:

  1. A Ph.D. degree in one of the participating departments or programs;
  2. 12 credit hours of human rights courses, including: 
    • 3 credit hours of core coursework; 
    • 6 credit hours of interdisciplinary human rights courses (3 credit hours of which must be outside of the student’s discipline); 
    • 3 credit hours of applied human rights courses (see the list below) OR 3 credit hours of research credits, including dissertation credits, on a human rights-related topic, as determined by the dissertation advisor in consultation with the Director of the Forsythe Family Program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs program. 

Courses completed by a student for the specialization in human rights may be counted toward meeting the requirements for the specialization at the Ph.D. level.

Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Graduate Courses

The courses that comprise the human rights graduate specialization are listed below. Course descriptions and prerequisites can be found in the appropriate departmental listings. At least 3 of the 9 credit hours from Core Courses and Interdisciplinary Human Rights Courses must be outside of the student’s discipline.

Core Courses

Choose 1, 3 cr total

  • HRHA/GLST 840: Human Rights, Conflict and Community Changemaking 
  • POLS 960:  Seminar in International Relations
  • LAW 707RG: International Human Rights Law Seminar

Interdisciplinary Human Rights Courses

Choose 2, 6 cr total.

  • ANTH/GLST/HRHA: 874: Development in Theory and Practice
  • ANTH/GLST/HRHA: 876 Human Rights, Environment, Development
  • CYAF 813: Global Case Studies in Refugee Health & Wellbeing
  • CYAF 815: Family Violence in a Global Context
  • CYAF 833: Nonprofits in a Global Society
  • ANTH 822: Medical Anthropology 
  • ANTH 855: Forensic Archaeology: Clandestine Burials, Mass Graves, and Human Rights
  • GEOG 835: Cultural Survival: Indigenous People’s Rights
  • HIST 829: History of Fascism in Europe
  • HIST 839: The Holocaust
  • LAW 624G: Immigration Law
  • LAW 707RG: International Human Rights Law Seminar (cannot count for both core course and elective)
  • MODL 854: Anti-Semitism in Russia and the West
  • PHIL 823: Advanced Ethics
  • PHIL 830: Modern Legal Philosophy 
  • PHIL 920: Ethical Theory
  • PHIL 925: Social and Political Philosophy
  • POLS 842:  Civil Liberties: Freedom of Expression and Conviction
  • POLS 843: Civil Liberties: Issues of Fairness and Equality
  • POLS 885: Contemporary Political Thought 
  • POLS 876: Ethnic Conflict and Identity
  • SPAN 876: Exile and Migration (in Spanish)
  • SPAN 953: The Spanish Civil War and Francoism

Applied Human Rights Courses

Choose 1, 3cr total or enroll in 3 cr research activity

  • HRHA 895: Experiential Learning in Human Rights
  • SGIS 815: Grant Writing and Fundraising for Social Impact