International Human Rights Major

The Human Rights major seeks to encourage and enable a high level of understanding of international human rights standards, problems and solutions. It is designed for students with a high level and is suitable for those who are considering working or further study in Human Rights and Human Rights related fields.

Degree Requirements

37 required credit hours
27 general education credit hours
64 elective credit hours

Students will complete 37 credit hours as specified below with a grade of C or better, and must display foreign language competence. (This requirement can be met by taking 12 sequential credit hours in a foreign language or by passing an intermediate-level proficiency examination and will be waived for students whose native language is not English and who are studying in English.)

In the final semester of study, each student must register for HRTS 4600 Senior Overview (1 credit hour) and submit an overview paper. This project will include a summation of the student’s academic work in the major, an evaluation of that work in terms of the student’s field experience and an evaluation of the student’s field experience in terms of the academic work.

Required courses

HRTS 1100 Introduction to Human Rights 3 hours
HRTS 1500 Current Problems in Human Rights 3 hours
HRTS 3500 International Human Rights Law 3 hours
HRTS 3590 Theories of Human Rights 3 hours
HRTS 4500 Human Rights Field Experience 3 hour
HRTS 4600 Senior Overview 1 hour
PHIL 2300 Social and Political Philosophy (AKA POLT 1070) 3 hours

Elective courses
18 hours from among the following, including at least 9 hours from courses with an HRTS prefix:

ANSO 2000 Issues in Contemporary Society: Sociocultural Factors behind Migration and Refugee Movements 1–4 hours
ANSO 3960 Ethnic and Minority Relations 3 hours
ANSO 4200 Class, Status, and Power
ANSO 4250 Gender and Sex Roles 3 hours
ENGL 1060 Protest Literature 3 hours
ETHC 1000 Issues and Problems in Ethics 1 hour
HIST 2420 History of Africa
HIST 2440 History of Latin America
HIST 2450 Third World 3 hours
HRTS 3160 Human Rights in Film: Documentaries 3 hours
HRTS 3170 Human Rights in Film: Narrative Films 3 hours
HRTS 3200 Human Rights in Latin America 3 hours
HRTS 3210 Prejudice and Discrimination 3 hours
HRTS 3400 Human Rights and the Environment 3 hours
HRTS 3600 Genocide and the Holocaust 3 hours
HRTS 3700 Human Rights and Business 3 hours
ISTL 1000 Introduction to International Studies 3 hours
INTL 1500 The World System Since 1500 3 hours
INTL 2030 International Law 3 hours
INTL 3300 Governments and Politics of Eastern Europe 3 hours
MEDC 2800 Cultural Diversity in the Media 3 hours
MULC 2010 American Cultural Pluralism 3 hours
PHIL 2320 Contemporary Moral Problems 3 hours
PHIL 2340 Ethics, Health Care, and Technology 3 hours
PHIL 2360 Environmental Ethics 3 hours
PHIL 3350 Philosophical Ethics 3 hours
PHIL 3360 Ethics for Cyberspace 3 hours
PHIL 3370 Philosophy and Women 3 hours
POLT 1080 Introduction to Comparative Politics 3 hours
POLT 2550 The Politics of Development 3 hours
PSYC/ANSO 3225 Holocaust
PSYC/ANSO 3275 Genocide
RELG 2050 Religion and Human Values 3 hours