Human Rights and Humanitarianism Interdepartmental Concentration

This concentration provides students an opportunity to engage in the interdisciplinary study of human rights and humanitarianism. The objectives of the concentration are to cultivate in students: (a) a familiarity with major developments in the history of human rights and humanitarianism; (b) an understanding of the institutional frameworks governing human rights and humanitarianism, including international law, international organizations, civil society movements, etc.; (c) an understanding of the theoretical and philosophical debates about the meanings of human rights and humanitarianism; (d) a capacity to understand and evaluate practical debates over the methods, motivations, and consequences of human rights and humanitarian action, including but not limited to questions of policy-making, fieldwork, and media and artistic representation; (e) a familiarity with a range of current and past global (including local, national, and international) human rights problems.

Given that students and faculty approach the study of human rights and humanitarianism from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, the program permits students to complete this concentration in conjunction with a wide array of majors. The program promotes breadth by requiring that students complete courses in more than one department.

Human Rights and Humanitarianism Interdepartmental Concentration

Structure of the Concentration

A concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarianism consists of five (5) courses selected from two lists of courses: Framework Courses and Specialized Courses. Of these five courses, at least two (2) must come from the list of Framework Courses and at least one (1) from the list of Specialized Courses.

Students are encouraged to pursue internships and take study away courses in the areas of human rights and humanitarianism. These may be counted toward the concentration with the approval of the program coordinator.

Framework Courses

These courses provide students with a basic understanding of the international norms of human rights and humanitarianism, the history and purpose of the primary intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the philosophical/historical/intellectual background of the field. Framework courses focus on a limited set of practices as a way of providing a basic, common language for students.

ANTH 246 - Refugees/Humanitarian Response
INTL 245 - Introduction to International Human Rights 
PHIL 250 - Philosophy of Human Rights
POLI 221 - Global Governance 
POLI 323 - Humanitarianism in World Politics

Specialized Courses

These courses offer students a chance to acquire more detailed mastery of specific topics, themes, or regions in studies of human rights and humanitarianism. Specialized courses offer exposure to the broader array of histories and movements dedicated to the promotion of human dignity and the protection of human rights.

AMST 294 - Schools/Prisons
ANTH 358 - Anthropology of Violence
ANTH 362 - Culture and Globalization
ANTH 394 - Darfur: Conflict and Human Rights in Africa
ENGL 194 (Cross-listed in Philosophy), Rivers, Humans and Environmental Justice
HIST 378 - War Crimes and Memory in East Asia
HIST 248 - Jim Crow
HIST 235 - Comparative Freedom Movements: The US and South Africa
ENGL 265 - Justice
FREN 416 (when offered as Haiti: Culture/Human Rights/Humanitarianism)
HIST 221 - American Labor Radicalism
HIST 256 - Transatlantic Slave Trade
INTL 345 - Advanced Themes in Human Rights
INTL 352 - Transitional Justice
MUSI 194 - Music and Freedom
PHIL 251 - Human Rights and Healthcare
PHIL 294 - Rights of Nonhuman Animals
POLI 207 - US Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
POLI 245 - Latin American Politics
SOCI 280 - Indigenous Peoples' Movements in Global Context
LATI 268 - Rights and Resistance: Theatre and Film in Latin America
THDA 266 - Performance/Documents/Rights