Major Details

Although UC does not offer a major in international human rights, individual A&S students may seek approval for a personally designed Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) with a human rights focus. Nine or more of the thirty credit hours required for the certificate may also count toward a department major in political science, international affairs, history, geography or other disciplines. In addition to pre-approved department courses listed for the certificate, candidates request approval for a senior project with a human rights focus in their major and/or an appropriate departmental internship, service learning or study abroad credits. Honors special topics courses on human rights and appropriate transfer credits may also be approved for the certificate.

Curriculum

This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this major. These online tools are designed to assist you, but are not a substitute for planning with an academic or faculty advisor.

If you are currently enrolled at UC, you can audit your degree online. If you are considering transferring to this major from another school use the course applicability system (CAS) to see how credits you have earned will apply to this major at UC. For course descriptions by college, click here.

Completion of the international human rights certificate involves 30 hours of coursework distributed over three categories: core requirements, primary electives and secondary electives. At least 24 credits must be earned in courses at or above the 200-level. 

Course Name	Course Number	Credits
Core Requirements (6-9 credits)
Politics of Human Rights	15POL287	3
Intern Practicum* and/or Capstone Project*		3-6
Primary Electives (15-24 credits) Must include credits from each of the four areas and from at least four separate departments.
Area 1: Philosophical, Social, Cultural and Political Perspectives on Universal Rights
Intermediate Composition: Human Rights & The Arts	28ENGL289 (Pettit)	3
Humanities and Human Rights	15ENGC321	3
Intro to Philosophy: Ethics	15PHIL106	3
Intro to Philosophy of Law: Freedom	15PHIL374	3
Contemporary Ethics	15PHIL520	3
Feminist Theory	15WMST480	3
Film and the Global Village	23PLAN397	3
Area 2: International Laws and Institutions
International Law	15POL288	3
International Organization	15POL289	3
Human Rights and US Foreign Relations I	15HIST309	3
Exporting Humanitarian Aid	15HIST530	3
Human Rights and US Foreign Relations I	15HIST528	3
US-Middle East Immigration, Refugees, Human Rights	15HIST623	3
Area 3: Major Threats
Geography of the Middle East	15GEOG231	3
AIDS, Biomedical, Social and Ethical Issues	15BIOL123	3
War and Peace in the Modern Middle East	15HIST570	3
Middle East Conflicts	15POL271	3
Literature of the Holocaust	15JUDC383	3
Studies in the Holocaust	15JUDC382	3
Area 4: Rights of Vulnerable Groups
Liberation Struggles	15AFAM452	3
People in the Balkans	15ANTH320	3
Colonization, Nationalism, and Post Colonial West Africa	15AFAM451	3
Women and Politics in the Third World	15POL579	3
Intro to Women's Studies	15WMST241	3
Women's Human Rights	15WMST456	3
Secondary Electives (0 to 9 credits)
Anthropology
Indians of Mexico	15ANTH334	3
Cultural Anthropology	15ANTH101	3
Biology
Biotechnology: Social & Ethical Issues	15BIOL333	3
English
Humanities and Human Rights	15ENGC321	3
Geography
Human Geography	15GEOG104, 105	3
Political Geography	15GEOG333	3
Political Geography: Geopolitics	15GEOG353	3
History
Middle East History 1850-present	15HIST172	3
Middle East History 1258-1850	15HIST171	3
Soviet Union: Stalin to Present	15HIST679	3
Judaic Studies
Gender and Judaism	15JUDC352	3
Multidisciplinary Studies
Study Abroad or alternate offering specific to department or college	15MLTI300	3
Philosophy
Contemporary Moral Issues	15PHIL111	3
Ethics	15PHIL322	3
Feminist Political Philosophy	15PHIL333	3
Honors Seminar: Business Ethics	15PHIL512H	3
Political Science
Politics in Developing Countries	15POL269	3
International Cooperation	15POL283	3
Security and Conflict-Asia	15POL586	3
Sociology
Social Change in Latin America	15SOC385	3
War and Society	15SOC475	3
El Salvador Study Tour	15SOC586	3
Women's Studies
Intro to Women's Studies	15WMST241	3
Feminist Critical Readings	15WMST380	3
Women's Human Rights	15WMST456	3
College of Business
World Marketing	22INTB571	3
College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP)
Social Justice and the City	23PLAN579	3
Global Health	23PLAN708	3
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH)
Liberation Philosophy	18EDFN684	3
International Health	18HPE554	3
TOTAL		30

*Intern Practicum- with a human rights organization such as Amnesty International, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Human Rights Quarterly or Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center.
AND/OR Capstone Project - with a human rights focus. Prior approval by the IHRC Program Director must be obtained by submitting a special form available online.

Students admitted to the certificate program can obtain at the UC registrar's One Stop Student Service Center's website an international human rights certificate audit identifying previously completed courses that satisfy IHRC requirements. Request an A&S degree audit for program code 15CERT2IHR.