International Human Rights

What Is International Human Rights ?

The IHRC is an interdisciplinary program that focuses primarily on post World War II rights proclaimed in the 1948 Universal Declaration that go beyond the political and civil liberties of the U.S. Constitution to include economic, social and cultural rights. Since World War II, the U.N. and nongovernmental and regional intergovernmental organizations have established institutions and global norms to address genocide, torture, racism, violence against women, forced labor, sex trafficking and other gross violations of human rights. 

In partnership with the Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the College of Law, nearly 30 UC faculty offer more than 40 undergraduate courses from 16 departments in six UC colleges -- A&S courses from the social sciences, humanities and the natural sciences, as well as courses from the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), the College of Business, DAAP, Raymond Walters College and the College of Applied Science.

Success Factors

Success as a student requires effective communication skills, both oral and written, and the ability to engage in critical thinking, self-discipline, maturity, people skills and information technology literacy. Competing human rights values pose ethical and policy dilemmas that must be resolved by clear moral reasoning. The most effective human rights advocates also have a strong commitment to the rule of law, a clear sense of justice, empathy for the oppressed, a solid grasp of history and commitment to pubic service.

Career Possibilities

The first IHRC recipients pursued graduate degrees in preparation for careers in law, education and public service.  

Full time opportunities for human rights work may be found in:

• Government agencies, including the Justice Department and Department of State
• International intergovernmental organizations such as the U.N.
• Non-governmental organizations and institutions, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Freedom House, that address issues of forced labor, genocide, racism, torture, trafficking, violence against women and other gross violations of human rights
• Private firms that specialize in representing victims of human rights

In addition many graduates with other employers may find their careers involve human rights issues that arise in the workplace and/or in their volunteer community service activities and religious communities.

Additional career options are listed on the Career Development Center's Web site.

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.

Minor Details

A certificate in international human rights is an interdisciplinary credential comparable to a minor in an academic discipline, but UC does not offer either a major or a minor in human rights.

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. 

Special Opportunities

Students in the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) enjoy many benefits afforded through study at a research-intensive institution ranked among the nation's top 25 public research universities. UC's urban, Tri-state location offers exciting opportunities for global education, research and service learning, while its student-centered focus includes an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, a nationally recognized Center for Exploratory Studies and a highly successful First Year Experience program that teaches critical skills for first-year students and provides connections with important campus resources.

Special Programs

Certificate candidates are invited to special events sponsored by The College of Law’s Morgan Institute for Human Rights, including special dinners with distinguished visitors. Selected individuals have worked on the Human Rights Quarterly, a journal edited by the Morgan Institute. Others have had a range of study abroad and intern experiences as part of the program.

Admission Requirements

Candidates must apply for admission to the certificate program using the appropriate form found online. Students should enroll in the program before their senior year, but the program director will consider exceptions for applicants six months prior to graduation.

Non-matriculated, part time students may take UC classes and earn the IHRC without being enrolled in a degree program by following the online directions.

Transfer Requirements

Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was not in any of the UC colleges must apply to the Office of Admissions. Applicants in this category must submit transcripts for all secondary school and college-level work. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all college-level work is required for admission consideration. Admission to A&S is generally available for any off-campus applicants who have received an associate degree from an accredited college or university and whose cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher.

Although midyear off-campus transfer students are not able to participate in priority registration in the quarter prior to their enrollment, they are included in the summer registration period prior to their fall quarter enrollment.

Changing Major Requirements

Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was as a degree student in one of UC's other colleges can apply directly to the A&S college office. Admission to A&S is generally available for any on-campus students who have:

• at least a 2.0 GPA in all college-level courses (both at UC and at other institutions),
• successfully completed two quarters of English Composition or its equivalent and
• gained credit for a college-level mathematics course.

Further details on individual programs are available online or in the A&S Office of Undergraduate Affairs and Advising (102 McMicken Hall).

Graduation Requirements

In addition to meeting the university's General Education requirements, the requirements listed in the McMicken College Core Requirements are common to all potential graduates of the college, whether they are pursuing the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science or bachelor of interdisciplinary studies degree.

Application Deadlines

UC operates on a quarter system, with 10-week grading periods beginning in late September, early January, late March and mid-June. While midyear admission is possible, the fall is generally the best time to enter the college, since many course sequences begin in that quarter. Applicants to A&S who are enrolled or who were previously enrolled as degree students in A&S or in other UC colleges should apply for admission directly to A&S (in McMicken 102). All other applicants who wish to earn an undergraduate degree from A&S should apply through the Office of Admissions (3rd Floor, University Pavilion).