International Human Rights

What Is International Human Rights ?

The IHRC is an interdisciplinary program within the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) that focuses primarily on rights proclaimed in the 1948 Universal Declaration which go beyond the political and civil liberties of the U.S. Constitution to include economic, social and cultural rights. Building on centuries of work by religious visionaries, political philosophers and movement activists, 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.  Faculty from A&S departments in the humanities and social sciences, in collaboration with colleagues from other colleges, offer a range of undergraduate courses in a program enriched by association with the Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the UC College of Law.

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 public 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 website.

Major Details

Although UC does not offer a major in international human rights, individual A&S students may seek approval for a personally designed bachelor's of interdisciplinary studies (B.I.S.) 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, and Cultural Perspectives
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: Political, Legal, and Historical Perspectives
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)
McMicken College of Arts and Sciences
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 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 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 students may take UC classes and earn the IHRC without being enrolled in a degree program by following the online directions.

Transfer Requirements

 

Changing Major Requirements

 

Graduation Requirements

Make sure that you have declared the certificate program online. Next, make sure that the certificate program director is aware of when you are finishing the program. If you are pursuing another bachelor's degree, then your certificate will be reviewed at the time that you submit your separate degree application.