Human Rights Studies
Majors:
Minors:
With the Human Rights Studies (HRS) Major and Minor, students receive interdisciplinary instruction in contemporary understandings of justice and equality through legal, historical, philosophical, political, and religious perspectives. Human Rights Studies is a dynamic and evolving field and through our program students are equipped with the practical knowledge and skills needed to respond to the social, economic, technological and political threats to human dignity in the U.S. and abroad.
HRS Major
- A major in human rights studies requires 45 to 57 semester hours of courses in the humanities and the social sciences.
- Given the interdisciplinary nature of this degree program, many students are able to double major.
- HRS is one of the few degree programs that includes a 3-credit hour experiential learning requirement.
- As an HRS Major students have flexibility in choosing three 3-credit hour electives courses from different disciplines to best support individual passions and career goals.
HRS Minor
- A minor in human rights studies consists of 18 semester hours. Six of those credit hours include two elective courses that from different disciplines to best support individual passions and career goals.
FACULTY LISTING
Bachelor of Arts, Human Rights Studies (HRS) minimum 124 hours
The Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights Studies is an integrated pre-professional degree firmly grounded in the traditional liberal arts. Students, faculty, and staff participating in the program enter into it guided by their fundamental commitment to respect and promote the dignity of each human person. The degree is intended to produce intellectually adept students who are capable of performing rigorous research and conducting high quality analysis of critical questions in the area of human rights studies. It is equally intended to produce thoughtful and transformational servant-leaders who will apply the knowledge and skills obtained in the program to contemporary human rights issues and situations both domestically and internationally. Through the integration of liberal and pre-professional education, the interdisciplinary program prepares distinctive graduates who intend to pursue advanced study and training in the field of human rights, or careers in human rights advocacy and humanitarian assistance. Those graduates will possess the values, knowledge and skills necessary for effective public service in:
- Government agencies
- Non-governmental organizations
- International aid agencies
- Non-profit groups in human rights or humanitarian assistance
Courses taken for the major may also count toward completion of the Common Academic Program and the Liberal Studies Curriculum.
The Common Academic Program (CAP) is an innovative curriculum that is the foundation of a University of Dayton education. It is a learning experience that is shared in common among all undergraduate students, regardless of their major. Some CAP requirements must be fulfilled by courses taken at UD (e.g., Capstone and Diversity and Social Justice). Some major requirements must also be fulfilled by courses taken at UD. Students should consult with their advisor regarding applicability of transfer credit to fulfill CAP and major program requirements.
| Common Academic Program (CAP) 1 | ||
| First-Year Humanities Commons 2 | 12 cr. hrs. | |
| Introduction to Global Historical Studies | ||
| Introduction to Religious and Theological Studies | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Writing Seminar I 3 | ||
| Second-Year Writing Seminar 4 | 0-3 cr. hrs. | |
| Writing Seminar II | ||
| Oral Communication | 3 cr. hrs. | |
| Principles of Oral Communication | ||
| Mathematics | 3 cr. hrs. | |
| Social Science | 3 cr. hrs. | |
| Arts | 3 cr. hrs. | |
| Natural Sciences 5 | 7 cr. hrs. | |
| Crossing Boundaries | up to 12 cr. hrs. | |
Faith Traditions | ||
Practical Ethical Action | ||
Inquiry | ||
Integrative | ||
| Advanced Study | ||
Philosophy and/or Religious Studies (6 cr. hrs.) | ||
Historical Studies (3 cr. hrs.) 6 | ||
| Diversity and Social Justice 7 | 3 cr. hrs. | |
| Major Capstone 8 | 0-6 cr. hrs. | |
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The credit hours listed reflect what is needed to complete each CAP component. However, they should not be viewed as a cumulative addition to a student's degree requirements because many CAP courses are designed to satisfy more than one CAP component (e.g., Crossing Boundaries and Advanced Studies) and may also satisfy requirements in the student's major.
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May be completed with ASI 110 and ASI 120 through the Core Program.
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Must include two different disciplines and at least one accompanying lab.
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May be completed with ASI 110 and ASI 120 through the Core Program.
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May not double count with First-Year Humanities Commons, Second-Year Writing, Oral Communication, Social Science, Arts, or Natural Sciences CAP components, but may double count with courses taken to satisfy other CAP components and/or courses taken in the student's major.
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The course or experience is designed by faculty in each major; it may, or may not, be assigned credit hours.
| Liberal Studies Curriculum | ||
| Creative and Performing Arts (May include CAP Arts) | 3 | |
| L2 Proficiency (Proficiency in a language other than English) 1 | 0-11 | |
| Literature (May include CAP Components) 3 | 3 | |
| Mathematics, excluding MTH 205 (Satisfies CAP Mathematics) | 3 | |
| Natural Sciences (Satisfies CAP Natural Science) | 11 | |
| Social Sciences (Includes CAP Social Science) | 12 | |
| Major Requirements 2 | ||
| HRS Core Curriculum | ||
| HRS 200 | Introduction to Human Rights | 3 |
| HRS 497 | Capstone Seminar in Human Rights Studies | 3 |
| PHL 371 | Philosophy & Human Rights | 3 |
| POL 333 | Politics of Human Rights | 3 |
| POL 406 | International Law & Organization | 3 |
| REL 363 | Faith & Justice | 3 |
| or REL 261 | Faith Traditions: Human Rights | |
| SOC 371 | Sociology of Human Rights | 3 |
| or ANT 325 | Anthropology of Human Rights | |
| Human Rights in Literature and History - Chose two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Literature for the Common Good | ||
| Social Justice & Dramatic Literature | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Gender and Fiction | ||
| American Indian Literature | ||
| US Prison Literature and Culture | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| Postcolonial Literature | ||
| Literature & Human Rights | ||
| Appalachian Literature and Culture | ||
| US Latinx Literature | ||
| Dangerous Work and Disaster Capitalism | ||
| Americans and the Middle East | ||
| LGBTQ History: Comparative European and USA | ||
| American Gender & Women's History to 1870 | ||
| American Urban History | ||
| History of Displaced Persons | ||
| Global Immigration History | ||
| Native American History | ||
| Black Women in America | ||
| African American History before 1877 | ||
| African American History Since 1877 | ||
| Skills in Communication and Writing- Choose two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Small Group Communication | ||
| Publication Design | ||
| Audio Production | ||
| Fundamentals of Video Production | ||
| Multimedia Design & Production I | ||
| Persuasion | ||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | ||
| Principles of Public Relations | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Communication & Conflict Management | ||
| Media Writing | ||
| Free Lance Writing | ||
| Scriptwriting for Media Production Platforms | ||
| Writing in Organizations | ||
| Report & Proposal Writing | ||
| Writing for the Web | ||
| Writing for Grants and Non-Profits | ||
| Grantwriting | ||
| Introduction to Legal Research, Writing & Analysis | ||
| Skills in Organization and Management - Choose one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Accounting | ||
| Introduction to Financial Accounting | ||
| Business Cases and Communications for Non-Business Majors | ||
| Finance for the Common Good | ||
| Survey of Marketing | ||
| Introduction to Public Administration | ||
| Leadership in Nongovernmental Organizations | ||
| Leadership in Building Communities | ||
| Strategic Planning for Nonprofit & Community Organizations | ||
| NGO Management & Development | ||
| Nonprofit Financial Management | ||
| Research Methods - Choose one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Research Methods in Communication | ||
| Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Human Rights | ||
| Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Human Rights | ||
| Historiography | ||
| Political Science Research Methods | ||
| Research Methods | ||
| Latinx and Latin American Studies Theories and Methods | ||
| Indigenous Studies Theories and Methods | ||
| System Modeling for Sustainability | ||
| Social Research Methods | ||
| Experiential Learning - Choose one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Moral Courage Project | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Directed Research | ||
| Independent Study & Research | ||
| Internship | ||
| Senior Project Capstone | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| HRS Electives - Choose 3 courses from 3 different disciplines: | 9 | |
| CMM | ||
| History and Analysis of Propaganda | ||
| Rhetoric of Social Movements | ||
| Religious Rhetoric | ||
| Dialogue, Power, and Diversity | ||
| SOC | ||
| Community Practice & Research | ||
| Perspectives on Education and Social Justice | ||
| Youth, Justice & Law | ||
| Law & Society | ||
| Racial & Ethnic Relations | ||
| Sex, Crime, and Law | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Sociology of Extremism | ||
| Bioessentialism and Constructions of Bodies | ||
| Immigration & Immigrants | ||
| ANT | ||
| Culture & Power | ||
| Language & Culture | ||
| Topics in Medical Anthropology | ||
| Place, Culture, and Social Justice | ||
| Immigration & Immigrants | ||
| Bioessentialism and Constructions of Bodies | ||
| SWK | ||
| Community Practice & Research | ||
| Social Services in the Health Field | ||
| Mental Health Services | ||
| International Social Work | ||
| Advocacy Practice in Social Work | ||
| Health and Inequality | ||
| POL | ||
| Political Issues | ||
| Policy, Administration, & Regulation | ||
| Morality Policy | ||
| Health Policy | ||
| Twentieth-Century Political Thought | ||
| Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia | ||
| Nationalism & Ethnopolitics | ||
| United Nations System: Theory and Practice | ||
| Gender, Women’s Rights and Global Politics | ||
| Disaster Policy & Administration | ||
| The Politics of International Economic Relations | ||
| Leadership in Building Communities | ||
| Civil Liberities | ||
| Political Violence | ||
| HST | ||
| Age of Democratic Revolutions | ||
| History of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict | ||
| History of Africa - 19th Century to the Present | ||
| Gandhi, Non Violence and Resistance around the World | ||
| The European Holocaust | ||
| History of Women & Gender in the Middle East | ||
| History of Transnational Feminism | ||
| U.S. Legal & Constitutional History II | ||
| History of Human Rights | ||
| History of South Africa: From Prehistory to Present | ||
| African American History Since 1877 | ||
| REL | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| Eastern Orthodoxy | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Topics in Judaism | ||
| Islam | ||
| Afro-Latin Religions | ||
| Peacebuilding | ||
| Liberation Theologies | ||
| Christian Ethics | ||
| The Holocaust: Theological & Religious Responses | ||
| PHL | ||
| Social Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Ethics of War | ||
| Philosophy of Peace | ||
| Hip Hop and Philosophy | ||
| Comparative East-West Philosophy | ||
| Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Philosophy | ||
| Radical Philosophy | ||
| Marxist Philosophy | ||
| African Philosophy | ||
| Race, Gender and Philosophy | ||
| Afro-Caribbean Philosophy | ||
| Political Philosophy | ||
| Values & Economics | ||
| WGS | ||
| Feminist Social Change | ||
| Global South Feminisms | ||
| SEE | ||
| Sustainable Communities | ||
| Sustainable Development Goals | ||
| PSY | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Forensic Psychology | ||
| Interviewing & Counseling | ||
| HSS | ||
| Community Nutrition | ||
| Food Justice | ||
| VAR/VAH | ||
| History of Art and Activism | ||
| Visual Ethics | ||
| Art and Social Practice | ||
| History of Photography I | ||
| History of Photography II | ||
| PostColonial and Global Art Histories | ||
| SPN | ||
| Performing Human Rights in Latin/x America | ||
| THR | ||
| Social Justice & Dramatic Literature | ||
| Applied Theatre | ||
| ENG | ||
| Health Literacy and Social Justice | ||
| MPA | ||
| Nonprofit & Community Leadership | ||
| CJS | ||
| Comparative Criminal Justice Systems | ||
| ECO | ||
| Economic Development & Growth | ||
| GLC | ||
| Post-Soviet Popular Cultures | ||
| Gender, Sexuality & the Holocaust | ||
| Nazi Cinema and Mass Manipulation in the Third Reich | ||
| HRS | ||
| Genocide, Mass Atrocity and Transitional Justice | ||
| Anti-Human Trafficking Advocacy | ||
| Human Rights and Development in Africa | ||
| MUS | ||
| Ethics and American Popular Music | ||
| RCE | ||
| Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies | ||
| Total Hours | 51 | |
| Breadth | ||
| ASI 150 | Introduction to the University Experience | 1 |
| Total hours to total at least | 124 | |
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Majors must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by passing a University proficiency examination or by completing a language course at the 141 level or higher with a minimum grade of C in one of the following languages:
• Arabic
• French
• German
• Italian
• Mandarin Chinese
• Russian
• Spanish- 2
May include CAP Components.
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The English Literature requirement for the HRS major also satisfies the Literature requirement in the Liberal Studies Curriculum.
Minor in Human Rights Studies (HRS)
The interdisciplinary minor in Human Rights Studies provides students an opportunity to address issues related to human rights from various disciplinary approaches. The universal nature of human rights issues may directly relate to a major, while in other cases this minor will provide an opportunity for broadening one's exposure to these important topics.
The Human Rights Studies minor requires 18 semester hours. It is recommended that the required course be taken in the sophomore year. Students should consult with the Director of Human Rights Studies to ensure that the courses selected from the elective pool display a significant degree of coherence. Courses taken from this minor may be applied to other minors and to breadth and general education requirements.
A minor in human rights studies consists of 15 semester hours of interdisciplinary instruction focused on contemporary understandings of human dignity, justice, and equality through legal, historical, philosophical, political, social, economic and/or religious perspectives. The minor requires 9 hours of foundational human rights courses and 6 hours of courses that explore the practical application of human rights, 3 of which can be completed through an experiential learning opportunity.
| Human Rights Studies (15 hours) | ||
| Introduction to Human Rights 1 | ||
or HRS 497 | Capstone Seminar in Human Rights Studies | |
| Human Rights Foundations (select two): | 6 | |
| Anthropology of Human Rights | ||
| Literature & Human Rights | ||
| History of Human Rights | ||
| Philosophy & Human Rights | ||
| Politics of Human Rights | ||
| Faith Traditions: Human Rights | ||
| Sociology of Human Rights | ||
| Human Rights Applied (select two): 1 | 6 | |
| CMM 356 | Argumentation and Advocacy | 3 |
| HSS 384 | Food Justice | 3 |
| POL 334 | Politics of Human Rights II | 3 |
| RCE 310 | Standing Rock: Sovereignty and Indigenous Rights | 3 |
| SEE 325 | Sustainable Development Goals | 3 |
| SWK 370 | Advocacy Practice in Social Work | 3 |
| THR 313 | Social Justice & Dramatic Literature | 3 |
| VAR 350 | Art and Social Practice | 3 |
| WGS 350 | Feminist Social Change | 3 |
| or WGS 351 | Global South Feminisms | |
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Students can enroll in HRS 497 if they have added the minor in junior or senior year.
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Students can also complete 3 credit hours of experiential learning with permission of HRS Director to meet 3 of the 6 hours required in this category.
Bachelor of Arts, Human Rights Studies
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ASI 150 | 1 | HST 103, PHL 103, or REL 103 (CAP Humanities Commons) | 3 |
| HST 103, PHL 103, or REL 103 (CAP Humanities Commons) | 3 | ENG 100 (CAP Humanities Commons) | 3 |
| HST 103, PHL 103, or REL 103 (CAP Humanities Commons) | 3 | ANT 150 (CAP Inquiry, Diversity and Social Justice; Intro Level Social Science) | 3 |
| MTH 114 or 207 (Satisfies CAP Mathematics)1 | 3 | HRS 200 | 3 |
| LNG 101 | 4 | LNG 141 | 4 |
| CMM 100 (CAP Communication) | 3 | ||
| 17 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENG 200 (CAP Writing Seminar) | 3 | Human Rights in US History (CAP Advanced Historical Studies) | 3 |
| POL 214 | 3 | REL 363 or 261 (CAP Faith Traditions) | 3 |
| SSC 200 | 3 | PHL 371 (CAP Advanced Philosophy or Religious Studies) | 3 |
| POL 207, SOC 208, CMM 412, or PSY 217 | 3 | Skills in Writing Course | 3 |
| LNG 201 (in any language)2 | 3 | INSS (CAP Natural Science with lab) | 4 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| POL 333 | 3 | POL 334 | 3 |
| Experiential Learning Requirement | 3 | HRS Elective | 3 |
| Skills in Organizations and Management | 3 | HRS Elective | 3 |
| SOC 371 or ANT 325 (Social Science Elective) | 3 | Skills in Communication | 3 |
| CAP Arts, Creative and Performing | 3 | INSS (CAP Natural Science with lab) | 4 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HRS 497 | 3 | INSS (CAP Natural Science) | 3 |
| POL 406 | 3 | CAP Integrative | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | CAP Practical Ethic Action3 | 3 |
| CAP Advanced Philosophy, Religious Studies or Faith Traditions | 3 | HRS Elective | 3 |
| Literature | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 125 | |||
| 1 | MTH 207 is the strong preference. |
| 2 | Students can also take a context course, many of which also count as an HRS elective. |
| 3 | Some CAP requirements may be fulfilled through the major, especially with HRS electives. |
Courses
HRS 200. Introduction to Human Rights. 3 Hours
Exploration of the rights of individuals and groups at global, national and local levels. Examination of basic questions about what humans are and what rights are, and a careful consideration of the foundations of rights claims and the myriad of mechanisms for defending and enforcing rights. Investigation into the key social, political, historical, and economic factors that lead to human rights violations and ways in which human rights research methods inform human rights theory and practice.
HRS 329. Genocide, Mass Atrocity and Transitional Justice. 3 Hours
Study of the causes of mass atrocities, the moral and legal challenges involved in responding to them, and the steps individuals can take to raise awareness of these urgent issues.
Prerequisites: PHL 103 or HST 103 or ASI 110 or ASI 120 or equivalent.
HRS 360. Anti-Human Trafficking Advocacy. 3 Hours
Exploration of human trafficking at global, national, and local levels with a focus on advocacy and disruption efforts.
HRS 375. Moral Courage Project. 3 Hours
Preparation only for those students selected to engage in the Moral Courage Project, a cohorted program of the UD Human Rights Center. Selected through a competitive process, participating students develop skills and content knowledge in advance of the program’s immersive fieldwork phase, following the semester. Areas of study include foundations of human rights, media studies and narrative storytelling, interviewing and audio production techniques, and subject matter knowledge of a particular human rights event that will be identified for each cycle.
HRS 392. Human Rights and Development in Africa. 3 Hours
Study of human rights and development in Africa. Topics may include racial and other inequalities, poverty, debt, foreign aid, food security, land reform, population, migration and displacement, environment, corruption, and illicit transfer of capital.
HRS 451. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Human Rights. 4 Hours
This course introduces the concepts and implementation of analysis in geographic information systems (GIS), and applies the GIS tool to different human right situations or investigations. This course is cross-listed with GEO 451 and GEO 551.
HRS 497. Capstone Seminar in Human Rights Studies. 3 Hours
Examination and reflection of scholarship and experiential learning activity related to interdisciplinary major. Project and public presentation on a contemporary human rights challenge demonstrating practical wisdom and critical evaluation of our times. Exploration of leadership, advocacy and service opportunities in human rights and humanitarian assistance as vocation.
HRS 498. Independent Study. 1-6 Hours
Research or special readings on problems of interest to the student under the guidance of a Human Rights Studies faculty or staff member. Permission of department chairperson.