Human Rights Minor

Human Rights Studies Minor

The Human Rights Studies minor will introduce students to some of the key conceptual, ethical and methodological approaches to the study and practice of human rights. In particular, it will address key concepts, principles and norms, such as human dignity, non-discrimination, equality, due process, empowerment, human security, human development, and accountability; it will expose students to diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches to the study and practice of human rights from a domestic as well as an international perspective; it will familiarize students with the evolution of international human rights norms both in theory and in practice, the latter through the study of pivotal events in the history of human rights, such as the anti‐slavery and anti‐slave trade campaign, the Civil Rights Movement, the Campaign Against Apartheid, the transnational movement spawned by the Helsinki Final Act, and, more recently, the campaign to establish the International Criminal Court and the launching of the Millenium Development Goals; it will train students how to use the human rights framework in order to analyze and assess critical developments in key issue areas of global concern; and it will provide students with internship opportunities so as to hone their advocacy skills in addressing the challenges of an increasingly complex and interconnected world. This minor can be paired with all majors; examples would include Gender Studies, Global History, Humanities and Justice, International Criminal Justice, and Political Science.

Human Rights Minor Course Listings

Contact chrights@jjay.cuny.edu for more information.