Major in Human Rights

The Human Rights major is an interdepartmental, interdisciplinary plan of study requiring a second major and a minimum of 36 credit hours in Human Rights related courses:

• 9 credits must be taken from the Core Courses, which are arranged in two divisions: Institutions, Laws, Movements and History, Culture, Theory.
• 12 credits must be taken from the Elective Courses. Students may also take additional Core Courses to fulfill their Elective requirement.
• 3 credits are taken from the Capstone Courses, selecting either a service learning/ internship experience or a senior thesis seminar.
• 12 credit hours of Related Courses must be completed as approved by the Director of the Major.
• All students must also take a Writing Requirement, different from the W-Course for their second major.

Note: Students are also required to complete a second major.

Link to Double Major Declaration Form
http://www.services.clas.uconn.edu/forms/doublemajor.pdf

Recommended Course

• HRTS 1007: Introduction to Human Rights

Core Courses

• Institutions, Laws, Movements
• POLS/HRTS 3212: Comparative Perspectives on Human Rights
• SOC/HRTS 3831: Human Rights in the US
• HIST/HRTS 3202: International Human Rights
• POLS/HRTS 3428: The Politics of Torture
• SOCI/HRTS 3835(W): Refugee Camps and Humanitarianism
• SOCI/HRTS 3837(W): Sociology of Global Human Rights
• POLS/HRTS 3430: Evaluating Human Rights Practices of Countries

Core Courses

• History, Culture, Theory
• HIST/HRTS 3201: History of Human Rights
• POLS/HRTS 3042: Theory of Human Rights
• HIST/HRTS 3207: Genocide after the Second World War
• HRTS 3149(W): Human Rights Through Film
• DRAM/HRTS 3139: Theater and Human Rights
• ENGL/HRTS 3631: Literature, Culture and Humanitarianism
• PHIL/HRTS 2170(W): Bioethics and Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspectives
• PHIL/HRTS 3219: Topics in Philosophy and Human Rights

Elective Courses

Anthropology

• ANTH/HRTS 3028: Indigenous Rights and Aboriginal Australia
• ANTH/HRTS 3153(W): Human Rights in Democratizing Countries
• ANTH/WS 3350: Anthropological Perspectives on Women

Economics

• ECON 2127(W): Beyond Self-interest
• ECON 3473(W): Economic Development

English

• ENGL/HRTS 3619: Topics in Literature and Human Rights
• ENGL 3629: Holocaust Literature in English

History

• HIST/AASI 3531: Japanese Americans and World War II
• HIST/WS 3562: History of Women and Gender in the United States, 1790-Present
• HIST/HRTS/AFAM 3563: African American History to 1865
• HIST 3570: American Indian History

Human Rights

• HRTS 3293: Foreign Study
• HRTS 3295: Special Topics
• HRTS 3298: Variable Topics
• HRTS 3299: Independent Study

Philosophy

• PHIL 3218: Feminist Theory
• PHIL 3220: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights

Political Science

• POLS/HRTS 3256(W): Politics & Human Rights in Global Supply Chain
• POLS/HRTS 3418(W): International Organizations and Law
• POLS/HRTS 3807: Constitutional Rights and Liberties

Puerto Rican & Latino Studies

• PRLS/HRTS 3221/HIST 3575: Latinos/as and Human Rights in the United States

Sociology

• SOCI/AASI 3221/HRTS 3571: Sociological Perspectives on Asian American Women
• SOCI/AASI 3222/HRTS 3573: Asian Indian Women: Activism and Social Change
• SOCI/HRTS 3421(W): Class, Power, and Inequality
• SOCI/HRTS 3429(W): Sociological Perspectives on Poverty
• SOCI 3503(W): Prejudice and Discrimination
• SOCI/HRTS/AFAM 3505: White Racism
• SOCI/HRTS 3801(W): Political Sociology
• SOCI/HRTS/AFAM 3825: African Americans and Social Protest

Women's Studies

• WS/HRTS 2263: Women and Violence

Capstone Courses

• HRTS 4291: Service Learning/Internship
• HRTS 4996(W): Senior Thesis

For further information, please contact:

Professor Richard Hiskes, Director of Undergraduate Programs in Human Rights
860-486-2536 or richard.hiskes@uconn.edu

Tina Chiarelli-Helminiak, Graduate Assistant for Undergraduate Programs in Human Rights
860-486-8739 or uconnhrminor@yahoo.com

The Human Rights Major is a program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Human Rights Major

1. Why do I need a Major in another field? Can I just have a Minor or two Minors in other fields?
   No. The second Major requirement is designed to ensure that the broad, interdisciplinary education you receive as a Human Rights Major is supplemented by deep knowledge in a traditional discipline.
2. Can my second Major be anything I want?
   No. Currently, your second major must be in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Any CLAS major is acceptable, although you are advised not to choose another interdisciplinary Major. Programs in the other Schools and Colleges of UConn (Fine Arts, Business, Education, etc.) are not yet available.
   If you are not a CLAS major, please set up an appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Programs in Human Rights.
3. Do I HAVE to take HRTS 1007, which is listed as a Recommended Course?
   No, you do not have to take HRTS 1007 as it is neither a required course nor an elective course. However, it is a very good introduction to the Human Rights curriculum here at UConn and will enhance your learning experience in other HRTS courses.
4. What is the difference between the two divisions under the Core courses?
   Core courses are arranged in two divisions: Institutions, Laws, Movements and History, Culture, Theory. The former includes courses designed to examine the contemporary structures and practices through which human rights are advanced and protected. The latter includes courses designed to examine the theoretical and historical foundations of human rights and the cultural and artistic representations of human rights ethics and politics.
5. Can I substitute courses for my Human Rights major?
   No. The courses listed as "Core" and "Elective" have been chosen for their human rights content and courses not listed do not meet the necessary content standards.
6. Do all of my Human Rights Minor courses count toward the Major?
   No. Most Minor courses count toward the Major, but there are some courses currently listed as Elective courses in the Minor that are not included in the Major.
7. What happens if I don't complete my other Major but have enough credits to graduate?
   If you do not complete another Major, you will not be able to graduate with a degree in Human Rights regardless of how many credits you have completed.
8. What happens if I don't complete my Human Rights Major but have enough credits to graduate?
   If you do not complete the requirements for the Human Rights Major, but have completed the requirements for your second Major and have enough credits to graduate, then you will be able to graduate, but without the Human Rights degree.