The major in human rights requires 32 total credits as described below.
Human Rights Major Requirements
In addition to the senior seminar class, one additional course must be a seminar.
Core Courses (10 credits)
- Introduction to Human Rights (3 credits)
- International Human Rights Law(3 credits)
- Senior seminar in human rights (4 credits)
Distributional Requirement (9-10 credits)
Students take one course in three of the four categories:
- Politics and History
- Culture and Representation
- Political Theory and Philosophy
- Social and Economic Processes
Please see ISHR's course list for the most up-to-date list of courses that fulfill the core requirements.
Specialization (12-13 credits)
Students fulfill the specialization requirement by focusing on a particular discipline, taking four courses offered by a single department or institute.
The goal of the specialization requirement is to equip students with the tools of another discipline.
If a department or institute offers a major or concentration, a course approved for that major or concentration may fulfill the specialization requirement, even if the course is offered by a different department.
For example, students who wish to specialize in Women’s and Gender Studies can count HIST BC4870y Gender and Migration: A Global Perspective as a specialization course, even though it is not offered by the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, because it is approved for the Women’s and Gender Studies Major.
Students who would like to count a course that is not offered by the department or institute of his or her specialization should consult with the human rights program to confirm that the course will meet the Human Rights Major requirements.
Regulations for all Human Rights Majors
Regulations for all human rights majors are available on the Undergraduate Requirements section of the human rights bulletins for Columbia College and General Studies.
Course Planning and Approval
Students should use the course planning and approval worksheet when planning their course schedule. Prior to each semester, students should email the worksheet to the program for advising regarding course selection.
