The Human Rights Special Concentration provides students the opportunity to study human rights from a range of disciplinary perspectives and is designed to complement the student’s major or full concentration in another field.
The Human Rights Special Concentration is an educational program of the Institute for the Study of Human Right’s, and is available to all undergraduate students enrolled in Columbia College or General Studies.
The aims of the Human Rights Special Concentration are to:
- provide students with a knowledge of the theory and practice of human rights;
- develop students’ analytical skills and stimulate a critical examination of the historical and conceptual antecedents, selection and formulation, enforcement and violation, and political and discursive uses of human rights; and
- allow students to reflect (alongside scholars, writers, and practitioners) on the rich past and complex future of human rights
Degree Requirements
Rachel Boehr
The concentration requirements consist of two core classes and five electives, totaling 22 points.
HRTS V3001 Introduction to Human Rights
This course, generally taken in the first or second year of study, looks at the laws and institutions that define human rights as an international regime, in the context of key intellectual controversies and political puzzles surrounding human rights theory and practice. It discusses how human rights norms change and analyzes some of the challenges of contemporary human rights advocacy. As part of this course, students submit two written assignments that can take the form of a research/explorations paper, a policy paper, or a critical book review.
HRTS W 3996 Human Rights Senior Seminar
The senior seminar is a capstone course that brings students together for a common academic experience. The seminar provides students the opportunity to discuss human rights from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and to explore various theoretical approaches and research methodologies. Students undertake individual research projects while collectively examining human rights through directed readings and discussion.
Five additional courses related to human rights
Please see courses page for more information.
Up to two Human Rights Special Concentration courses may also count toward the student’s major, another concentration, or minor. Students may also be able to count up to three courses from institutions other than Columbia, such as study abroad programs, towards the Special Concentration. One course can be taken as a pass/fail, but all others must be taken for a letter grade.
The “Track” Option
While it is not required, some students decide to focus their human rights studies on a specific issue or region of the world. To accommodate such potentially diverse interests, students can structure their concentration studies according to a particular “track.” Examples of specific tracks include, but are certainly not limited to human rights as it relates to: conflict, cultural studies, economic development, gender, health, law, migration, philosophy, political systems, race and ethnicity, and religion. Students can also focus on human rights within a particular region or country.
Students who are interested in a particular track should consult with the faculty director to discuss their interests and possible courses. Students can petition to take courses that would otherwise not count towards the concentration. Students must receive explicit approval from the faculty director for such courses.
Administrative Requirements
Part 1: Declare Concentration
Students are encouraged to formally declare a Special Concentration in Human Rights as soon as possible. Formal declaration of the concentration enables the program to more effectively advise students and monitor their progress towards completion of the concentration.
Columbia College students declare the special concentration with the Center for Student Advising by completing a Columbia College Major/Concentration Declaration Form and turning it in to the Center office at 403 Lerner. If you are having any difficulty with the process of declaring the concentration, please contact the Center for Student Advising in 403 Lerner.
General Studies students who wish to declare a Special Concentration in Human Rights should make an appointment with their advisor in the GS Dean of Students Office.
Please note that first-year students are not allowed to formally declare their special concentration with the Center for Student Advising. For this reason, if you are a first-year student and plan on concentrating in human rights, we ask that you informally register with the program.
Part 2: Meet with the Concentration’s faculty director
Students who are interested in completing a Special Concentration in Human Rights are encouraged to meet with the concentration’s faculty director, Professor Sam Moyn.
Students should bring a copy of the Human Rights Concentration Worksheet to this meeting. This worksheet lists courses you have taken and those you plan to take to complete the Special Concentration.
