Concentration in Human Rights in our Master’s Degree Program

The predesigned concentration in Human Rights in our master’s degree program is intended to provide an interdisciplinary foundation in human rights studies and practical experience in human rights work. The University of Minnesota is among the best places to study human rights in the world. In addition to our own faculty members' expertise, the Human Rights concentration in our master’s degree program draws upon the Human Rights Center at the University's Law School and the Human Rights Program in the College of Liberals Arts, as well as such international experts as Professor Kathryn Sikkink and Professor David Weissbrodt.

Career Options for those who Choose the Human Rights Concentration in Our Master’s Degree Program

A concentration in Human Rights is useful for those interested in working in international development or with human rights organizations overseas, as well as for those who want to pursue service with the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies or work with U.S.-based human rights organizations.

Comparison of Graduate School Human Rights Minor and Humphrey School Human Rights Predesigned Concentration

There is a Human Rights Minor offered through the University which some Humphrey students may choose to complete and apply towards their concentration. Others may wish to select the human rights predesigned concentration without working toward the minor.  Note the following differences between the two:

Graduate Minor in Human Rights

Must be declared through the Human Rights Minor Coordinator: Barb Frey, hrminor@umn.edu

Must include a 200 hour internship (approved by the Minor Coordinator).  This internship may be applicable towards the 400 hour Humphrey requirement for Public Policy students.  Contact Career Services for clarification.

The 9 credits in human rights coursework required for the minor may NOT include any PA courses; i.e. they must be courses offered by other departments

All substitutions of coursework must be approved by the Minor Coordinator

Humphrey Concentration in Human Rights

Can include PA courses (see requirements below)

Substitutions require only the approval of the Humphrey Human Rights Concentration Head

Concentration Requirements

The concentration in human rights requires completion of nine credits: two of the four core courses listed below and at least one elective course (3cr) taken from the designated elective course list, also below.

Core Courses -- May not be taken S-N; must complete two of the four courses listed below

LAW 6886, International Human Rights Law

International Human Rights Law is designed to introduce students to issues, procedures, and advocacy strategies regarding the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide. The class encourages student to analyze case situations and to evaluate the most effective method to prevent human rights violations.

POL 8660, Theoretical Approaches to Human Rights

Approaches human rights issues from interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives, focusing on historical origins of human rights ideas, norms, and institutions; human rights and cultural relativism debates; causes of violations; and understanding how international and domestic actions could improve situations in countries around the world.

GLOS 5900/Law 6058, Human Rights Advocacy

This course builds on the human rights internship experiences that students have by discussing the theoretical basis of the human rights movement and the nature of the organizations in the human rights field, their strategies, tactics and programs. Case studies are used to help students learn about and evaluate human rights advocacy methods.

POL 5485, Human Rights and Democracy in the World

This course examines the question of democracy and international human rights in theory and in practice. Students study the history of the idea of human rights and the basic human rights treaties and declarations. The class looks at cases of countries with authoritarian regimes and human rights violations and explores the role of non-violent movements to bring about social change.

Approved Elective Courses (others may be allowed with approval of concentration head)
May be taken S-N up to the allowable limit of less than one third of total course credits

AFEE 5361 — World Development Problems, 3cr

AFRO 8202 — Seminar: Intellectual History of Race (Brewer), 3cr

AFRO 8554 — Gender, Race, Nation, and Policy - Perspectives from Within the African Diaspora (Brewer), 3cr

AMIN 5890 — Problems in American Indian History (O’Brien), 3cr

ANTH 8120 — Problems in Culture Change and Applied Anthropology, 3cr

ANTH 8207 — Political and Social Anthropology (Lipset), 3cr

CHIC 5310 — Chicanas/os and the Law (DeLeon), 3cr

CHIC 5374 — Migrant Farmworkers in the U.S.: Families, Work, and Advocacy (Sass Zaragoza), 3cr

CSPH 5321 — Introduction to International Health (Robinson), 2cr

ESPM 5001 — Treaty Rights and Natural Resources (Spangler), 3cr

EPSY 5152 — Psychology of Conflict Resolution (Johnson), 3cr

EPSY 5135 — Human Relations Workshop (Johnson) 4cr

GEOG 5385 — Globalization and Development: Political Economy (Samatar), 4cr

GEOG 8310 — Seminar: Social and Cultural Geography (Leitner), 3cr

GWSS 5103 — Feminist Pedagogies (Torres), 3cr

HIST 5285/JWST 5111 — Problems in Historiography and Representation of the Holocaust, 3cr

HIST 8720 — Research Seminar in Central European History: War and Peace in the German Cultural Realm (Weitz), 3cr

HRIR 5025 — Comparative and International Human Resources and Industrial Relations (Scoville), 2cr

HRIR 8023 — International Human Resource Management (Leslie), 2cr

JWST 5111/HIST 5285 — Problems in Historiography and Representation of the Holocaust, 3cr

JWST 5900 — Topics in Jewish Studies: Workshop on the Holocaust and Contemporary Genocide, 2cr

KIN 5371 — Sport and Society (LaVoi), 3cr

LAW 6030 — Contemporary Problems in Freedom of Speech and Press (Kirtley)

LAW 6602 — International Law (Ní Aoláin), 3cr

LAW 6635 — European Union Law (Ní Aoláin), 2cr

LAW 6636 — Inter-American Human Rights System Seminar, (Stohl/Beebe) 2cr

LAW 6815 — Inter-American Human Rights System (Marrero-Fente), 2cr

LAW 6827 — Women’s International Human Rights (Weissbrodt), 2cr

OLPD 5080 — Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

PA 5401 — Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy (Hanratty), 3cr

PA 5451/PUBH 6281 — Immigrant Health Issues (Fennelly/Councilman), 3-4crs (web course)

PA 5452 — Immigration and Public Policy (Fennelly), 3cr

PA 5821 — Humanitarianism, 3cr

PA 5890 — Topics in Foreign Policy and International Affairs: Crisis Management (Andreasen), 1.5cr

PA 5890 — Topics in Foreign Policy and International Affairs: Globalization and the World Food Economy (Johnson), 3cr

PA 8686 — Feminist Organizations, 3cr

PHIL 8320 — Ethics of Research on Human Subjects (Kahn), 3cr

POL 8260 — Topics in Political Theory: Gender and Citizenship – Comparative and Political Theory Perspectives (Disch), 3cr

POL 8403 — International Norms and Institutions (Sikkink), 3cr

PUBH 6055 — Social Inequalities in Health (Jones-Webb), 2cr

PUBH 6066 — Community Organizing for Public Health Workers (Axtell) 2cr

PUBH 6131 — Working in Global Health, (Greaves), 2cr

PUBH 6281/PA 5451 — Immigrant Health Issues (Fennelly/Councilman), 3-4cr (web course)

PUBH 6800 — Global Health, Relief, Development and Religious & Non-Religious NGOs (Allison), 2cr

PUBH 6801 — Health and Human Rights (Allison), 2cr

SOC 8101 — Sociology of Law (Boyle), 3cr

SPAN 5529 — The Impact of Globalization in Latin American Discourses (Ramos-Garcia), 3cr

SPAN 5532 — Literature and National Disintegration, 3cr

SW 8525 — Global Perspectives on Social Welfare, Peace, and Justice (Menanteau), 3cr

Human Rights Internships

MPP students are encouraged to do their Humphrey internship in the human rights field or do an additional internship of at least 80 hours in an organization (NGO or IGO) working in the field of human rights. The internship experience is designed to offer students an opportunity to observe human rights practice first-hand. The Human Rights Program will assist students in contacting organizations that provide human rights internships locally, nationally or internationally.  (Note that time spent on fieldwork in some Capstone workshops may qualify for internship hours; contact the concentration head for more information).

 

Former MPP students’ internship experiences:

Sarah Herder: Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Center (CWIN). “I led a research project on the media’s influence on children’s consumption of alcohol and tobacco, edited several reports, including the annual ‘State of the Rights of the Child Report 2004,’ and helped with many other projects as needed. I was able to visit children’s shelters and schools, learn from colleagues of this grassroots organization, and help hone my research skills.”

Lara Mapp: The Advocates for Human Rights. “I was involved with their Monitoring program and their Education program. I assisted them by posting up-to-date news on Sierra Leone, and Peru, researching the transitional justice process, creating materials for their transitional justice curriculum, researching monitoring strategies and other activities.”

Victoria Lichtman: “I volunteered with Peace Now and several other human rights/peace advocacy groups in Israel. During my internship I spent time in the Peace Now office in Tel Aiv and Jerusalem, helping coordinate some of the grassroots campaigns and the Settlement Watch transcripts and press releases. I provided editing and website help-especially with translations, etc. I traveled to West Bank with other human rights groups (Machsom Watch, Ta’ayush, Yachad political party) and accompanied political lobbyists and activists on fact finding missions to the West Bank. I also met and interviewed peace advocates and activists from both Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.”

 

Other students have completed internships with the following organizations:

-  U.S. State Department Bureaus of Population, Refugees, and Migration (D.C.)

- Center for Victims of Torture (Belgium, DRC, and USA)

- Friends of Ngong Road (Kenya)

- Western Shosone Defense Fund (Nevada)

- ANDES (Asociacion de Naturaleza, Desarollo Sostenable) (Cuzco, Peru)

- Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (Bosnia)

- International Action Network on Small Arms (Waterloo, Canada)

- Mexico City Human Rights Commission (Mexico)

- U.S. International Council on Disability (Washington, D.C.)

 

Faculty associated with concentration

Core Courses:

Barbara Frey, Global Studies, Coordinator of the Human Rights Minor

Kathryn Sikkink, Political Science

David Weissbrodt, Law

Eric D. Weitz, History

 

Affiliated Faculty:

Karen Brown, ICGC

Katherine Fennelly, Public Affairs

Oren Gross, Law

Elizabeth Heger Boyle, Sociology

Helga Leitner, Geography

Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Law

Luis Ramos Garcia, Spanish and Portuguese

John Vreyens, Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences

Mahmood A. Zaidi, Human Resources and Industrial Relations

 

Additional Information

For more information see: http://hrp.cla.umn.edu/grad/

 

Or contact:

Human Rights Program
University of Minnesota
214 Social Sciences
267 19^th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Email: hrminor@umn.edu
Tel:  612.626.7947
Fax: 612.626.2242

or

 

 

Katherine Fennelly, Concentration Head

Humphrey Center, Room 261

fenne007@umn.edu   612-625-6685