Human Rights Studies Minor

The interdisciplinary human rights studies minor provides students with a fuller understanding of the origins, theories, and contemporary realities of human rights through the exploration of multiple intellectual spaces of human rights discourse. Having an understanding of human rights will help students to address issues such as migration and refugees, ethnic cleansing and genocide, discrimination, terrorism, poverty, children’s rights, surveillance, torture, humanitarian intervention, armed conflict, and capital punishment.

Although the breadth of this program complements majors across the disciplinary spectrum, it is particularly valuable for those majoring in fields related to society, politics, and the law, such as sociology, political science, philosophy, religious studies, history, and anthropology. Not only is it relevant to those students seeking careers in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, it is well-suited for those who have an interest in human rights research and advocacy both locally and globally. The human rights studies minor is ideally suited for students who want to put their knowledge and skills to use through local internships and study abroad programs available to UNO students. It will also serve to enhance research skills and experiences for students who plan to pursue further education in graduate programs, as well as law school. The importance of human rights law has been elevated in an age of increasing armed intervention.