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Minor in Human Rights

Why add a human rights minor?

If you are passionate about human rights and social justice, curious about how human rights laws and politics work both domestically and internationally, or want to learn more about a specific kind of rights violation, the human rights minor may be for you.

The minor can accompany any major. The program of study gives a firm grounding in the international human rights system and then allows you great flexibility in choosing electives according to your more specific interests. You're also welcome to do an internship or to use relevant study abroad courses to fulfill your requirements. The program ends with a 1-credit capstone course that asks you to reflect on your work for the minor and research and participate in a research project.

The minor in Human Rights requires 25 credit hours. It is normally fulfilled by taking six 4-credit courses, culminating in a one-credit course in which students prepare a final portfolio with assignments from their earlier coursework and write a reflective essay and a research assignment.

Requirements

Students must complete the following requirements, which must include at least one Human Rights core course:

• Two courses (eight credits) at the 300- or 400-level
• Two courses (eight credits) at the 200-, 300-, or 400-level
• Two courses (eight credits) at any level
• One capstone course (one to two credits -- choose what fits best in your schedule)

At least four of these 4-credit courses (16 credits) must be completed at Binghamton University.

Additional Restrictions

• Independent Study: Students may only count up to four credits of independent study toward the minor.
• Double counting: Students may only count two of the six courses (eight credits total) toward the requirements for another major or minor.
• Grades: Only courses in which a student received a grade of C- or higher can be counted toward the minor. Only one course may be taken Pass/Fail.

The following general distribution requirements will apply, and relevant classes will be posted on the Human Rights Institute website in the coming weeks:

• At least one course from the list of Core Course options
• No more than two courses at the 100-level
• At least two courses at the 300- or 400-level
• No more than one independent study
• 16 credits must be taken outside the requirements for the student's major or another minor (only two 4-credit courses can double count)
• No more than one class taken for a P/F grade option.
• The minimum requirement for all courses taken for a letter grade in the minor is C-.

Possible core courses include:

• HMRT or PLSC 100: Human Rights
• ENG 320: Globalization & Literary Studies (when taught by Dr. Moore)
• ENG 450: Human Rights in Literature and Film (when taught by Dr. Moore)
• HMRT 176: Human Rights Concepts and Methods
• HDEV or HMRT 342: Introduction to Human Rights: Theories and Practices
• HDEV or HMRT 360: Global Politics and Human Rights
• HDEV or HMRT 379: Migration, Citizenship, and Human Rights
• HMRT or HIST 333: Human Rights Since 1945
• HMRT 276: Research in Human Rights (prerequisite HRMT 176)
• HMRT 250: Human Rights and Global Justice
• PHIL 456H: International Law and Justice
• PLSC or HMRT 348: Human Rights and World Politics
• PLSC: Human Rights: Issues for Debate

Recent electives include courses on:

• Human Rights and the War on Terror
• Human Rights Activism
• Mass Incarceration
• Global Migration
• Human Rights Advocacy at the UN
• Gender and Politics
• Human Rights in a Police State
• Global Environmental Justice
• Human Rights and Education

Select classes from many different departments on campus also count toward the minor. 

CLICK HERE FOR Spring 2025 COURSE OFFERINGS!

We typically offer online classes during the Winter and Summer sessions. 

Contact Alexandra Moore at amoore@binghamton.edu for more information.