The syllabi contained on this page are organized into categories and listed in three overarching groups: 1. Courses that could be taught as an introduction to human rights, 2. Syllabi divided by course theme, and 3. Syllabi divided by course type (for unique course types). Many syllabi appear on more than one list.
Many of the Syllabi contained on this page were originally part of the Human Rights Syllabi for the College Classroom project, based at the University of California Berkeley. We are very grateful to Rita Maran and UC Berkeley for allowing us to to continue their project by hosting the original syllabi as well as many new additions. All of the course syllabi were gathered from colleagues teaching human rights in institutions of higher education around the world. All instructors were given to understand that their syllabus would be available free of charge on the website, with no acknowledgment required.
If you have a syllabus that you would like to see included in this database, please contact us at teachinghrts@gmail.com
1. Introduction to Human Rights
Intro to Human Rights – Interdisciplinary
Introduction to Human Rights. Jack Barry (University of Connecticut), Spring 2014.
Introduction to Human Rights (hybrid). Catherine Buerger (University of Connecticut), Spring 2015.
Introduction to Human Rights. Nicole Coleman (University of Connecticut), Summer 2014 (6 week, online).
Introduction to Human Rights. Nicole Coleman (University of Connecticut), Summer 2013 (8 week, online).
Introduction to Human Rights. Shareen Hertel/Serena Parekh/Kathryn Libal (University of Connecticut), Spring 2006.
The Global Politics of Human Rights. Terry Karl (Stanford University), Winter 2007.
Human Rights: Moving Intervention Upstream. Jan Knippers Black (Monterey Graduate School of International Policy Studies), Spring 2004 and 2006.
First Year Seminar: Human Rights. Matthew Krain (College of Wooster), Fall 2002 and 2003.
Introduction to Human Rights. Andrew J. Nathan (Columbia University), Fall 2005.
Human Rights and the Body in Law and the Humanities. Caroline "Kay" Picart (Florida State University), Fall 2002.
Human Rights. Tania Reytan-Marincheshka (Sofia University, Bulgaria), Spring 2006.
Human Rights. Howard Tolley (University of Cincinnati), Spring 2006.
Intro to Human Rights – History
Human Rights II: History and Theory. Michael Geyer (The University of Chicago), n.d.
The Struggle for Human Rights. Rick Halperin (Southern Methodist University), Spring 1999 and 2006.
Historical Origins of Human Rights. Samuel Moyn (Columbia University), n.d.
The History of Human Rights - Lora Wildenthal (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Fall 1999.
Intro to Human Rights – Political Science
Human Rights: Politics and Policy. Clifford Bob (Duquesne University), n.d.
The Politics of International Human Rights. Henry (Chip) Carey (Georgia State University), Spring 2001.
Human Rights in the World Community: Issues and Action. Richard Pierre Claude (University of Maryland/University of Iowa), Fall 2006 and Spring 2007.
Basic International Human Rights Concepts and Teminology. H. Victor Condé (International Institute of Human Rights), 2005.
International Human Rights. Christian Davenport (University of Notre Dame), Fall 2007.
Introduction to Human Rights. Jack Donnelly (University of Denver), Fall 2005, Summer 2006 and Winter 2007.
Human Rights Here and Abroad. Jack Donnelly (University of Denver), Fall 2003.
Human Rights and Global Change. Robert Elias (University of San Francisco), Fall 2009 and 2012.
Human Rights in Global Perspective. Diane Falk (Richard Stockton College of New Jersey), n.d.
Human Rights. Mark Gibney (University of North Carolina, Asheville), Fall 2005 and Spring 2009.
Human Rights. Amy Gurowitz (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 2005.
Human Rights in Theory and Practice. Lisa Hajjar (Swarthmore College), Spring 1999.
Colloquium on Human Rights in a Diverse World. Peter Juviler (Barnard College), Spring 1995.
International Relations: Human Rights. George Kent (University of Hawaii), Spring and Fall 2006, Fall 2007 and 2008.
Human Rights. Rita Maran (University of California, Berkeley), Fall 1997.
The Politics of International Law and Human Rights. Jamie Mayerfeld (University of Washington), Fall 2012.
Human Rights and World Politics. Andrew Moravcsik (Harvard University), Spring 2000.
Introduction to Human Rights. Andrew Nathan (Columbia University), Fall 2015.
Seminar on International Human Rights. Michael Posner and Katherine Liao (Columbia University), Spring 1998.
Human Rights. Mort Winston (College of New Jersey), Fall 2002 and 2005.
2. Course Themes
Arts, Media, and Human Rights
Human Rights in World Literature. Julie de Sherbinin (Colby College), Fall 1996 and 2000.
Music and International Human Rights. Frank Gunderson (Florida State University), Fall 2005.
The Formation of the Nation-State and the Pursuit of Individual Rights In Modern Chinese Literature. Aaron Lan (Florida State University), n.d.
Exile Literature and Nazi Germany. Birgit Maier-Katkin (Florida State University), Fall 2005.
Human Rights and Media. Julie Mertus (American University), Fall 2005.
Literature and Human Rights. J.S. Peters (Columbia University), Fall 1994 and 1998.
Human Rights and the Arts. Rhonda Pettit (University of Cincinnati), Fall 2009.
Media, Politics and Intervention: Responding to Human Rights Abuses. Shayna Plaut (Columbia College), Spring 2006 and 2007.
Ethics, Tactics, and Tensions in Human Rights Reporting . Shayna Plaut. Simon Fraser University.
Literature of Human Rights. Amit Rai (Florida State University), Fall 2004.
International Human Rights and Film. Vall Richard and Terry Coonan (Florida State University), Fall 2005.
Human Rights Through Film. Daniel Tagliarina (University of Connecticut), Summer 2014.
Human Rights Through Film. Jack Barry (University of Connecticut), Spring 2017.
Human Rights Through Film. Jack Barry (University of Connecticut), Spring 2019
Discourse and Discrimination: A Pragmatic Examination of Language and Human Rights. Shonna Trinch (Florida State University), Fall 2001.
Postcolonial Literature in English. Robin Truth Goodman (Florida State University), Spring 2002 and 2003.
Culture and Human Rights
Human Rights of Indigenous People. Jeffrey Anderson (Colby College), Spring 2013.
Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. Jeffrey Anderson (Colby College), Fall 2000 and 2002.
Cultural Difference and Values: Human Rights and the Challenge of Relativism. Andrew Nathan (Columbia University), Summer 1993 and 1999.
The Framing of Social Justice: Law, Culture and Politics – “Here” and “There”. Professor Shayna Plaut. Fall 2015.
Power, Culture, and Human Rights. Jody Ranck (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 1999 and 2000.
The Anthropology of Human Rights. Jody Ranck and Francisco Ferrandiz (University of California, Berkeley), Fall 1997 and 1998.
Cultural Relativism and Human Rights. Jody Ranck and Francisco Ferrandiz (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 1998.
Multicultural Alliances in Class, Gender, Race & Sexuality in a Human Rights Framework. Darrell G.H. Schramm (University of San Francisco), n.d.
General Introduction to Legal Anthropology. Reetta Toivanen (Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany), Summer 1996 and 2002.
Economic and Social Rights
Labor and International Human Rights. James S. Bowman (Florida State University), Fall 2003 and 2004.
Human Rights and Science in the World Community: Issues and Actions. Richard Claude (Princeton University), Spring 1996.
The Human Right to Adequate Food. George Kent (University of Hawaii), 2015.
Topics in Public Policy: Nutrition Rights. George Kent (University of Hawaii), Fall 2001.
The Human Rights to Food. George Kent (University of Hawaii), n.d.
Geography and Social Justice. Jonathan Leib (Florida State University), Spring 2002 and 2003.
Human Rights and International Business and the Global Economy. J. Paul Martin and Marcela Manubens (Columbia University), Fall 2001.
Education
Human Rights Education: History, Philosophy, and Current Debates. Monisha Bajaj (University of San Francisco). Fall 2015.
Public Affairs and Trends for Teachers/Focus on Human Rights. Robert Gutierrez (Florida State University), n.d.
Human Rights Education: Concepts and Pedagogies. Susan Roberta Katz (University of San Francisco), Spring 2007.
Human Rights Education: Pedagogy and Praxis. Susan Roberta Katz (University of San Francisco), Spring 2016. (Syllabus from 2015 available here)
Human Rights Education: Educational Planning in International Educational Development. J. Paul Martin and Cos Gitta (Columbia University), Spring 2002.
Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
Human Rights III: Contemporary Issues in Human Rights. Jacqueline Bhabha and Robert Kirschner (University of Chicago), Spring 1999.
Crimes of War Interdisciplinary Perspectives. David Cohen and Eric Stover (University of California, Berkeley), Fall 2004.
Genocide after the Second World War. Nicole Coleman (University of Connecticut), Spring 2014.
Studies in Comparative Genocide. Robert Gellately (Florida State University), Spring 2004 and 2005.
Human Rights and Crimes against Humanity. Summer B. Twiss and Dan Maier-Katkin (Florida State University), Fall 2005.
Genocide and Human Rights. Mort Winston (College of New Jersey), Fall 2012.
Group Rights
Human Rights of Indigenous People. Jeffrey Anderson (Colby College), Spring 2013.
Women's Rights as Human Rights. Zehra Arat (Purchase College, SUNY), Spring 2012.
Child Rights/Child Health. Sofia Gruskin and François-Xavier Bagnoud (Harvard School of Public Health), Spring 1998.
Women’s Law and Human Rights. Anne Hellum (University of Oslo, Norway), 2007.
Disability, Space, and Society: Human Rights Issues Embedded Around Us. Dan Jacobson (Florida State University), n.d. (Originally developed by Rob Kitchin at National University of Ireland, Maynooth).
Human Rights and Disability. Mary Tremblay (McMaster University), Winter 1998.
Issues in Women's International Human Rights and International Violence against Women. Vanessa von Struensee (Ternopil Academy of National Economy, Ukraine), Spring 2002.
Health and Human Rights
The Right to Health in Latin America. César Abadía-Barrero (University of Connecticut), Spring 2015.
Peace through Health. Neil Arya (University of Waterloo, Canada), Fall 2006.
Medicine, Human Rights, and the Physician. Carola Eisenberg (Harvard Medical School), Fall 1998.
Health and Human Rights. Sofia Gruskin and François-Xavier Bagnoud (Harvard School of Public Health), Spring 1998.
Child Rights/Child Health. Sofia Gruskin and François-Xavier Bagnoud (Harvard School of Public Health), Spring 1998.
Health and Human Rights Law. Peter Hall (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Spring 2001.
Human Rights and Health. Vincent Iacopino/Harvey M. Weinstein/Wendy Orr (University of California, Berkeley), Fall 1998.
Health and Human Rights Train-the-Trainers Course. Leslie London and Laurel Baldwin-Ragaven (University of the Western Cape, South Africa), Summer 2000 (2 week).
Health and Human Rights. Elizabeth A. Pendo (St. Thomas University School of Law), Summer 2001.
Fundamentals of International Health and Human Rights Law. Vanessa von Struensee (Donetsk National University, Ukraine), Fall 2001.
Holocaust
Exile Literature and Nazi Germany. Birgit Maier-Katkin (Florida State University), Fall 2005.
Human Rights in Specific Geographic Regions
The Right to Health in Latin America. César Abadía-Barrero (University of Connecticut), Spring 2015.
Human Rights and Basic Needs in the Americas. Margaret E. Crahan (Hunter College), n.d.
The Culture and Politics of Human Rights in the Américas. Rosa-Linda Fregoso (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 2007.
Envisioning Rights: Europe and America. Terry Karl (Stanford University/Overseas Program in Florence, Italy), Winter 2008.
Human Rights and Democratization in Latin America. Edy Kaufman (University of Maryland), n.d.
The Formation of the Nation-State and the Pursuit of Individual Rights In Modern Chinese Literature. Aaron Lan (Florida State University), n.d.
Human Rights and American Cultures. Rita Maran (University of California, Berkeley), Fall 1996.
The European Human Rights Regime. Anja Mihr (European Inter-University Center, Italy), n.d.
Human Rights in Latin America. Molly Ryan (University of California, Berkeley), Fall 1998.
Human Rights in the United States. Davita Silfen Glasberg (University of Connecticut), Spring 2015.
International Organizations
Survey of International Organizations With a Concentration on Human Rights. Urs A. Cipolat (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Summer 2006.
International Organizations: Focus on the United Nations and International Public Administration. William Miller (Kentucky State University), Spring 2014.
International Protection of Human Rights. Theordore S. Orlin (Utica College), Spring 2006.
Human rights advocacy and international NGOs. Hans Peter Schmitz (University of San Diego). Spring 2015.
Law
Advanced International Refugee and Human Rights Law. Maysa Ayoub (American University of Cairo, Egypt), Summer 2008.
International Human Rights Law. Beverly Baker-Kelly (Golden Gate University School of Law), Fall 1998.
Human Rights, State Sovereignty and Persecution: Issues in Comparative Refugee Law. Jacqueline Bhabha (University of Chicago), Fall 1998.
International Human Rights Law. Carolyn Patty Blum (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 1999.
The Practice of International Human Rights Law. Terry Coonan (Florida State University), Spring 2003.
Refugee & Asylum Law. Terry Coonan (Florida State University), Spring 2004.
International Human Rights Law and State Crime. Terry Coonan (Florida State University), Fall 2004.
International Human Rights. Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte (Florida State University Law School), Fall 2005.
Human Rights in International and Domestic Law & Institutions. Peter Danchin (Columbia University), Spring 1999.
International Human Rights. Theresia Degenar (University of California, Berkeley), n.d.
International Human Rights. Connie de la Vega (University of San Francisco), Fall 2009.
Human Rights and International Law. Robert Elias (University of San Franscico), Fall 2009.
The International Criminal Court: What difference will it make? Bernard F. Hamilton (University of London, UK), 1997 (One-day course).
Displaced Persons: International Dimensions of Human Rights. Bernard F. Hamilton (University of London, UK), 1996 (One-day course).
Women’s Law and Human Rights. Anne Hellum (University of Oslo, Norway), 2007.
International Human Rights Law. Ellen Lutz (Fletcher School of Law), Fall 1996.
International Human Rights. Harry Reicher (University of Pennsylvania School of Law), Fall 1998.
International Human Rights. Naomi Roht-Arriaza (Hastings College of the Law), Fall 1998 and 2012.
Human Rights Seminar. Chandra Lekha Sriram (University of East London School of Law), Fall 2005.
International Criminal Law in Context. Chandra Lekha Sriram (University of East London School of Law), Fall 2016.
International Criminal Law in Practice. Chandra Lekha Sriram (University of East London School of Law), 2011-2012.
War and Human Rights. Chandra Lekha Sriram (University of East London School of Law), Spring 2016.
International Human Rights. Jon M. Van Dyke (University of Hawaii, Mānoa), Spring 2009.
International Human Rights Law. David Weissbrodt/Fionnuala Ní Aoláin/Barbara A. Frey/Duane W. Krohnke/Nicole Moen (University of Minnesota School of Law), Fall 2009 and 2012.
Political Science
Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. George Andreopoulos (Yale University), Fall 2009.
Human Rights and Science in the World Community: Issues and Actions. Richard Claude (Princeton University), Spring 1996.
Universal Human Rights in the Next Fifty Years. Bernard Hamilton (University of London, UK), 1998 (One-day course).
Black Lives Matter: Perspectives on Blackness, State Violence, and Resistance. Melissa Harris-Perryand Prof. Jaira J. Harrington (Wake Forest University) Spring, 2016.
Bridging Human Rights & Conflict. Edward Kaufman. (University of Maryland), Spring 2014.
International Relations: Human Rights. George Kent (University of Hawaii), Spring and Fall 2006, Fall 2007 and 2008.
Comparative Perspectives on Human Rights. Henry Krisch (University of Connecticut), Fall 2004.
International Protection of Human Rights. Theodore S. Orlin (Utica College), Spring 2006.
Human Rights in Global Politics. Hans Peter Schmitz (University of Chicago), Fall 2000.
Human Rights & Global Affairs. Hans Peter Schmitz (Syracuse University), Fall 2014.
The Framing of Social Justice: Law, Culture and Politics – “Here” and “There”. Professor Shayna Plaut. Fall 2015.
The Politics of Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention. Eric Stover and Jody Ranck (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 1998.
Human Rights in International Public Policy. Susan Waltz (University of Michigan), Fall 2007.
Race
Black Lives Matter: Perspectives on Blackness, State Violence, and Resistance. Melissa Harris-Perryand Prof. Jaira J. Harrington (Wake Forest University) Spring, 2016.
Religion and Human Rights
Religion and Human Rights. Richard Amesbury (Claremont School of Theology), Spring 2014. (2011 version of the syllabus available here)
Hindu Ethics, Social Justice, and Human Rights in India. Kathleen M. Erndl (Florida State University), Spring 2002.
Women, Religion, and Human Rights. Joan Ferrante, Spring 2000.
The Catholic Church, Social Justice, and Human Rights. Aline H. Kalbian (Florida State University), Fall 2003.
Issues in Human Rights. William O'Neill (Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, CA), Spring 1998.
Research Methods
Ethics and Qualitative Methods of Human Rights Work. Shayna Plaut. Simon Fraser University. Spring 2016.
Ethics, Tactics, and Tensions in Human Rights Reporting . Shayna Plaut. Simon Fraser University.
Social Work
Human Rights and Social Work. Kathryn Libal (University of Connecticut), Fall 2017.
Advanced Policy and Community Practice. Tina Chiarelli-Helminiak (West Chester University), Spring 2017.
Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Individuals and Families. Tina Chiarelli-Helminiak (West Chester University), Fall 2015.
Human rights and social welfare policy implications of the Trump presidency (Human Rights and Social Work Elective). Tina Chiarelli-Helminiak (West Chester University), Spring 2017.
Human Rights and Social Work: Responding to Domestic and International Crises. Tina Chiarelli-Helminiak (West Chester University), Winter 2015.
Social Policy III - Policy Implementation: Social Action in the Struggle for Human Dignity. Joseph Wronka (Springfield College), Spring 2013.
Study Abroad to Dominican Republic (Human Rights and Social Work elective). Tina Chiarelli-Helminiak (West Chester University), Summer 2016.
Theory and Philosophy
Theories of Human Rights. Zehra Arat. (University of Connecticut), Spring 2015 (2014 Syllabus available here)
Theories of Human Rights. Belden Fields (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), Spring 2004.
Slavery as a Critique of the Concept of Human Rights: Plato to Toni Morrison. Ray Fleming (University of California, Berkeley), n.d.
Human Rights II: History and Theory. Michael Geyer (University of Chicago), 2010.
Human Rights and Social Justice. Vida Pavesich (California State University, East Bay), Winter 2006.
Human Rights and Social Justice. Thomas W. Pogge (Columbia University), Spring 1997.
Human Rights in Theory and Practice. Chandra Lekha Sriram (University of St. Andrews, UK), 2004/2005.
Theory of Human Rights. Daniel Tagliarina (University of Connecticut), Spring 2014.
U.S. Foreign Policy
Human Rights and Foreign Policy. Jack Donnelly and David Goldfischer (University of Denver), Spring 2001.
Human Rights and Foreign Policy. Jack Donnelly (University of Denver), Summer 2006.
Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy: Three Perspectives. Charles Henry (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 1998.
Human Rights and US Foreign Policy. Julie Mertus (American University), Summer 2004.
War and Post-Conflict Justice
Human Rights in Democratizing Countries. Catherine Buerger (University of Connecticut), Spring 2013.
Crimes of War Interdisciplinary Perspectives. David Cohen and Eric Stover (University of California, Berkeley), Fall 2004.
Saving Strangers: Humanitarian Intervention in International Society. Jack Donnelly (University of Denver), Fall 2001.
Bridging Human Rights & Conflict. Edward Kaufman. (University of Maryland), Spring 2014.
Human Rights: Moving Intervention Upstream. Jan Knippers Black (Monterey Graduate School of International Policy Studies), Spring 2004 and 2006.
Human Rights and Conflict. Julie Mertus (American University), Spring 2005.
Truth and Reconciliation or Justice and Vengence? Will Moore (Florida State University), n.d.
The Politics of Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention. Eric Stover and Jody Ranck (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 1998.
3. Course Format
Applied
International Law Clinic. Carolyn Patty Blum and Laurel Fletcher (University of California, Berkeley), Spring 1999.
Workshop in Human Rights Field Research, Data Analysis, and Reporting. Herbert Spirer (Columbia University), Spring 2001.
International Law Clinic. Richard J. Wilson/Elliott Milstein/Beth Lyon (American University College of Law), Spring 1999.
Composition
International Relations: Human Rights. George Kent (University of Hawaii), Spring and Fall 2006, Fall 2007 and 2008.
Human Rights and the Arts. Rhonda Pettit (University of Cincinnati), Fall 2009.
Foreign Language
Seminario de la Cátedra Cultura para la Paz y Derechos Humanos. Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Universidad De Buenos Aires, Argentina), n.d.
Spanish Conversation: Cultural Topics. “Derechos humanos en el cine y la música hispanohablante”. Carlos Gardeazábal-Bravo (University of Connecticut), n.d.
XVI Curso Interdisciplinario en Derechos Humanos. Instituto Interamericano de Derechos Humanos (IIDH), 1998 (1 week).
Online
Introduction to Human Rights. Nicole Coleman (University of Connecticut), Summer 2014 (6 week).
The Human Right to Food. George Kent (University of Hawaii), Fall 2009.
International Relations: Human Rights. George Kent (University of Hawaii), Spring and Fall 2006, Fall 2007 and 2008.
Service Learning
Human Rights Service Learning / Internship. Tina Chiarelli-Helminiak (University of Connecticut), Spring 2014.