Political Science/International Relations Human Rights Programs

Providence, RI

Brown University

Type of program: Concentration in Development Studies

Development Studies is an interdisciplinary concentration whose main mission is to provide students with the knowledge, critical perspectives and skills they need to engage with the issues and problems of social and economic development, especially as they relate to the Global South. The concentration draws from a range of disciplines, but is particularly grounded in the social sciences: anthropology, sociology, political science, history and economics. Concentrators combine courses that offer local and historical knowledge of specific areas of the developing world, with those that explore transnational dimensions of development. 
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Bryn Mawr, PA

Bryn Mawr College

Type of program: Concentration in Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice Studies

The Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice Studies concentration reflects Bryn Mawr’s and Haverford’s interest in the study of conflicts, peacemaking, and social justice as well as related issues of human rights. Through this program students can explore these phenomena through courses in the social sciences, such as anthropology, economics, education, history, political science, social psychology, and sociology, that are built around such foci, as well as through courses in the humanities and natural sciences through which issues of peace, conflict, social justice, and/or human rights can be highlighted and traced. 
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Seaside, CA

California State University, Monterey Bay

Type of program: B.A. in Global Studies or Minor in Global Studies

The Global Studies curriculum stresses a critical analysis of complex and controversial global issues, social research, oral and written communication, intercultural relations, community service and social action. You will start by learning core theory in globalization, culture, history, political economy and global politics. Then, you will specialize in a thematic area such as: Global Culture and Ideology, Global Politics/Peace and Conflict, Global Political Economy, and International Development/Humanitarian Action or construct a faculty-approved focus relevant to your future. You will also develop global competency through service learning and international experience. 
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Northridge, CA

California State University, Northridge

Type of Program: Concentration in Government and Politics or Concentration in Public Policy and Management or Concentration in Law and Society

We offer a rich curriculum in which most aspects of the discipline and areas of the globe are covered. Given the depth of our faculty’s expertise and the range of the courses we offer, our strengths lie in the areas of American politics, international relations, comparative politics, political theory, and public law. The Department offers three areas of concentration: an option in Government and Politics, an option in Public Policy and Management, and an option in Law and Society. Each of these are designed to better prepare students for specific career goals in mind. 
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San Bernardino, CA

California State University, San Bernardino

Type of program: B.A. or Minor in Political Science

The major in political science is designed for students who desire a liberal arts program with an emphasis on politics, government and public policy; plan a career in government service or public administration; seek training for positions in foreign service agencies of the United States government, international organizations or corporations; intend to study law; wish to prepare for teaching in the public schools; or intend to work for advanced degrees in political science in preparation for college or university teaching or for government service. 
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San Marcos, CA

California State University, San Marcos

Type of program: B.A. or Minor in Global Studies

The Global Studies Program provides students with the opportunity to study international affairs from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Whether pursuing the Major or the Minor, students can choose from an approved list of courses from Economics, History, Liberal Studies, Literature and Writing, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Modern Language Studies, and Women Studies. The program allows students to specialize in one of five geographic regions: the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, or Sub-Saharan Africa, and two of five global issue areas: Foreign Policy, Global Conflict and Cooperation, International Law and Human Rights, Global Political Economy and Development, and Gender in Global Perspective. 
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Claremont, CA

Claremont McKenna College

Type of Program: Human Rights, Genocide, and Holocaust Studies Sequence

While there is no official major in Human Rights, Claremont McKenna College offers “sequences” which are courses and research opportunities relating to a topic. The Human Rights, Genocide, and Holocaust Studies sequence requires completion of 5 courses and an internship. CMC has a Human Rights center which offers internships, research opportunities, and sponsors the Human Rights, Genocide, and Holocaust Studies Sequence. 
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Carson, CA

CSU Dominguez Hills

Type of program: B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Concentration in Global Studies

Within IDS/PACE, the concentration in Global Studies focuses on critical knowledge and awareness of world political, economic, social, cultural, and ecological systems. The concentration familiarizes students with leading debates in the field, including those around poverty, militarization, cultural independence, development, and global justice. Global Studies provides students with analytical tools for understanding and articulating world contemporary issues. 
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Hayward, CA

CSU East Bay

Type of program: B.A. or Minor in International Studies

The International Studies major consists of an integrated group of courses reflecting international aspects of various disciplines. It is designed to provide the student with a broad base of understanding of the interrelationship of the world community, while at the same time providing the opportunity to specialize in an area of interest. A minor in International Studies is also offered. 
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Long Beach, CA

CSU Long Beach

Type of program: B.A. or Minor in International Studies

International Studies students are curious global citizens who want to make their mark on the world. The major program provides them with the tools and guidance to focus their interests and accomplish their goals. We prepare CSULB graduates for good jobs in fields like non-profit work, international development, international affairs, international trade and business, education, and law. International Studies helps students develop strong analytical abilities while teaching them how to integrate a wide variety of disciplinary methods, language competencies, and cross-cultural understandings into the study of global issues. 
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Greencastle, IN

DePauw University

Type of program: B.A. or Minor in Conflict Studies

Because of the ubiquity and significance of conflict in human affairs, the study of the causes, processes and resolution of conflict is increasingly claiming a central place in how we understand and engage the world. Majors apply a wide array of theoretical lenses (e.g., Social Psychology, Gender, Critical Security, Post-Colonial) to the exploration of conflict at all levels (intra-personal to international), conflict-types (e.g., interest, value, structural) and substantive issues (e.g., contemporary armed conflict, human rights, environment, labor- management, globalization, culture, interfaith). 
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Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University

Type of program: B.A. in Global Studies

The BA in Global Studies is an interdisciplinary, intercultural and interactive major that links language study with other academic disciplines such as politics, history, economics, sociology, anthropology, literature and philosophy. Students develop intercultural awareness and the critical knowledge and skills necessary to understand current global political, social and economic trends. The major prepares students to become responsible citizens who are aware of larger world issues and local concerns, and who are able to draw on their knowledge of the humanities, social sciences and sciences when considering these issues. The interdisciplinary nature of Global Studies in particular is a key strength: rather than focusing on a single field (e.g., politics or anthropology), students can create a cohesive course of study while sampling classes from around the University. 
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Lugano, Switzerland

Franklin College

Type of program: B.A. in International Relations

The major in International Relations is designed for students who wish to deepen and broaden their knowledge and understanding of this multi-disciplinary field. At the same time, students receive solid preparation for a variety of careers: diplomatic service, international business, government service, mass media, international banking, law, international organizations, and teaching. Graduate study is also possible for International Relations majors.In this major students undertake in-depth inter-disciplinary work in the areas of political science, economics, history, international law and organizations and modern languages. The major is organized to provide students with the instruments and techniques to analyze and comprehend the complex phenomena of today’s international world. 
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Washington, D.C.

George Washington University

Type of Program: GW-Oxford International Human Rights Law Program

The GW-Oxford program in International Human Rights Law is offered jointly by the University of Oxford and The George Washington University Law School and is held in Oxford in July. It is intended to prepare students to contribute to the improvement of human rights conditions in their homelands and around the world. During the program’s four-week session, an internationally recognized faculty offers courses on the philosophy, history, doctrine, and practice of international human rights law. The program emphasizes advocacy and dissemination skills, as well as formal knowledge of human rights law, the means of its enforcement, and its status in a contentious world. 
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Indianapolis, IN

Indiana University

Type of program: Program in International Human Rights Law

The Program in International Human Rights Law furthers the teaching and study of Human Rights law, promotes scholarship in International Human Rights, to assist human rights governmental, inter-governmental, and non-governmental organizations on international human rights projects, and facilitates the placement of students as law interns at international human rights organizations domestically and overseas. 
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Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University

Type of program: Certificate in Health and Human Rights

The Certificate Program in Health and Human Rights is designed to: Increase understanding and foster positive attitudes among health professionals regarding the key linkages among human rights ideals, legal guarantees of human rights, and the promotion and protection of public health; Elaborate and explain details regarding the vital roles of health professionals in promoting human rights, especially the right to health, and building a “culture” of human rights; Build familiarity with international human rights standards, instruments, and the numerous state-based and international laws related to human rights, especially those that impact upon the health of populations and individuals; Introduce some skills needed to investigate, analyze, and document abuses of human rights as they relate to health and public health practice. 
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Boston, MA

Northeastern University

Type of program: LL.M. Concentration in Human Rights or Public Interest Law or Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy  or Social Justice Program

Candidates for the LL.M. degree have the opportunity to concentrate in Human Rights. Both US- and internationally-trained lawyers are invited to join in the School of Law’s commitment to promote social, cultural and economic rights. All LL.M. students concentrating in Human Rights take four human rights-related courses: Human Rights and the Global Economy (or an equivalent introductory Human Rights course), International Law, plus two additional human rights-related courses (see sample list of offerings). 
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Public Interest Law: Grounded in social justice, our curriculum offers a broad range of courses — from Welfare Law to Problems in Public Health Law — focused on legal areas that disproportionately affect the underrepresented and minorities in our society. Make sure to check out our list of Public Interest and Advocacy courses. 
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Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy : The Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) is at the center of the School of Law’s human rights efforts and works closely with scholars, institutions and advocates nationally and internationally to address issues of human rights and economic development. Reflecting our faculty’s interests, PHRGE is particularly engaged with the international movement to promote economic, social and cultural rights. 
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Social Justice Program: Starting early in the first year, each LSSC “law office” participates in a closely supervised clinical experience, representing and assisting a nonprofit community-based or advocacy organization in solving a societal problem involving issues of diversity, the law and social justice. We encourage all nonprofit community-based or advocacy organizations, government agencies and state legislators to apply to work with LSSC on a social justice project. 
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Evanston, IL

Northwestern University

Type of program: J.D. or LL.M. in International Human Rights

Northwestern Law and its Center for International Human Rights offers a four-year joint degree program leading to both a JD and an LLM in International Human Rights, with a focus on both international human rights law and international criminal law. Northwestern Law remains the only law school in the country to offer a joint JD-LLM in International Human Rights (JD-LLM IHR) program. Students enrolled in the JD-LLM IHR program will receive a thorough grounding in the norms and mechanisms of international human rights law and international criminal law. A distinctive feature of the new program will be the requirement that students complete a semester-long externship with one of a number of designated international and hybrid criminal tribunals, foreign supreme courts, and international human rights organizations. 
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Los Angeles, CA

Occidental College

Type of program: B.A. in Critical Theory and Social Justice

Critical Theory and Social Justice is an interdisciplinary department, drawing on ideas from across traditional academic disciplines. The CTSJ Department brings together critical theories to analyze, unpack, and address issues and approaches to social justice. Courses and projects draw from theoretical and experiential approaches, including community-based learning and community-based research. 
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Pomona, CA

Pitzer College

Type of program: B.A. in Critical Global Studies

The International and Intercultural Studies major is an interdisciplinary course of study designed to deepen and broaden a student’s understanding of global and local commonalities, differences, and power relations. Through course work at Pitzer, language acquisition, and an intensive experience away from the campus, the major seeks to make students aware of what binds them to, and separates them from, other peoples and other places. 
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Claremont, CA

Pomona College

Type of program: B.A. in International Relations

This multidisciplinary major is one of the strongest international relations programs in any American liberal arts institution. Students must integrate the study of politics, economics, history and foreign languages; learn quantitative and qualitative research methods; and spend at least one semester abroad for first-hand exposure to a foreign society. The breadth of the curriculum equips our majors to undertake research on contemporary problems in global security, economic and social development, international law and institutions, foreign policy and aid, global health, environmental issues, and human rights. Our program increasingly builds on our faculty expertise on Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and East Asia, in addition to their research on international organizations, social movements, development, democracy promotion, revolutions, and security. 
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San Jose, CA

San Jose State University

Type of program: B.S. or Minor in Justice Studies

The undergraduate program in Justice Studies provides students with an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages in critical analysis of justice issues. Core classes focus on theory and empirical research that addresses the relationship between law, justice, the justice system, and society. Electives address a number of more specialized and topical justice-related issues. Drawing upon the rigorous undergraduate program in Justice Studies, the minor also provides students with an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages in critical analysis of justice issues. 
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Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University

Type of program: B.A. or Minor in Ethnic Studies

One of the oldest programs of its kind, Ethnic Studies examines the legacy of ethnic and racial inequalities in the U.S, sources of resistance and transformation, and the contemporary impacts of these changes. Rooted in the lives of African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, Chicanas/os and Latinas/os, and Native Americans/American Indians, Ethnic Studies provides both in-depth study of key populations and comparative analysis.  
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Rohnert Park, CA

Sonoma State University

Type of program: B.A. in Human Development

The Human Development major is designed to provide students with a comprehensive grounding in theoretical approaches to human development across the life span in comparative cross-species, cross-cultural, and multicultural, as well as class and gender perspectives. The Human Development major is interdisciplinary, meaning it draws on theories and concepts from multiple disciplines, including: Anthropology, Education, Gerontology, Psychology, Sociology, and Women’s & Gender Studies. 
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Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University

Type of program: B.A. in Citizenship and Civic Engagement or Minor in Rhetoric and Public Advocacy

B.A. in Citizenship and Civic Engagement: CCE, offered by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is a double-major program. In addition to CCE, students choose a second major in a policy-relevant field, usually in the social sciences or public communications. Any major at SU can fit with CCE, depending on your interest, but popular companion majors include Anthropology, Broadcast and Digital Journalism, Economics, Food Studies, Geography, History, International Relations, Policy Studies, Political Science, Public Relations, Sociology and Women & Gender Studies. 
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Minor in Rhetoric and Public Advocacy: The undergraduate minor in rhetoric and public advocacy is an interdisciplinary program supported by the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies as well as the Writing Program in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The 18-credit minor explores the connections between advocacy, as a pragmatic practice for social change, and rhetoric, as a historical tradition of public argument, within national and local contexts. 
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Medford, MA

Tufts University

Type of program: B.A. or Certificate in Peace and Justice Studies

The primary goal of the PJS program is the development of students’ knowledge and competencies in fields that contribute towards peace and social transformation. PJS was founded to provide students an academic means to integrate an understanding of the many crises facing the world and to encourage involvement in nonviolent attempts to build a world of peace and justice. Education, particularly higher education, offers a valuable setting for creating peace and justice through study and active involvement in social change processes. PJS is dedicated to working to provide a university-wide forum for the discussion of these issues. 
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Berkeley, CA

University of California, Berkeley

Type of program: B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies

The ISF houses a research-driven program of liberal education. It is a problem-based program, not a discipline. It offers motivated students the unique opportunity to develop an individualized cross-disciplinary Research Program that includes a Course of Study and a Senior Thesis. The Course of Study is made up of courses taken in the social sciences, the humanities, and/or the professional schools and colleges, alongside the required courses in ISF. 
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Los Angeles, CA

University of California, Los Angeles

Type of program: B.A. in International Development Studies or  Minor in Public Affairs

B.A in International Development Studies: This Bachelor of Arts degree is designed for students interested in careers or vocations requiring an understanding of the diverse development experiences of the world. IDS students’ educational experiences are balanced between applied, field case-study learning and theoretical, conceptual knowledge. We believe strongly that these two types of learning are inseparable, and are useful for work in academia, government agencies, private industry, or non-governmental and non-profit organizations. 
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Minor in Public Affairs: Applied public policy is an increasingly important element of any modern education. The Minor in Public Affairs complements a liberal arts or science major through a systematic examination of a broad range of public policy issues, mainly through the analysis of specific social, political and economic problems addressed by each of the three departments in the School of Public Affairs: Social Welfare, Urban Planning, and Public Policy. 
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Riverside, CA

University of California, Riverside

Type of program: B.A. or Minor in Political Science

Political Science aims to provide an understanding of basic political processes and institutions as these operate in different national and cultural contexts. It encompasses the study of politics, political systems and political ideas as well as the analysis of such phenomena as political behavior, political values, political change and stability, justice, national security, and international affairs. Students may major in Political Science as a general program of study or combine and/or tailor their program in four additional areas of study: Political Science, Public Service/Political Science, Political Science/Administrative Studies, Political Science/Law and Society Major, and International Affairs. 
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Dayton, OH

University of Dayton

Type of program: Human Rights Center

The University of Dayton Human Rights Center creates positive change through research, education and dialogue. As a leader in the global human rights community, we search for transformative solutions to systemic patterns of injustice that will bring about real change in the lives of poor people. We are committed to addressing the gap between theory and practice, between scholars and practitioners. Advocates need information to be able to develop evidence-based strategies that bring about real change. We provide this research as we build on the legacy of the University’s innovative Human Rights Studies Program and Catholic social tradition. 
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San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco

Type of Program: Human Rights Film Festival

We plan to celebrate our fourteenth anniversary with an excellent program! In keeping with the social justice mission of USF, the Human Rights Film Festival seeks to make the university a center for the promotion of human rights, as well as a platform to raise consciousness to the violations and abuses of human rights in the U.S. and elsewhere around the globe. Following our tradition, we will open with shorts produced by USF students. This year’s films address human rights abuses in locations as varied as the U.S., Indonesia, Bolivia, Sinai, Eritrea, Syria, Hawaii, and Mexico. The issues highlighted include: political repression, torture, genocide, killings and disappearances, refugees, migrations, environmental destruction, mining and indigenous women, LGBT rights, and gun violence. 
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Los Angeles, CA

University of Southern California

Type of program: Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

The Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership is a three year degree program designed for working professionals who aspire to be educational leaders. Students strengthen their skills for leading groups in high-performing schools, districts, universities, and other organizations and connecting relevant research with practice. Candidates for this program must have earned a master’s degree and have at least three to five years of work experience in a related field. 
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Austin, TX

University of Texas at Austin

Type of program: Center for Women’s & Gender Studies or  Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice

Center for Women’s and Gender Studies: The mission of the Center for Women’s & Gender Studies is to create committed communities that address the challenges faced in the areas of gender, sexuality, diversity, and equity. We recognize that ending gender discrimination requires ending the related discriminations against disability, ethnicity, gender identity, race, sexuality, and socioeconomic class. We foster communities of scholars, teachers and advocates inside and outside The University of Texas at Austin through interdisciplinary research, undergraduate and graduate teaching, social advocacy, and community partnerships. 
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Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice: The Rapoport Center’s mission is to serve as a focal point for critical, interdisciplinary analysis and practice of human rights and social justice. Lawyers and law students work side by side with scholars and practitioners across disciplines that include anthropology, sociology, government, fine arts, and public policy. The Center’s motto is “Partners for Change at the Intersection of Academics and Advocacy,” representing its unique position as an academic center that not only works across disciplines, but also collaborates with communities outside the academy with the aim of producing innovative and enduring change in the lives of marginalized individuals and groups. 
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Stockton, CA

University of the Pacific

Type of program: B.A. in International Studies

The majors in the School of International Studies are designed to prepare students for careers in government, business, public service, law, journalism, education and other international professions. There are four majors: B.A. in International Relations, a B.A. in Global Studies, a B.A. in Development and Cultural Change, and a B.A. in International Affairs and Commerce. The core courses in the majors, which are co-taught by faculty from economics, politics, history, geography and anthropology, includes a four-course introductory sequence which explores issues of economic and cultural globalization, war and peace, the problems of the global environment and other factors that shape the world. 
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St. Louis, MO

Washington University in St. Louis

Type of program: B.A. in International and Area Studies

International and Area Studies offers an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to understanding global issues. Our undergraduate major encourages a broad understanding of the world while exploring the diversity and richness of other cultures. Our program places particular emphasis on study abroad, independent research, and foreign language coursework. The IAS major has five concentrations: Development, Eurasian Studies, European Studies, Global Cultural Studies, and International Affairs. 
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