2018-2019 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Minor in Human Rights
Human rights have become the moral language of today in fields as disparate as philosophy, international politics and health care, as well as other service professions. This program provides students with both intellectual and practical opportunities to engage with human rights in preparation for encountering a wide variety of 21st century political issues, social problems, and employment opportunities.
The human rights curriculum is distinctively interdisciplinary, mirroring the world of human rights today. Completing the minor will equip students with key concepts and opportunities within this world, such as:
- The political, philosophical and legal development of human rights concepts within academic scholarship and political practice
- The role of human rights in international relations and law
- The growth of human rights institutions, courts, tribunals, and the emergence of human rights law as a profession
- The explosive growth of humanitarian organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to human rights activism and practice.
- The incorporation of human rights concerns in the corporate world regarding job relocation, human resources, and international investment.
Admission Requirements
Anyone admitted to GVSU as a degree-seeking student can declare the human rights minor.
Minor Requirements
Students must complete 19 credits, including the introductory and capstone courses, two courses from the core course lists, and three additional elective courses. A maximum of three of the core and elective courses may be from the same prefix.
Required Courses (credits: 4)
- HRT 105 / PLS 105 - Introduction to Human Rights (3 credits) OR HNR 263 - Theory and Practice of Rights 1 (3 credits)
- HRT 450 - Reflection on Human Rights (1 credit)
Core Courses (credits: 6)
Take two courses (three credits each), one each from core courses list A and B; each course must have a different prefix.
Core List A (choose 1 course)
- CJ 325 - Criminal Justice and Human Rights (3 credits)
- HST 378 - Contesting Human Rights (3 credits)
- HRT 316 / PLS 316 - Human Rights in International Politics (3 credits)
- HRT 319 / HST 319 / LIB 319 - Human Traffic and Trafficking (3 credits)
Core List B (choose 1 course)
- AAA 341 - Civil Conflicts in Africa (3 credits)
- HRT 320 / LIB 320 - Voices of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States (3 credits)
- HRT 335 / PLS 335 - Theory of Human Rights (3 credits)
- PLS 240 / HNR 231 - The Holocaust (3 credits)
- SOC 306 - The Sociology of Human Rights (3 credits)
Elective Courses (credits: 9)
Take three courses (three credits each) from elective courses list, with no more than two courses from a single major/designator. Courses from core courses lists A and B may also be counted as elective courses, but a single course may not count both as a core course and an elective.
- AAA 319 - African Politics (3 credits)
- AAA 352 - Black Women's Culture and Communities (3 credits)
- ANT 345 - Perspectives on Globalization (3 credits)
- ANT 370 - Cross-cultural Perspectives on Gender (3 credits)
- CLA 367 - Thinking Like a (Roman) Lawyer (3 credits)
- CJ 305 - Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties (3 credits)
- CJ 320 - Crimes Against Women (3 credits)
- CJ 482 - Culture, Crime and Justice (3 credits)
- ECO 350 - Economics of Gender (3 credits)
- ENG 335 - Literature of American Minorities (3 credits)
- ENG 336 - Lesbian, Gay and Queer Literature (3 credits)
- ENG 392 - Language and Power (3 credits)
- GPY 335 - Globalization and Development (3 credits)
- GPY 351 - Geography of Africa (3 credits)
- HRT 380 - Special Topics in Human Rights Credits: 1 to 3
- HRT 389 - Study Abroad in Human Rights (3 credits)
- HRT 399 - Independent Study in Human Rights Credits: 1 to 3
- HRT 490 - Internship in Human Rights (3 credits)
- HRT 499 - Independent Research/Thesis Credits: 1 to 3
- HST 316 - U.S. Civil Rights Movement History (3 credits)
- HST 318 - History of Democracy in America (3 credits)
- HST 332 - Emergence of Modern India and South Asia (3 credits)
- HST 333 - Modern China (3 credits)
- HST 336 - Africa After 1870 (3 credits)
- HST 371 - Historical Perspectives on Gender and Sexualities (3 credits)
- HST 386 - 20th Century Europe (3 credits)
- IDS 350 - Civil Discourse (3 credits)
- LS 370 - Women and the Law (3 credits)
- LIB 325 - LGBTQ Identities (3 credits)
- LIB 342 - Food Matters (3 credits)
- LIB 350 - The Immigrant Experience in the U.S. (3 credits)
- MES 370 - Contemporary Issues in the Middle East: The Model Arab League (3 credits)
- PHI 320 - Social and Political Philosophy: Liberty and Justice (3 credits)
- PHI 370 - Sex Matters: Feminist Philosophy in the Contemporary World (3 credits)
- PLS 302 - Women, Politics, and Public Policy (3 credits)
- PLS 319 - African Politics (3 credits)
- PLS 334 - Sex, Power, and Politics (3 credits)
- PLS 338 - Citizenship (3 credits)
- SOC 306 - The Sociology of Human Rights (3 credits)
- SOC 313 - Race and Ethnicity (3 credits)
- SOC 315 - Social Class Inequality (3 credits)
- SOC 317 - Sociology of Gender (3 credits)
- SOC 318 - Sociology of Sexuality (3 credits)
- SOC 333 - Sociology of the Civil Rights Movement (3 credits)
- SOC 350 - Family and Gender in the Developing World (3 credits)
- WGS 302 - Women, Politics, and Public Policy (3 credits)
- WGS 310 - Sexual Orientation and the Law (3 credits)
- WGS 317 - Sociology of Gender (3 credits)
- WGS 318 - Sociology of Sexuality (3 credits)
- WGS 320 - Crimes Against Women (3 credits)
- WGS 334 - Sex, Power, and Politics (3 credits)
- WGS 336 - Lesbian, Gay and Queer Literature (3 credits)
- WGS 350 - Family and Gender in the Developing World (3 credits)
- WGS 352 - Black Women's Culture and Communities (3 credits)
- WGS 370 - Women and the Law (3 credits)
- WGS 371 - Historical Perspectives on Gender and Sexualities (3 credits)