International Human Rights Law

This course introduces the legal frameworks, institutions, and advocacy strategies that underpin the international human rights system. With a practitioner’s lens, students will explore civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights through treaties, customary law, and jurisprudence. Emphasis is placed on understanding where and how the law offers avenues for redress, and the evolving role of human rights advocacy in confronting modern challenges, including corporate accountability, gender discrimination, and climate justice.

Students will examine the structure and operation of key international and regional human rights mechanisms, the limits and opportunities of legal enforcement, and the relationship between international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The course integrates doctrinal learning with applied analysis through case studies, reflections, and simulations. 
Attendance in the first class session is mandatory.

• R 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Betsy Apple
  Info
• 3 points

International Human Rights Law

Recitation

This course introduces the legal frameworks, institutions, and advocacy strategies that underpin the international human rights system. With a practitioner’s lens, students will explore civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights through treaties, customary law, and jurisprudence. Emphasis is placed on understanding where and how the law offers avenues for redress, and the evolving role of human rights advocacy in confronting modern challenges, including corporate accountability, gender discrimination, and climate justice.

Students will examine the structure and operation of key international and regional human rights mechanisms, the limits and opportunities of legal enforcement, and the relationship between international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The course integrates doctrinal learning with applied analysis through case studies, reflections, and simulations. 
Attendance in the first class session is mandatory.

• TW noon-1 p.m.
• 0 points

Human Rights Skills and Advocacy

Human Rights Skills & Adv

This course equips students with practical skills for designing and implementing human rights advocacy strategies. Through a mix of case studies, simulations, and applied writing assignments, students will learn how to identify advocacy goals, analyze targets and power structures, and select effective tactics. The course explores advocacy with governments, legislatures, and UN bodies, as well as the use of media, digital tools, and coalition-building to advance human rights.

Students will develop and refine an advocacy strategy on a current human rights issue of their choosing, supported by assignments such as op-eds, advocacy letters, and submissions to UN mechanisms. Emphasis is placed on ethical research methods, effective messaging, and impact evaluation. Class sessions are interactive and include mock advocacy meetings, guest speakers, and structured feedback on peer work.

Taught by two experienced human rights advocates, the course draws on real-world campaigns and encourages critical reflection on challenges to human rights work in restrictive and high-risk environments.

• F 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• 3 points

Human Rights and the Politics of Inequal

Human Rights & Inequality

This course examines the intersection of human rights and economic inequality, exploring how political and economic governance influence access to rights and justice. Students will assess how human rights principles are integrated into economic policy frameworks, including trade, labor, development, and environmental regulation, and how these frameworks shape both public accountability and corporate responsibility.

Through case studies and policy analysis, the course introduces practical tools for advancing human rights in multilateral institutions, national governments, and private-sector operations. Topics include the role of grievance mechanisms tied to trade agreements and development finance, global supply chains, labor standards, and the impact of environmental policy on marginalized populations. Students will analyze pathways to embed human rights criteria into decision-making, and consider the limits and opportunities of current governance structures in addressing inequality.

• W 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• 3 points

Rethinking Human Rights and Humanitarian

Rethinking Rights & Aid

This advanced seminar critically examines the evolving challenges, limitations, and potential of human rights and humanitarianism as frameworks for justice and global governance. Centering human rights discourse, the course invites students to examine foundational concepts such as universality, accountability, sovereignty, and identity, while addressing complex topics and challenging cases. Through case studies, normative debates, and applied advocacy tools, students explore the responsibilities of state and non-state actors, the contested definition of the “human” in rights claims, and strategies for persuasion, enforcement, and reform in both policy and practice. Course themes include: The political limits and promise of human rights in global and national contexts; Accountability gaps across governments, corporations, and armed groups; The status of refugees, displaced persons, and marginalized groups; Humanitarian dilemmas, transitional justice, and foreign policy advocacy; The rise and fall of doctrines such as Responsibility to Protect (R2P); and Pragmatism, realism, and human rights under states of exception.

• M 7:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew C Heinrich
  Info
• 3 points

Human Rights, Gender, and Equity Simulat

HRGE Simulation

This simulation course is a short two-day course designed to enable participating students to weigh and apply human rights principles, best practices, and standards to simulated human rights emergencies. The simulation exercise challenges student participants with issues facing human rights practitioners when responding to human rights crises and provides practice operating within the human rights system and devising innovative solutions to complex challenges.  Participants will evaluate data reports, assess relevant human rights tools and mechanisms, and propose interventions.  The simulation will include a day of simultaneous exercises, followed by another day of debriefing, evaluation, and identification of key challenges and lessons. 

Spring 2026 Course Dates: Feb 20 & 21

• FS 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Rachel Vogelstein
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• 1.5 points

Climate Change, Rights, and Development

Climate, Rights & Develop

This interdisciplinary course examines the complex intersections of climate science, human rights, and sustainable development. Students will first explore the fundamentals of Earth’s climate systems and core human rights frameworks. The course then analyzes how global climate disruption intersects with social vulnerability, equity, and justice. Topics include the science of climate variability, international climate governance, climate change litigation, migration and displacement, adaptation strategies, and sector-specific impacts on food, health, and livelihoods. Special attention is given to the experiences of frontline communities and small island states, as well as to policy responses grounded in climate justice.

• Instructor: Monica D Medina
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• 3 points

Gender Based Violence Law & Policy

This course will introduce students to manifestations of gender-based violence around the world—including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, child marriage and forced genital mutilation, femicide and “honor killings,” human trafficking, conflict-related sexual violence, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The course will also examine the legal and policy frameworks governing these manifestations at the international, regional, and national levels—including global treaties, national laws and action plans, and programmatic support for survivors—and evaluate research on how and why ending gender-based violence globally advances prosperity and stability.

• R 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Rachel Vogelstein
  Info
• 1.5 points

Women and the Economy: Policy, Participa

Improving women’s economic security and boosting women’s labor force participation is not only critical for advancing gender equality but also for driving economic growth.  This class will introduce students to the main factors contributing to women’s economic insecurity in the United States and around the world, including legal barriers, insufficient care infrastructure, lack of access to good-paying jobs, and discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment, in the workforce.  The course will also explore solutions – domestic and global laws, legislative proposals, and policies – to address these barriers and to advance progress on women’s economic security, along with the current debates on these policy interventions.  Students will also learn about the role that social norms play in women’s ability to participate fully in the economy.

• W 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Jennifer L Klein
  Info
• 1.5 points

Women and Leadership: Designing Policy f

Women, Leadership & Polic

This course examines how public policy can support the advancement of women in leadership roles across sectors. Despite increased global attention, women continue to be underrepresented in senior leadership positions, and progress toward achieving gender equity remains slow. Through a combination of readings, class discussions, guest speakers, and applied policy analysis, students will explore the structural and cultural barriers to women’s leadership and design policy solutions to address them. Topics include gender norms, discrimination and harassment, workplace equity, and mandates such as Title IX and corporate board quotas.

• W 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Jeri E Powell
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• 1.5 points

Gender, Conflict, and Peacebuilding

Gender, Conflict & Peaceb

Over 25 years ago, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, and since then, it has adopted an additional 9 related resolutions. This agenda marks the first time in the UN’s 80-year history that women’s experiences, particularly their contributions to promoting peace and security in contexts of violent conflict, closed political spaces, and rising extremism, are acknowledged. It is also the first time that the need for women’s protection has been strongly noted. The resolution marks a clear watershed in the evolving efforts to promote human security as a normative framework for the international community. Although the primary focus is on women, the emerging discourse has drawn increasing attention to the need for gendered analysis – i.e., addressing the conditions/experiences of women and men with intersecting identities – in conflict and peacebuilding.

This intensive 2.5-day seminar will provide an overview of the evolving field of women, peace, and security. Drawing on empirical research and practice, the modules will address the following issues:

● Historical and geopolitical evolution and context in which the WPS field has arisen;

● Attaining UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the expansion of the WPS policy agenda with attention to subsequent resolutions and key pillars of this agenda – notably women’s participation in peace and security, protection issues, peacekeeping and conflict prevention including conflict related sexual violence.

● Implications of ongoing conflicts, rising authoritarianism, and violent extremism on gender, peace and security issues.

● Gender analysis and the practical application of a gendered lens to key mediation, security, and peacebuilding processes.

● Experiences and lessons from women’s peace coalitions and women’s contributions to peacebuilding including countering/preventing violent extremism

● Efforts to prevent and address sexual violence in conflict.

● Women and peacekeeping, including issues of sexual exploitation and abuse.

• Instructor: Jennifer L Klein
  Info
• 1.5 points

Campaigning for Change - Media, Mobiliza

Strategic Campaigning & R

This course introduces the history, strategy, and practice of human rights campaigning, with a focus on media-driven advocacy. Students will examine the foundations of campaigning journalism, explore modern digital mobilization tactics, and learn to develop and execute impactful advocacy campaigns. The course emphasizes the intersection of strategic communications, digital tools, and policy advocacy, and provides hands-on experience in campaign design, messaging, and evaluation.

Students will develop an original advocacy campaign on a contemporary human rights issue using the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a global platform. Course assignments include writing advocacy letters and op-eds, designing media strategies, and producing a final campaign pitch deck. Case studies will include successful campaigns addressing labor rights, gender equity, and corporate responsibility in sport.

The course is suitable for students interested in human rights, journalism, digital strategy, and public advocacy. Sessions include skill-building workshops, guest speakers, and applied project work in collaboration with Human Rights Watch and other advocacy professionals.

• R 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• 3 points