Introduction

The minor in Human Rights Advocacy seeks to educate the next generation of advocates by engaging students in supervised human rights fact-finding, documentation, and advocacy. 

The minor provides a rigorous, structured program of study of human rights at Wesleyan, combined with supervised, reflective engagement in practical human rights projects through partnership with the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR). Students will gain multidisciplinary understanding of human rights norms, social conflict, and abusive conduct by state, corporate, and private actors, as well as practical training and actual engagement in human rights practice under the supervision of experienced, reflective advocates. The minor combines practical experience with critical inquiry and self-reflection through a strong curriculum of humanities, social sciences and other fields that provide lenses through which students reflect on the human rights movement, their own advocacy, and the specific fields within human rights that they wish to explore more deeply. The partnership with UNHR will provide students with an immersive experience in the study and practice of human rights that, to date, has been available only at law school human rights clinics.

Admission to the Minor

Admission to the program/minor will be by application to ensure that participating students are committed to its rigorous demands. Wesleyan students may apply to the minor once they have taken, or while they are taking CSPL128: Introduction to Human Rights Standards. The Steering Committee will select students for admission to the Minor. The gateway course for the minor is CSPL316: Human Rights Advocacy.

Minor Requirements

Minoring in Human Rights Advocacy requires 7 courses. One course should be taken in either the first or sophomore year. Six of the seven courses are ones that students may take in their sophomore, junior or senior years. 3 additional courses related to human rights.  Approval from advisor or minor coordinator will be required to ensure that the course choices cohere sufficiently.

Required courses:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
One Pre-Requisite Course
CSPL128	Introduction to Human Rights Standards	1
Two Core Courses
CSPL316	Human Rights Advocacy: Critical Assessment and Practical Engagement in Global Social Justice *	1
CSPL328	Advanced Human Rights Advocacy	1
One Course in Writing for Advocacy
CSPL338	Writing for Advocacy *	1
Three Additional Courses Related to Human Rights
Approval from advisor or minor coordinator will be required to ensure that the course choices cohere sufficiently.

*Course offered once per year 

Additional Information

For more information, please contact Professor Jim Cavallaro at mailto:jcavallaro@wesleyan.edu.