Current Courses

This course will introduce students to the study of human rights by investigating the question What is a human right? The course will proceed primarily through a number of examples and case studies. Students will also be given an overview of the basic instruments, institutions, and ideas relevant to human rights.

This course will introduce students to the study of human rights by investigating the question What is a human right? The course will proceed primarily through a number of examples and case studies. Students will also be given an overview of the basic instruments, institutions, and ideas relevant to human rights.

This course will introduce students to the study of human rights by investigating the question What is a human right? The course will proceed primarily through a number of examples and case studies. Students will also be given an overview of the basic instruments, institutions, and ideas relevant to human rights.

This course will examine the impact of the Charter on rights and freedoms in Canada. After an introductory discussion of the Bill of Rights and the development of the Charter, instruction will focus on a large number of Supreme Court decisions interpreting the meaning of the Charter's provisions.

This course explicates the principal international and regional systems in place for the protection and promotion of human rights, including the Inter-American, European, African, and United Nations systems. Students will study the most important human rights instruments, such as the International Bill of Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the American Convention on Human Rights.

This course will explore the treatment of human rights themes and issues in popular culture paired with the basic human rights legal instruments that constitute the human rights framework. The Medium used to examine representation of human rights themes and issues may vary from year to year but will focus on such vehicles as television, film, graphic novels, and music. Prerequisite required: HMRT 1003.

This course will explore the impact of climate change and environmental degradation on the realization of human rights, focusing on those in the economic, social, and cultural realm, including the right to a clean environment, clean air, water, food, and health. The long-term impact of climate change will also be examined in the context of trends in migration and human security. Prerequisite required: HMRT 1003.

Moot court cultivates advanced analytical skills while developing leadership qualities in students with an interest in human rights. Students learn how to develop and deliver oral legal arguments by competing in a Supreme Court simulation where they answer questions from a panel of judges. Students focus on Supreme Court precedent surrounding two different issues each year. Students are required to have permission of instructor to register for the course. No other prerequisites are required.

Moot court cultivates advanced analytical skills while developing leadership qualities in students with an interest in human rights. Students learn how to develop and deliver oral legal arguments by competing in a Supreme Court simulation where they answer questions from a panel of judges. Students focus on Supreme Court precedent surrounding two different issues each year. Students are required to have permission of instructor to register for the course. No other prerequisites are required.

Moot court cultivates advanced analytical skills while developing leadership qualities in students with an interest in human rights. Students learn how to develop and deliver oral legal arguments by competing in a Supreme Court simulation where they answer questions from a panel of judges. Students focus on Supreme Court precedent surrounding two different issues each year. Students are required to have permission of instructor to register for the course. No other prerequisites are required.

This course will consist of an in-depth investigation of one or more human rights problems. The specific topic will change from year to year. Students will be expected to examine the issue(s) in light of their knowledge of the basic instruments, institutions, and ideas relevant to human rights as well as their understanding of the fundamental questions of value that surround contemporary social issues. The course is normally reserved for students in their final year of the human rights Major.

This Special Topics course will explore the scope of supporting rights that directly affect the work of human rights advocates and human rights defenders in a campaigning context. We will take a close look at the five main sets of political rights: expression, association/organization, assembly/protest, participation/voting, and the human right of resistance.

This course will introduce students to the study of human rights by investigating the question What is a human right? The course will proceed primarily through a number of examples and case studies. Students will also be given an overview of the basic instruments, institutions, and ideas relevant to human rights.

This course will introduce students to the study of human rights by investigating the question What is a human right? The course will proceed primarily through a number of examples and case studies. Students will also be given an overview of the basic instruments, institutions, and ideas relevant to human rights.

The purpose of this course is to give students an introduction to research methods used in the study of human rights. The course will include methods of data collection as well as analysis of data. The course will begin with a general introduction to the aims and methods of research projects. Students in this course will do a research project in human rights under the supervision of the instructor. Students will be expected to present periodic reports on the status of their work.

This course covers core theoretical concepts and the enduring debates in human rights theory. It will not only introduce students to the main ideas, major schools of thought, and key disputes but also prepare them to identify and critically analyze the often unspoken underlying theoretical perspectives employed in human rights discourse by scholars and by advocates in their human rights practice.

This course will examine strategies to prevent, investigate and punish genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Students will explore the protection of victims and their fundamental rights in emergency situations, the rights and duties of relevant stakeholders, and the role of international law in addressing grievous human rights violations.

This course will provide students with exposure to the practice of human rights by completing a supervised internship with a local non-governmental organization. Students will be required to complete a detailed exit report and research paper that encourages them to reflect on the relationship between that experience and their formal human rights studies. Instructor's consent is required is register for this course.

This course explores how the rise of social media has both advanced and hindered the protection of human rights by examining how social media provides a platform for instantaneous global information-sharing, rendering it increasingly difficult for state or business interests to shield human rights abuses from public scrutiny. Topics will be examined through a number of case studies. Prerequisites: HMRT 1003 - Introduction to Human Rights.

Moot court cultivates advanced analytical skills while developing leadership qualities in students with an interest in human rights. Students learn how to develop and deliver oral legal arguments by competing in a Supreme Court simulation where they answer questions from a panel of judges. Students focus on Supreme Court precedent surrounding two different issues each year. Students are required to have permission of instructor to register for the course. No other prerequisites are required.

Moot court cultivates advanced analytical skills while developing leadership qualities in students with an interest in human rights. Students learn how to develop and deliver oral legal arguments by competing in a Supreme Court simulation where they answer questions from a panel of judges. Students focus on Supreme Court precedent surrounding two different issues each year. Students are required to have permission of instructor to register for the course. No other prerequisites are required.

Moot court cultivates advanced analytical skills while developing leadership qualities in students with an interest in human rights. Students learn how to develop and deliver oral legal arguments by competing in a Supreme Court simulation where they answer questions from a panel of judges. Students focus on Supreme Court precedent surrounding two different issues each year. Students are required to have permission of instructor to register for the course. No other prerequisites are required.

This course explores socially constructed customs and structures of society that enable legal regulation of gender identity and human sexuality through the history, policies and norms that shape government action. Basic theories of gender and sexuality studies are explored before critically examining the same theories in practice through case studies. This course explores other identity issues such as race, age, disability, and class intertwine with gender and sexuality identities, and how experiences and identities shape the ways in which people resist inequality and lobby for change.