Human Rights Minor at UMass Boston

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Human Rights Minor at UMass Boston The Human Rights Minor at UMass Boston is an interdisciplinary program of study open to students fro

The Human Rights Minor at UMass Boston is an interdisciplinary program of study open to students from all disciplines. Housed in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, the minor emerged from the student-faculty-community collaboration of the Human Rights Working Group, which seeks to foster and sustain a human rights community on campus and beyond. Although you may have heard of organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, you may have wondered what it means to commit oneself to the study and practice of human rights. In this minor, we will learn about the concept of human rights as it developed in the 20th century and the challenges of implementing a universal framework in a culturally diverse, radically unequal and gendered world. International human rights frameworks express aspirations to create a world in which each and every person can live a life of dignity, free from fear and want. Human rights concepts are continuously evolving through the contributions of activists, academics and community participants. Women and feminists from all parts of the world have been at the forefront of this evolution toward creating a world that is more just and equitable. Topics covered in the courses include an overview of United Nations human rights conventions and norms as adopted by states, as well as critiques of human rights systems with particular emphasis on the role that social, political and feminist movements have had on transforming human rights frameworks to better address the situation of marginalized populations globally. Throughout the minor, we will consider the influence of culture, cross-cultural interaction, colonial perspectives and our own global and gender perspectives on creating human rights consciousness locally and globally. A total of six courses are required for completing the minor. To declare your Human Rights Minor please visit the WGS office in Wheatley Hall, 5th floor, room 04A.

Professor Sherena Razek at the Palestinian Feminist Collective Teach In, A Predatory State, Oct. 1. With Profs Sarah Ihm...
10/15/2026

Professor Sherena Razek at the Palestinian Feminist Collective Teach In, A Predatory State, Oct. 1. With Profs Sarah Ihmoud, Regine Jean Charles, Urmitapa Dutta, and Elyse Semerdjian.

Please join us on October 29th for the Fall 2026 Keynote Event in Human Rights.
10/14/2026

Please join us on October 29th for the Fall 2026 Keynote Event in Human Rights.

Welcome Professors Patrick Sylvain and Sherena Razek! At the Fall CLA New Faculty Reception! 🎊🎀🎈💐
09/25/2026

Welcome Professors Patrick Sylvain and Sherena Razek! At the Fall CLA New Faculty Reception! 🎊🎀🎈💐

The Minor in Human Rights welcomes new faculty members Professors Patrick Sylvain, and Sherena Razek.
09/02/2026

The Minor in Human Rights welcomes new faculty members Professors Patrick Sylvain, and Sherena Razek.

Wonderful event with Professor Beth Richie on abolition, feminism, and human rights. March 5.
03/07/2026

Wonderful event with Professor Beth Richie on abolition, feminism, and human rights. March 5.

03/03/2026
02/17/2024
Join us February 14: Conversations on South Asia with Elora Halim Chowdhury12:15–1:15 PM ET (via Zoom)Cinematic media ha...
02/09/2023

Join us February 14: Conversations on South Asia with Elora Halim Chowdhury

12:15–1:15 PM ET (via Zoom)
Cinematic media have long been important for remembering and memorializing the 1971 Bangladesh War of Liberation (or, Muktijuddho). They have also been important vehicles for critiquing and reconciling with war’s trauma.
Analyzing Muktijuddho films through Black and transnational feminist frameworks, Elora Halim Chowdhury (University of Massachusetts Boston) considers the power and potential of human rights cinema in her latest book, Ethical Encounters: Transnational Feminism, Human Rights, and War Cinema in Bangladesh (Temple University Press, 2022). As Chowdhury shows, cinematic representations not only portray marginalized experiences but also put those experiences on a global stage.
Join us to learn more!

https://tinyurl.com/ChowdhurySouthAsia

Film and media scholars Gwendolyn S. Kirk (Indiana University Bloomington) and Alka Kurian (University of Washington Bothell) will be joining the author for this discussion.

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