Webster University Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies

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Webster University Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies Learn about Webster’s undergraduate program in International Human Rights at webster.edu/humanrights Midwest and around the world.

Webster University is leader in human rights education, in the U.S. Students and faculty are advancing the study of human rights, as well as engaging in advocacy to protect and promote fundamental rights globally. Webster offers an undergraduate degree in International Human Rights, as well as options for earning a minor or certificate. The interdisciplinary program is taught by Institute Fellows from across academic disciplines – including political science, international relations, sociology, psychology, legal studies, education, and communications. Students earn credit for practical “Field Experiences,” methods training, and foreign language learning. They also publish their research in the online journal "Righting Wrongs: A Journal of Human Rights," organize their own campus chapter of Amnesty International, and travel the world via semester and short-term study abroad experiences. Learn more about Webster’s Institute for Human Rights & Humanitarian Studies on Facebook and Instagram and at https://www.webster.edu/humanrights.

Our favorite study nooks are going quiet as we wrap up mid-terms and the Fall 1 term. Enjoy your Fall Break! (And if you...
10/16/2026

Our favorite study nooks are going quiet as we wrap up mid-terms and the Fall 1 term. Enjoy your Fall Break! (And if you’re taking this time to catch up on your to-do list, make sure to register for Spring 2027 classes.)

Sometimes Midterm Week calls for a little bit of kitten therapy. Two-week-old Lumiere (“Lumy”) spent today making new fr...
10/14/2026

Sometimes Midterm Week calls for a little bit of kitten therapy. Two-week-old Lumiere (“Lumy”) spent today making new friends in the Priest House. (She has to be bottle fed every 3.5 hours, so she came to work with her temporary foster mama, Professor Lindsey Kingston.) Lumiere will be available for adoption through Stray Rescue of St. Louis in about eight weeks.

Today we are celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Here is some information about the holiday from Melinda Maynor Lowery,...
10/12/2026

Today we are celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Here is some information about the holiday from Melinda Maynor Lowery, Professor of History and Director, Center for the Study of the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:

In the 1980s, Colorado’s American Indian Movement chapter began protesting the celebration of Columbus Day. In 1989, activists in South Dakota persuaded the state to replace Columbus Day with Native American Day. Both states have large Native populations that played active roles in the Red Power Movement in the 1960s and 1970s, which sought to make American Indian people more politically visible.

Then, in 1992, at the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage, American Indians in Berkeley, California, organized the first “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” a holiday the city council soon formally adopted. Berkeley has since replaced its commemoration of Columbus with a celebration of indigenous people.

The holiday can also trace its origins to the United Nations. In 1977, indigenous leaders from around the world organized a United Nations conference in Geneva to promote indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. Their first recommendation was “to observe October 12, the day of so-called ‘discovery’ of America, as an International Day of Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.” It took another 30 years for their work to be formally recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted in September 2007.

10/06/2026

Internship opportunity!

Bake sale! The AES (audio engineering society) is hosting a bake sale on Tuesday, October 6, in the quad by Sverdrup fro...
10/06/2026

Bake sale! The AES (audio engineering society) is hosting a bake sale on Tuesday, October 6, in the quad by Sverdrup from 10am-2pm. Students are hosting this event to fundraise for a trip to the National Audio Engineering Society’s convention in Nashville. They’ll have many festive treats like mini pies, chocolate chip cookies, caramel apple cheesecake, and pumpkin spice syrup for drinks. All prices are kept under $10. There will be music playing, and we’d love to see you there!

Current Problems in Human Rights is being taught online by Professor Lindsey Kingston in Spring 1 (HRTS 2500.OA). If we ...
10/02/2026

Current Problems in Human Rights is being taught online by Professor Lindsey Kingston in Spring 1 (HRTS 2500.OA). If we have the demand (which we usually do!), we’ll also offer a second online section in Spring 2 (HRTS 2500.QA), with the instructor to be determined. This course is GCP-coded for GLBL and INTC, and it is also required for both the Human Rights minor and the Human Rights emphasis in International Relations. This intensive course tackles a different human rights issue every week for eight weeks (including forced displacement and LGBTQ+ rights), with space to conduct your own web research while engaging with classmates via online forums.

Professor John Chappell is offering his course on the Vietnam War, which is cross listed in both History and Human Right...
10/01/2026

Professor John Chappell is offering his course on the Vietnam War, which is cross listed in both History and Human Rights. (To count this class toward your Human Rights minor or a Human Rights emphasis in the International Relations program, register for HRTS 2086.01.) This course is offered Tuesdays/Thursdays from 10-11:20 a.m. Professor Chappell reflects: “My years of studying and teaching this subject have centered on trying to answer a simple but haunting question - Why? Why did 58,000 Americans die in a small Asian nation thousands of miles from the United States? Beyond that, it is important that Americans gain insight and understanding about the war’s devastating impact on Vietnam and its people. Vietnamese losses include 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers, more than 1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Minh fighters, and 2 million civilians throughout Vietnam.”

If you’re interested in learning more about human rights and global politics but the news can feel pretty overwhelming, ...
09/30/2026

If you’re interested in learning more about human rights and global politics but the news can feel pretty overwhelming, join Professor Lindsey Kingston next semester for “Introduction to Human Rights” (HRTS 1100.01) on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 10-11:20 a.m. We’ll learn how to be critical consumers of information, how to view the news through the lens of human rights norms, and how rights represent a (sometimes shaky) foundation of government. This course is GCP-coded for SSHB and ETH, and it is also required for both the Human Rights minor and the Human Rights emphasis in International Relations.

Address

H. Sam Priest 205, Webster University, 470 E. Lockwood Avenue
St. Louis, MO
63119

Telephone

(314) 246-8794

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