The B.A. in Human Rights equips students with the knowledge, skills, and awareness necessary to become engaged in fields that directly promote human rights, especially in the public and non-profit sectors. The program offers students the opportunity to learn how to analyze human rights issues and controversies in the 21st century and make a difference in societies and communities at home and abroad. This degree is novel because it combines both academic learning and applied engagement—currently, only a handful of other universities across the United States offer such a program.

What are Human Rights?

Human rights are rights that are inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, disability, or any other status. They include basic rights like the right to life and liberty, freedom from genocide, slavery, and torture, and the right to equality and non-discrimination. They are laid down in international documents and treaties, most famously the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is the most comprehensive human rights catalog.

Human rights are often divided in three categories:

• Civil and political rights: Civil and political rights are the rights we call civil liberties in the U.S. They include for example freedom of expression, opinion, and assembly, the right to vote, and the right to be equal before a court of law. They were developed in response to the revolutions against monarchical rule and colonial reign in the 18th century such as the French Revolution and inspired documents like the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.
• Economic, social, and cultural rights: Economic, social, and cultural rights include the right to housing, the right to education, the right to health, the right to work, and the right to science and culture. They are designed to address socioeconomic issues like poverty, inequity, and international development.
• Solidarity rights: Solidarity rights are rights that go beyond the framework of individual human rights and focus on collective concepts that affect all of humanity. They are largely unofficial, but include the right to peace, the right to a sustainable environment, and the right to humanitarian and environmental disaster relief.  They are part of a trend to frame more and more global issues in a human rights context as most of these larger problems, like climate change and war, affect individuals in their everyday life.

Contact Us

Tina Kempin Reuter, Ph.D., Director

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(205) 975-6492
401 University Blvd., Office 551
Birmingham, AL 35294-1152

Location

The Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights program is located on the fifth floor of Heritage Hall. Directions are available through the UAB campus map.