Courses
Please note that not every course listed is offered each year and students should consult STU Self Service for current course offerings.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
HMRT-1003. Introduction to Human Rights
This course will introduce students to the study of human rights by investigating the question What are human rights? 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.
HMRT-2013. Research Methods
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.
HMRT-2023. Human Rights and Literature
This course will explore various human rights questions through an examination of relevant legal documents paired with literary works from a variety of genres (from drama to memoir) that address each issue. The course is intended to give students an understanding of some of the most pressing human rights issues of the past and today, ranging from slavery to economic inequalities.
HMRT-2033. Human Rights in Theory and Practice
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. Prerequisite: HMRT 1003: Introduction to Human Rights
HMRT-2043. Non-Western Perspectives on Human Rights
This course will explore philosophic and religious sources outside the Western canon, on which Human Rights discourse can be and has been based. The culture spheres of interest will be the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. This course critically analyzes non-western theories concerning the practice of human rights as a framework for social justice. The course seeks to place Western Human Rights discourse in a global context by drawing attention to ways in which non-Western cultures have addressed questions of individual versus group or state rights, the metaphysical and political sources of rights, and the possibility of universal human dignity.
HMRT-2113. Exploring Disability
This course is an introduction to disability studies using a human rights framework, but also examining the issues from a multidisciplinary approach. The course starts by examining the history of disability and societal constructions of disability, including in media, workplaces, family, and environmental barriers. We will examine ableism and ageism in society and how invisible and physical disabilities, including mental health and neurodiversity intersect with our culture and institutions. Ultimately, this course will challenge cultural representations of disability in society by reframing disability as an issue of oppression, access, inclusion, and equality. Prerequisite: HMRT 1003.
HMRT-2233. Gender in the Global South (ECON 2303)
This course will critically examine the role of women in the Third World. It will concentrate largely on the changes in these roles and their correspondence with the transition from traditional to new forms of economic organization,production, and power.
HMRT-3013. Discrimination and the Law in Canada
This course will focus on domestic human rights codes and human rights commissions. Special attention will be given to the New Brunswick Human Rights Code and the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission.
HMRT-3033. Philosophy of Human Rights
This course will introduce students to philosophical questions concerning the foundations of human rights. What are human rights based on? What makes something a human right? Are human rights universally and permanently valid or is the notion of human rights merely a construct of modern Western culture? The course will familiarize students with alternative theoretical answers to these and other related questions.
HMRT-3063. Genocide, War Crimes, and Crimes Against Humanity
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. Prerequisite: HMRT 1003: Introduction to Human Rights.
HMRT-3073. Human Rights Internship
This course exposes students to the practice of human rights by completing a supervised internship with a local community partner organization. Students are required to complete short weekly reports and a detailed final report that encourages them to reflect on the relationship between that experience and their formal human rights studies. Instructor's consent is required to register for this course. Students should request registration as soon as possible once registration opens for the academic year. New registrations cannot be accepted once the course has officially commenced. Prerequisite: HMRT 1003: Introduction to Human Rights.
HMRT-3113. The Rights Revolution in Canada
This course primarily examines the impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. After an introductory discussion of the Bill of Rights and the development of the Charter, instruction focuses on a number of Supreme Court decisions interpreting the meaning of the Charter's provisions. Prerequisite: HMRT 1003: Introduction to Human Rights
HMRT-3123. International Human Rights
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.
HMRT-3133. Human Rights Advocacy, Activism and Social Justice
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of non-courtroom-based human rights advocacy and activism. As such it complements other practitioner-oriented offerings in the program, helping to prepare students for careers in human rights by providing practical tools for application in a variety of contexts - as individual advocates/activists, working in a particular human rights agency, NGO or community-based non-profit, or for broader human rights/social movement building. Recommended preparation: HMRT 1003: Introduction to Human Rights
HMRT-3153. Popular Culture and 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.
HMRT-3203. Human Rights Advocacy Through Social Media
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 several case studies. Prerequisites: HMRT 1003 - Introduction to Human Rights.
HMRT-3233. Environment and Human Rights (ENVS)
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.
HMRT-3503. Moot Court
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.
HMRT-3513. Moot Court II
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.
HMRT-3523. Moot Court III
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.
HMRT-3543. Human Rights and Foreign Policy
This course considers human rights in international relations and foreign policy from the point of view of constraints on sovereignty. With background from the 19th and 20th centuries up to WWII, it concentrates on the promotion and protection of human rights in the post-war period. Topics covered include: the UN system of human rights and the international and domestic politics of human rights as evidenced in foreign policy, Canadian in particular.
HMRT-3603. Thesis Proposal
The purpose of this course is to guide students interested in writing an honours thesis through their initial research process. Students will develop a research question and/or hypothesis, examine their methodology, conduct a literature review and prepare a substantial annotated bibliography. Classes are held throughout the term to assess progress towards the completion of the final proposal. A completed thesis proposal is required to move on in the honours program.
HMRT-3633. 2SLGBTQIA and Human Rights (WSGS)
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.
HMRT-3803. Human Rights of the Child And Seniors
This course examines the legal human rights structures in Canada and internationally, as they apply to children, adolescents, and seniors in unique and rapidly evolving ways. The primary focus is domestic human rights legislation under provincial and federal human rights Acts. Various legal regimes, both local and international, related to immigration/refugee law, privacy law, health law, criminal law, education law, Aboriginal law, welfare law, and other areas are surveyed.
HMRT-3903. Business and Human Rights
This course examines the social responsibility of corporations through a business and human rights lens. Students explore equitable employment practices, the right to a healthy work environment, equal pay for equal work, protection from discrimination, harassment, and exploitation, and the right to form and join trade unions. This course explores strategies for preventing such violations, the extent to which businesses are legally obligated to respect human rights, and the type of recourse and remedies available when rights are violated.
HMRT-4013. Capstone Seminar
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.
HMRT-4023. Independent Study
Under the direction of a member or members of the Department and with the permission of the Chair, students explore a topic related to human rights. The course is limited to students with a proven academic record. Prerequisite: HMRT 1003 Introduction to Human Rights.
HMRT-4043. Political Rights and Their Limits
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.
HMRT-4063. Honours Thesis
This course is the written component of the honours program and is an extended research paper on a topic written under the supervision of a thesis director. Students must have completed HMRT 3603, Thesis Proposal, with a minimum grade of B to take HMRT 4063. Upon completion, the thesis is defended in front of the student's thesis committee as well as invited members of the human rights faculty.