Human Rights
Administrative Information
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Prof. Samuel Moyn, 501 Fayerweather; 854-3009; sam2008@columbia.edu
Program Office: Institute for the Study of Human Rights; 91 Claremont Avenue, 7th Floor; 851-9703; humanrightsed@columbia.edu
Program Overview
Human rights are central to contemporary understandings of justice and equality, and have crucial bearing on the ability to assess and respond to emerging technological, economic, social, and political issues.
The Undergraduate Human Rights Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights seeks to engage students in this dynamic and evolving field and enhance their knowledge, skills, and commitment to human rights.
The program offers a major and a concentration in human rights, provides students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and explore their interests in human rights outside the classroom, and works to strengthen and support the undergraduate human rights community on campus.
Additional information on academic and extracurricular events, opportunities, and resources for undergraduate human rights students is available on the program's website.
To set up an advising appointment, please email humanrightsed@columbia.edu
Departmental Honors
To be awarded departmental honors, a student must satisfy all the requirements for the major, maintain a 3.6 GPA in the major, maintain an overall GPA of 3.6, and complete a thesis of sufficiently high quality to merit honors. A thesis is required of all students who wish to be considered for honors, but does not guarantee honors.
Students write the thesis in HRTS W3996 Human rights thesis seminar in the spring. Please see department website for additional information regarding the application and deadlines.