It’s sometimes referred to as the stepping stone to law school or the introduction to a career engrained within the community. A degree in human rights means a plethora of learning opportunities in diversity and global studies, as well as an introduction to the laws and institutions in place that protect these rights.  

“The program has been running for five years, so if you ask the students why they’re interested or what they’re doing when they’re out of the program, the most common career goal for them is law school,” says Dean Peachey, coordinator of the BA in human rights and global studies and executive director of the Global College at the University of Winnipeg. “Many students are seeing this as a pre-law program and others are in because they say they want to work internationally with NGOs or humanitarian organizations.”

The program covers a gamut of human rights issues, both globally and on a local scale, says Peachy. “We have a core set of courses dealing with human rights issues and, as a interdisciplinary program, it will draw courses from other departments on campus” like political science, women and gender studies, and history.

The BA in human rights and human diversity at Laurier University has “courses that focus on violation and issues, as well as courses that look at institutions that help protect human rights, like the UN and the Charter [of Human Rights],” explains Dr. Andrew Robinson, program coordinator of human rights and human diversity and associate professor at Laurier University.

A common interest for many students in both programs is the study of LGBT human rights. Peachey says the topic gets students to start questioning: “What are rights? What do they mean? And what happens when one set of rights conflicts with the other?”

With their curiosity at its peak, students at Laurier University have the opportunity to further learn about these issues. “We have gender theories and culture where they can learn more about the theoretical issues,” says Dr. Robinson. “In terms of those issues, right off in the first-year course, we look at gender in terms of gay and lesbian rights and movements,” adding that students can also focus on organization-based work, like fundraising and advocacy. 

With Laurier University’s internship opportunity, some students have the chance to travel to Ghana and work with the Human Rights and Advocacy Centre, which is on the leading edge for LGBT rights advocacy in Ghana.  “It’s a very controversial issue, as you may be aware, in Africa,” says Dr. Robinson, “and it’s interesting for students who are interested in those kind of issues to look at what it’s like in the developing world and compare it to what it’s like in Canada.”

For students studying towards a career in law with a focus on human rights, Jennifer Lau, associate director of career services at the Faculty of Law at Allard Hall at the University of British Columbia, suggests to acquire a strong background in law courses like constitutional, administrative, and family law. “Find like-minded law students and lawyers and build a community of support,” she says. “Learn from leading lawyers who are also giving back to the community and demonstrate your interest in a particular issue or community.”

Photo: Atypeek/THINKSTOCK

It’s sometimes referred to as the stepping stone to law school or the introduction to a career engrained within the community. A degree in human rights means a plethora of learning opportunities in diversity and global studies, as well as an introduction to the laws and institutions in place that protect these rights. ┬á

“The program has been running for five years, so if you ask the students why they’re interested or what they’re doing when they’re out of the program, the most common career goal for them is law school,” says Dean Peachey, coordinator of the BA in human rights and global studies and executive director of the Global College at the University of Winnipeg. “Many students are seeing this as a pre-law program and others are in because they say they want to work internationally with NGOs or humanitarian organizations.”

The program covers a gamut of human rights issues, both globally and on a local scale, says Peachy. “We have a core set of courses dealing with human rights issues and, as a interdisciplinary program, it will draw courses from other departments on campus” like political science, women and gender studies, and history.

The BA in human rights and human diversity at Laurier University has “courses that focus on violation and issues, as well as courses that look at institutions that help protect human rights, like the UN and the Charter [of Human Rights],” explains Dr. Andrew Robinson, program coordinator of human rights and human diversity and associate professor at Laurier University.

A common interest for many students in both programs is the study of LGBT human rights. Peachey says the topic gets students to start questioning: “What are rights? What do they mean? And what happens when one set of rights conflicts with the other?”

With their curiosity at its peak, students at Laurier University have the opportunity to further learn about these issues. “We have gender theories and culture where they can learn more about the theoretical issues,” says Dr. Robinson. “In terms of those issues, right off in the first-year course, we look at gender in terms of gay and lesbian rights and movements,” adding that students can also focus on organization-based work, like fundraising and advocacy.┬á

With Laurier University’s internship opportunity, some students have the chance to travel to Ghana and work with the Human Rights and Advocacy Centre, which is on the leading edge for LGBT rights advocacy in Ghana.┬á “It’s a very controversial issue, as you may be aware, in Africa,” says Dr. Robinson, “and it’s interesting for students who are interested in those kind of issues to look at what it’s like in the developing world and compare it to what it’s like in Canada.”

For students studying towards a career in law with a focus on human rights, Jennifer Lau, associate director of career services at the Faculty of Law at Allard Hall at the University of British Columbia, suggests to acquire a strong background in law courses like constitutional, administrative, and family law. “Find like-minded law students and lawyers and build a community of support,” she says. “Learn from leading lawyers who are also giving back to the community and demonstrate your interest in a particular issue or community.”

Photo: Atypeek/THINKSTOCK