Graduate Course List

This page provides an overview of our course offerings, to help students as they make decisions and plans for the academic year ahead. Please note that this schedule will be updated periodically and may be subject to change. Students are encouraged not only to revisit this page but also to confirm the course listings in the online Directory of Courses and Vergil, where course descriptions and class meeting times will be posted.
  • ISHR Spring 2026 Graduate Courses
  • HRTS GR6990 Human Rights Research Seminar
  • HRTS 6800GR International Human Rights Law 
  • HRTS GU4270 Digital Advocacy for Human Rights: Social Media and Open Source Intelligence
  • HRTS GU4380 Advocacy for Socio-Economic Rights
  • HRTS GU4460 Climate Justice 
  • HRTS GU4930 International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights 
  • HRTS GU4940 Human Rights and Education 
  • HRTS GU4975 Borders, Surveillance, Rights 
  • HROH GR555 Oral History & Justice: Memory, Power, and Trauma 

As part of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), our students take courses in a range of departments, including Political Science, Religion, Anthropology, Women’s Studies, and Sociology. Students can also take human rights related courses offered by other schools at Columbia.

Each semester, the program publishes a list of courses of potential interest to graduate students. We try to keep this information as up-to-date as possible, but students should also consult the Directory of Classes, departments offering the course, and school bulletins for additional course information when planning their course schedules.

This course list is subject to change upon receipt of additional course information. If you would like to suggest an addition or modification to this list, please email relevant course information and syllabi to humanrightsed@columbia.edu. Courses that are not on the pre-approved list may also fulfill degree requirements if the student can demonstrate that he or she can complete substantial coursework specifically focusing on human rights in that course.

Before each semester’s registration period, students should confer with the program to verify that courses of interest fulfill degree requirements.

Approval of a class for the degree does not guarantee enrollment in that course. Students are responsible for following all registration and cross-registration procedures. Consult the Directory of Classes and individual departments/instructors regarding any permission/application/prerequisites needed for a course.

Types of Courses

Pre-Approved Courses

Pre-Approved Courses automatically count towards the degree as an elective human rights course. They fulfill the concentration requirement of the degree, depending on the student’s selected concentration.

Additional courses

These courses are additional courses of potential interest to human rights students. Courses on this list, as well as others listed on the Directory of Classes, may fulfill degree requirements if the student can demonstrate that he or she can complete substantial coursework specifically focusing on human rights. Students who would like to count one of these courses towards the degree should consult with the program.

 

Dept Course # Format Title Instructor(s) Credits
ANTH GR6155 LEC Righting Wrongs Scott, David 3.0
ARCH GU4300 SEM The Just City: Global Debates in Urban Planning and Policy Smith, Nick 4.0
CLSL GU4012 SEM Holocaust Literature: Critical Thinking Dynes, Offer 3.0
CPLS GU4162 SEM Transnational Feminisms: China and Beyond Hong Fincher, Leta 3.0
CSER GU4004 SEM Data, Race, Power and Justice Luna Lucero, Brian 4.0
CSER GU4350 SEM Cinema of Subversion Gamalinda, Eric 4.0
CSER GU4340 SEM Visionary Medicine: Racial Justice, Health and Speculative Fictions Dasgupta, Sayantani 4.0
ECON GU4480 LEC Gender and Applied Economics Edlund, Lena 3.0
EMPA U6452 SEM Social Justice Movements in the Age of Social Media Greenberg, Richard 3.0
HRGE IA7310 SEM Climate Change, Rights, and Development Medina, Monica 3.0
HRGE IA7465 SEM Gender, Conflict, and Peacebuilding Klein, Jennifer 1.5
HRGE IA7740 SEM Campaigning for Change- Media, Mobilization and the Power of Persuasion Worden, Mary 3.0
HROH GR5555 SEM Oral History and Justice: Memory, Power and Trauma Vijayan, Suchitra 4.0
HRTS GR6800 SEM International Human Rights Law Dugard, Jackie 3.0
HRTS GR6990 SEM Human Rights Research Seminar Molavi, Shourideh 3.0
HRTS GU4380 SEM Advocacy for Socio-Economic Rights Rosenthal, Mila 3.0
HRTS GU4460 SEM Climate Justice Dugard, Jackie 3.0
HRTS GU4930 SEM Int'l Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Cronin, Bruce 4.0
HRTS GU4940 SEM Human Rights and Education Mitoma, Glenn 3.0
HRTS GU4975 SEM Borders, Surveillance, Rights Molavi, Shourideh 3.0
INAF U6123 SEM Storytelling for Social Change: Skills and Narratives Chisholm, Nicole Jamiyla 3.0
INAF U6202 SEM Internet Governance and Human Rights Micek, Peter 3.0
INAF U6405 LEC Human Rights and the Politics of Inequality Braun, Rainer 3.0
INAF U6462 SEM Collaborative Social Justice and Health Policy Goldberg, Rose 1.0
INAF U8166 SEM Rethinking Human Rights and Humanitarianism Heinrich, Andrew 3.0
INAF U8180 SEM Human Rights Skills and Advocacy Becker, Jo 3.0
ISDI IA7065 SEM Data and Conflict Dawkins, Sophia 3.0
LAW GR8829 SEM COL-INTL Human Rights Advocacy Shamsi, Hina 2.0
LAW L8006 SEM Domestic Violence and the Law Leidholdt, Dorchen 2.0
LAW L9383 SEM International Humanitarian Law Rona, Gabor 2.0
POLS GR8806 COLLOQUIA Politics in the World Economy Carnegie, Allison 4.0
POPF P8607 LEC Health and Human Rights Advocacy Schaaf, Marta 1.5
POPF P8609 SEM Human Rights Issues in Infectious Disease Emergencies Abdool Karim, Safura 1.5
POPF P8635 SEM Realizing Global LGBTI Health and Human Rights: Activism, Advocacy, and Humanitarian Action Klindera, Kent 1.5
POPF P8686 LEC Human Rights Law, Accountability and Governance De Vos, Christian 1.5
PSYC GU4612 SEM Frontiers of Justice Dixon, Peter 4.0
PUAF U8353 SEM Race Policy and American Politics Greer, Christina 3.0
REGN IA6308 SEM European Union Human Rights: Law and Policy Wouters, Jan 1.5
REGN U6149 SEM Energy, Corporate Responsibility, and Human Rights Radon, Jenik 3.0
REGN U6410 SEM Social Movements and Citizenship in Africa Prais, Jinny 3.0
SOSC P8709 LEC Seminar in Sexuality, Gender, Health, and Human Rights Smith, Martez 3.0
SUMA K5888 LEC Geographies of Environmental Justice and Sustainability Williams, John 3.0
SUMA PS4490 LEC Women in Cities Blaustein, Susan 3.0
SUMA PS5040 LEC ESG-Aligned Corporate Governance Murphy, Bridget 3.0
SUMA PS5250 LEC Building a Sustainable Detroit: A Case Study in Urban Resilience Givens Davidson, Donna 3.0
WMST GU4330 SEM SWANA Diasporas: Culture, Politics, and Identity Formation in a Time of War Moradian, Manijeh 4.0