King's launches new Human Rights Studies program

Written by Aysenur Ece Kurt ‘19, Communications Intern

King’s University College is pleased to announce a new Human Rights Studies program starting in Fall 2020. It is a collaborative degree program that integrates approaches from across several academic disciplines to provide students with a critical understanding of, and experience in, the growing field of Human Rights. Various courses in the program will encourage students to explore topics such as women’s rights; gender rights, the rights of minorities; refugees and displaced persons; Indigenous rights; as well as responses to human rights violations in domestic and international law. Human Rights Studies is a growing field that examines how different groups have understood and fought for expanded rights protection throughout history.

“These are the most fundamental rights and freedoms belonging to all human beings, including equality, dignity, the right to work and to education, and freedom of opinion and expression.  The United Nations declares that ‘everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination,’” says Dr. Robert Ventresca, Professor in King’s Department of History.

“The major or minor in Human Rights Studies will provide students with subject knowledge and practical skills. This area of study leads students to engage in informed debate, identify theoretical and practical questions, and use historical and contemporary examples to formulate an argument on the universality of human rights (as an idea) and of the modern system of human rights (in practice),” adds Dr.Ventresca.

Students will engage with expert faculty and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines on topics related to the origins and development of human rights. They will examine human rights in various fields of study and practice, including law, education, journalism, humanitarian relief and law enforcement.

“Even though we say that everyone is entitled to these basic rights and freedoms, many individuals and groups in Canada and around the world still are systematically deprived of these rights, often by powerful actors like governments and industry. There is an urgent need to understand what human rights are, where they come from, and how they can be used today to protect vulnerable individuals and groups from powerful institutions and actors,” says Dr. Ventresca.

To register in the major or minor in Human Rights Studies, check out the list of courses that you can take at: https://www.kings.uwo.ca/academics/human-rights-studies/