Major Spotlight: Human Rights
How does Human Rights at Barnard work?
The Human Rights department at Barnard is a combined, interdisciplinary major that examines Human Rights frameworks, principles, and theories by analyzing data, cause-effect relations, and remedial/response strategies.
Due to its interdisciplinary nature, every Human Rights major pursues it alongside a related discipline. For example, a Barnard student majoring in Biology and Human Rights would take the necessary requisites for the biology major in addition to complementary human rights coursework, encouraging the student to draw connections between both disciplines. This would look like around ten biology courses and six human rights courses during your four years at Barnard. Common combined majors include Political Science, History, Urban Studies, and American Studies.
Because the combined major in human rights is highly personalized, Lahari, Mahabuba, and Tal will share each of their experiences with the department!
What is your combined major?
Lahari: Neuroscience and Human Rights.
Mahabuba: Urban Studies (with a concentration in Public Health) and Human Rights
Tal: English and Human Rights! I also minor in Spanish & Urban Teaching, which are very related.
What is your favorite Human Rights Class?
Starting off, there are certain courses everyone with a combined major in human rights are required to take (as of Spring 2026). The major consists of one introductory course, two core courses (these are specific to the human rights discipline itself), and three related courses (these typically reflect the student’s personal interests and/or specialization). Students pick their core and related courses from interdisciplinary lists—you can check out the current options here! Additionally, there is a senior thesis on a human rights topic of your choosing; this can be complementary to your combined major, and your advisor will support you in figuring out your senior project. For example, a student majoring in History and Human Rights may examine the United States’ history of segregation in education, evaluating it in the context of human rights. If human rights cannot be complemented with your primary major’s thesis (such as Chemistry), then it is possible to write a human rights paper to fulfill this requirement.
There are many courses offered that satisfy the human rights major requirements across many disciplines and scales. Below are Lahari, Mahabuba, and Tal’s personal favorites:
Lahari: “Human Rights in Theory & Practice” with Professor Widney Brown. This is the first and only human rights course I have taken so far, but this class inspired me to declare the Human Rights major. I have a very STEM-oriented mindset, so challenging that by encouraging independent thought supported by analysis and historical perspective has really pushed me to think about the world and global events in a comprehensive way. This class alternates between lecture and discussion, with each week focusing on a different topic in human rights (such as human rights and education, or human rights and health).
Mahabuba: “Human Rights and Public Health: A Seminar” by Prof. Widney Brown. We were a small group of students, and we met weekly to discuss human rights frameworks that can be applied to public health issues. We focused on diverse topics, from drug use to abortion rights and everything in between. For my final assignment, I examined how a rural village in Bangladesh had high arsenic levels in drinking water—a failure of state and international laws. This course was deeply enriching and engaging, ultimately encouraging me to declare Human Rights as a major.
Tal: Prof. Jennifer Trowbridge’s “Seeking Sanctuary in NYC.” We studied the US asylum system, specifically how Latin American citizens have engaged with the system, and how that’s changed US immigration laws. We focused on the broader scope of international protection, borders, and ideas of deservingness and innocence. This course was an engaged pedagogy course, so we also had the opportunity to collaborate with an NYC legal organization representing asylum seekers and connect our theoretical work to the lived experiences of system-impacted communities.
Essentially, most classes center around human rights and their applications on different scales of the globe. The introductory class examines different rights and their deliberation broadly, while the seminar in human rights and public health expands on the right to health in specific contexts. “Seeking Sanctuary in NYC” studies migration and allows students to actively demonstrate their learning. These human rights courses appeal to many interests, encouraging active engagement.
What do you like most about Barnard’s Human Rights program?
Mahabuba: I really love that there are people from diverse experiences coming together to pursue their passion for human rights together. I have peers from the Architecture, History, and Computer Science departments who focus on distinct human rights topics, such as hostile architecture to unhoused individuals as a violation of human rights, or implications of AI on human rights laws. But we all come together to understand international laws, the practicality of these laws, and how human rights laws can be applied to protect the most vulnerable populations in our communities.
Lahari: I love that you can explore your own niche within human rights, and for that reason, I recommend the Human Rights major for anyone interested in social justice. Additionally, it’s a relatively straightforward major with a few requirements, so most people can fit it into their 4-year plan. Everyone at Barnard is interested in so many niche intersections, and I believe that the Human Rights department addresses, supports, and encourages this intellectual curiosity.
Tal: I really appreciate the flexibility in taking courses with related departments. For your required three “related courses,” you are able to petition any class that is related to human rights, many of which are. I was able to count some of my favorite classes toward my major, including a Religion class, “Climate & Religion,” a Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities class, “Intro to Sexuality Studies,” and an American Studies class, “Abortion in Context.”
How have you applied Human Rights in practice?
Lahari: I wrote a paper for the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review detailing how lawyers have been tackling the opioid crisis and its perpetrators by framing the issue as a violation of human rights, causing “public nuisance.” I used to look at human rights through a legal lens, but through my coursework, I’ve found that I can incorporate data and statistical analysis in order to quantify the necessity of human rights. Currently, in my introductory human rights class, I’m investigating the use of medical assistance in dying in Belgium, and how it is applicable for those with psychiatric conditions to request it; I am specifically employing statistics and data to look at the safeguards in place because current human rights framework does not outline how to approach medical euthanasia. Overall, I find that I like analyzing the relationship between statistics and human rights, as many of the issues I am interested in have underdeveloped legal foundations.
Mahabuba: I am writing my senior thesis on the intersections of reproductive health and human rights for young college students in NYC. The human rights courses have solidified my foundational understanding of how reproductive health laws are upheld and violated. I have been interviewing college students across NYC to understand their experiences with the medical system and how their access to these rights is limited due to structural barriers. As a student from NYC, it has been an incredible experience analyzing how reproductive rights are human rights, as well as their application in the real world and in my own city.
Tal: I’m writing my senior thesis on human rights, environmental law, & ecotheologies toward justice, following religious theories and belief systems I explored in the class “Climate, Religion, & the Anthropocene.” I’ve gotten to weave in work by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Patty Krawec, some of my favorite thinkers! Human rights have certainly applied to a lot of the other work I’ve done in the city as a college student, including as an intern at the Lesbian Herstory Archives, a volunteer at various organizations, and as a student teacher in the DOE. I appreciate the strong knowledge of the human rights regime I’ve gained in my foundational courses, as well as the interdisciplinary and extra-curricular experiences that have helped me consider the actualities of human rights work and law.
Lahari, Mahabuba, and Tal all conducted human rights research in various modes, including quantitative data analysis, interviews with NYC college students, theoretical work, and archival work. This department allowed them the freedom to focus on a specific research niche while ensuring they all had a background in International Human Rights Law.
Conclusion
Overall, Barnard offers the opportunity to engage in a multitude of topics through the human rights courses and conversations. Barnard’s Human Rights department draws many students together in the pursuit of knowledge and practice, given its interdisciplinary structure. Having taken a variety of unique human rights courses throughout their time at Barnard, Lahari, Mahabuba, and Tal appreciate the flexibility of the major, the variety of classes offered, and the incredible, passionate professors they learned from. At Barnard, human rights is not simply a legal concept—it is taught with multiple perspectives and frameworks so students can actively apply their learning in their communities.