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Renowned Universities with Human Rights Centers

 

Columbia University Law School, Human Rights Institute

Columbia Law School in New York City, New York, is home to the prestigious Human Rights Institute, which was founded in 1998. The institute partners with the university’s Human Rights Clinic to provide representation for individuals whose rights have been infringed on and provides students in the university’s Master of Laws in human rights program with the opportunity to gain real-world experience dealing with the defense of human rights.

Emory University, The Carter Center

Emory University of Atlanta, Georgia, is home to The Carter Center, which was named in honor of its patrons, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The center’s mission is to conduct research and field work that explores answers to the most challenging and pervasive human rights problems and encourages nonpartisan cooperation among U.S. politicians to affect change.

Harvard Law School Human Rights Program

Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been home to a Human Rights Program since 1984. Initially, the program was focused solely on research into various subjects of human rights, but today, it is also actively involved in advocacy with its Human Rights Clinic. Graduate students have an opportunity to attend classes, conduct independent research and collaborate on large-scale human rights projects through the program.

Notre Dame Law School, Center for Civil and Human Rights

Notre Dame Law School is known for the Center for Civil and Human Rights, which has a number of important missions: The center offers two degree programs for law students who wish to further their education with a focus on human rights law and it provides internship opportunities for graduate students. In addition, the center provides pro bono research assistance and hosts speakers from around the world.

University of California, Berkeley, Human Rights Center

The University of California, Berkeley, has one of the most well known human rights institutions in the world, with their Human Rights Center, affiliated with the School of Law. Its primary mission is advocacy. The center provides a voice for victims of human rights violations and mass atrocities and is involved with lobbying on both the national and international levels.

University of Chicago, Center for International Studies Human Rights Program

The University of Chicago offers its Center for International Studies Human Rights Program through the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights. The center was established in 1998 and was renamed in honor of donors Richard and Ann Pozen in 2014. Through the Pozen Center, students can take courses in human rights and participate in a prestigious summer internship program. The center also conducts research into human rights issues.

University of Minnesota Human Rights Center

The University of Minnesota was one of the first universities in the United States to form a Human Rights Center, founding their institute back in 1988 on the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since then, the center has worked diligently to shed light on human rights abuses around the world and provided numerous opportunities for research and scholarship.

Washington College of Law, American University, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

The Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C., sponsors the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Since 1990, the center has helped to further the efforts of human rights campaigns around the world and has contributed much to the field of human rights law through the ongoing research of the center’s students, faculty and research fellows.

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Human Rights Careers

Human Rights Careers (HRC) provides information about online courses, jobs, paid internships, masters degrees, scholarships and other opportunities in the human rights sector and related areas.