The Human Rights Program at Purdue

A collaboration between the departments of History, Philosophy, and Political Science, the Human Rights Program at Purdue is dedicated to researching and teaching global human rights issues. Our students will come away with a deeper understanding of a human rights narrative that belongs to the world, its politics and ideas, and our own humanity.

Undergraduate students interested in the Human Rights Program are encouraged to explore the Human Rights Studies Minor.

Graduate students who are enrolled at Purdue University may be eligible to pursue the Human Rights Studies graduate concentration.

The Human Rights Program's Mission Statement

As a moral principle and political force, Human Rights belongs inescapably to the experience of globalization. Everywhere you look, today’s leading political, economic, and cultural questions turn on disputes over the meaning and role of human rights. How we frame and use the language of human rights shapes our relationship with the world and our understanding of our own humanity.

The field of Human Rights is intrinsically interdisciplinary. While housed in the department of Philosophy, the Human Rights Program integrates studies in history, theory, and application. The program plays a key role in fulfilling the mission of the College of Liberal Arts, advancing intellectual synergies across the university with scholarly training, activity, and community engagement. In so doing, it brings the value of the study of the liberal arts to students in other colleges.

We are committed to:

• fostering an environment of inquiry and creating a space for the open exchange of ideas about Human Rights;
• providing vital practical training, enabling students to hone research, writing, and critical thinking skills, and to acquire valuable experience;
• exploring how Human Rights connects us to other people, places, and times;
• and continuing to promote and redefine the impact of a liberal arts education.