Human Rights Studies Minor
Learn how we each can play a part in advancing global human rights in the places where we live, play, and work.
College of Arts & Sciences | On-Campus
Program Options
Through three core courses and three electives, you’ll develop an understanding of human rights in the context of global and intercultural issues while learning how you can improve the lives of others.
Human Rights Studies Minor
Required classes examine different perspectives on human rights and the tensions that sometimes arise between them; the ways transnational advocacy networks have influenced human rights, peace, the environment, development, labor, and gender; and the intersection of human rights and international politics. Students then select three electives from an approved course list.
Meet the Faculty
Faculty who pursue scholarship in areas as diverse as global health, the United Nations, East Asian politics, American public opinion, public participation in democracy, international political economy, and American foreign policy guide your introduction to human rights theories and their real-world applications.
Debra DeLaet
David E. Maxwell Distinguished Professor of International Affairs; Professor, Political Science
Outside the Classroom
All Bulldogs are encouraged to think about ways their knowledge can serve the Des Moines community and the world. While the Human Rights Studies minor has no experiential requirement, several opportunities open to Department of Political Science students let you observe human rights theories in several contexts.
Internships and Volunteering
See how ideas become policy—and knowledge becomes power—through The Washington Center and the Washington Semester, or right here on campus with The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement and Vote Smart. Or act on your convictions through local refugee assistance organizations, the World Food Prize, and other groups.
Study Abroad
Witnessing everyday life in other countries offers insight into the human experience that can shape your approach to human rights issues and your understanding of how theories apply at local and global levels.
Iowa Caucuses
Democracies thrive when people exercise their rights as citizens. Iowans have a unique view on the political process through our first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. Participate in voter drives, engage with candidates, see journalists at work, and make other connections as a Drake student.
Nationally Televised Candidate Debates
Drake has hosted six nationally televised live-broadcast presidential candidate debates during the past five election cycles. Many Drake students get to play a part—either through paid short-term internships or as audience members.
J-Term
Every other year, Professor Caufield leads a January-term travel seminar to Washington, D.C. to expose students to the opening of a new session of Congress or the presidential inauguration. Over two weeks in Washington, the students meet with Drake alumni and contacts in government, media, political party organizations, lobbying and consulting firms, and policy advocacy organizations.
Student Organizations
Participate in a national mock trial competition, publish original research in the student-led Drake Political Review, or organize an event at the Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship. As a Human Rights Studies minor, you can also join Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society.
Careers & Skills
Regardless of the career you choose, the Human Rights Studies minor equips you to recognize the importance of human rights issues in all spheres of your life.
Graduates of the Department of Political Science’s programs begin rewarding careers in a wide variety of fields in the U.S. and around the world, both in cities and rural areas. Many pursue law school or graduate study, and we have had exceptional success in placing students on Fulbright Scholarships: since 2006, we’ve been recognized eight times as a “Top Producing” university among master’s-granting institutions.
Opportunities
- Advocacy
- Education
- Journalism
- Law
- Non-profit
- Political campaigns
- Public sector
Skills
- Recognize the importance of human rights issues in your personal, civic, and professional lives.
- Become familiar with the philosophical roots of human rights discourse and the codification of human rights norms in international law.
- Develop an expansive intellectual foundation through liberal arts classes.
- Build a deeper understanding of global and intercultural issues through an intensive exploration of various dimensions of difference.
Salary & Growth Outlook
Average salary for policy analysts in 2025. (Indeed.com)
Take the Next Step
Human rights affect all of us. Explore your own role in this ever-evolving conversation in Drake’s Human Rights Studies minor.
