Human Rights [not available in 2022] major (MJD-HMRDM)

Human rights have come to be the dominant language in which contentious social and political questions are debated. Activists appeal to human rights in attempting to advance the interests of the oppressed. States appeal to human rights in justifying policy interventions, on both domestic and international scales. A complex set of legal and political institutions has evolved, centred around the idea of human rights. And a flourishing field of academic inquiry is now devoted to understanding, and debating, human rights issues.

The University of Western Australia's Bachelor of Human Rights and its associated extended major in Human Rights constitute a unique, interdisciplinary programme of study that equips students with the knowledge and skills to engage with real-world issues in human rights and related areas such as social justice and inequality. Students will study human rights from a wide variety of perspectives – legal, historical, political, and philosophical. They will also have the opportunity to gain invaluable real-world experience through opportunities for internships, and a specialised unit dedicated to human rights research.

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) evaluate competing positions and perspectives on human rights issues; (2) reason clearly and persuasively about contentious moral and political issues; (3) demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the history of the human rights tradition as well as key contemporary controversies; (4) apply sophisitcated analytical and critical thinking skills to a diverse range of human rights issues; and (5) demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills.

Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. We know that many of you value the University's guidance and assistance in planning your enrolment throughout your course, so we offer the following suggestions for your consideration as possible avenues to broaden your degree. Do always remember, however, that there is no wrong way to broaden your studies as long as you complete at least four units not associated with your Degree Specific Major.

In fulfilment of their broadening requirement, students might consider completing a four-unit minor that would complement their studies. In particular, the university offers minors in several languages - French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish - ideal for students of human rights. Other relevant minors include Active Citizenship, Cross-Cultural Communication, and Science and Policy: Climate Change, Environmental Planning, and Urban Environments.

Human Rights [not available in 2022] can only be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

*Students enrolling in this as part of a combined course must use the code MJDC-HMRDM when selecting this as their extended major.

Overview of unit sequence

Human Rights [not available in 2022] is a degree-specific double major comprising:

  • five Level 1 units
  • six Level 2 units
  • seven Level 3 units
Key to availability of units:
S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; SS = summer teaching period; N/A = not available in 2022;
NS = non-standard teaching period

Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2023 or 2024.

Students should note that completion of the Bachelor of Human Rights also requires the completion of PHIL1002: Introduction to Critical Thinking, which is a foundation unit for the degree.

Level 1

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (30 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
N/A HIST1104 The History of Human Rights
Prerequisites:
Nil
N/A HUMR1001 Human Rights in Global Perspective
Prerequisites:
Nil
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S1 INDG1150 Aboriginal Encounters: Strangers in our Backyard
Prerequisites:
Nil.
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
HIST1100 Aboriginal History
S1 LAWS1111 Law, Conflict and Change
Prerequisites:
Nil.
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 POLS1102 Understanding Global Politics
Prerequisites:
Nil.
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.

Level 2

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (24 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
N/A HUMR2002 International Norms, Ethics, and Human Rights
Prerequisites:
Successful completion of POLS1102 Understanding Global Politics
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
POLS5686 International Norms, Ethics and Human Rights
S2 LAWS2224 Evolution of Human Rights
Prerequisites:
Nil
Co-requisites:
LAWS1111 Law, Conflict, and Change (formerly LAWS1111 Legal Systems)
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 PHIL2009 Global and Environmental Justice
Prerequisites:
Nil.
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S2 PPHE2211 History of Political Ideas
Prerequisites:
completion of any POLS
or
PHIL unit
or
24 points in the Bachelor of Arts
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
POLS3311 History of Political Ideas; POLS2211 History of Political Ideas
Degree-specific major units
Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 INDG2300 Indigenous Knowledge: Mind, Body and Spirit
Prerequisites:
any Level 1 unit from the Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage major
or
HIST1100 Aboriginal History
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 INDG2500 Looking North: The Wild West
Prerequisites:
any Level 1 unit from the Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage major
or
HIST1100 Aboriginal History
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
N/A LAWS2225 Indigenous Peoples and the Law
Prerequisites:
LAWS1104 Introduction to Law
or
LAWS1111 Law, Conflict and Change (formerly LAWS1111 Legal Systems)
or
LAWS1120 Australian Legal Principles and Institutions
or
LAWS1112 Adulting: Law for Everyday Lives
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
Degree-specific major units
Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
N/A HIST2008 White Supremacy
Prerequisites:
a Level 1 History unit
or
EURO1101 Europe Now: Cultures and Identities
or
GEND1901 Gender in Australia
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
HIST2249 White Supremacy; HIST3349 White Supremacy
N/A HIST2016 When Empire Strikes: Imperial Expansion, Resistance, and Rights from Europe to Australasia
Prerequisites:
a Level 1 HIST
or
GEND unit;
or
INDG1150 Aboriginal Encounters: Strangers in our Backyard
or
INDG1160 Boodjar Moort Katitjin: Introduction to Indigenous Heritage and Knowledge;
or
a Level 1 ASIA, JAPN, CHIN, KORE unit.
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S1 PHIL2001 Bioethics
Prerequisites:
any level 1 unit in the Bachelor of Arts,
or
equivalent
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
PHIL2201 Social Ethics: Life and Death
S1 POLS2214 Foundations of Foreign Policy
Prerequisites:
12 points of Social Sciences and/
or
Humanities study at level 1
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 POLS2220 Foundations of Global Political Economy
Prerequisites:
12 points of Social Sciences and/
or
Humanities study at level 1
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
POLS3320 International Political Economy

Level 3

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (30 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 GEND3901 Feminist Thought
Prerequisites:
any 48 Points
or
6 Points GEND units
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 HUMR3001 Human Rights: Research and Practice
Prerequisites:
Successful completion of PHIL2009 Global and Environmental Justice and HUMR2002 International Norms, Ethics, and Human Rights
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S2 LAWS3316 Law, Advocacy, Activism and Change
Prerequisites:
Completion of at least 78 points which must include LAWS2227 Law in Action and at least one other level two Law and Society option unit
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S1 PHIL3003 Moral Theory
Prerequisites:
any Level 2 Philosophy unit
or
PPHE2211
or
PPHE3327
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
PHIL 2209 Moral Theory
S2 PPHE3327 Contemporary Political Theory
Prerequisites:
any Level 2 POLS
or
PHIL unit
or
PPHE2211 History of Political Ideas
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
POLS2227 Contemporary Political Theory; POLS3327 Contemporary Political Theory
Degree-specific major units
Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 HIST3012 Rights, Rule and Power: From Magna Carta to the French Revolution
Prerequisites:
a Level 2 HIST unit
or
EURO2201 European Civilisation
or
GEND2902 Men and Masculinities in History
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 LAWS3334 Law and Religion
Prerequisites:
For Criminology major students: LAWS1110 Crime and Society
and
LAWS2223 Criminal Justice System. For all other students: LAWS2227 Law in Action.
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 POLS3204 The Politics of Gender
Prerequisites:
12 points of Social Science and/
or
Humanities study at level 2
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
N/A POLS3302 South Asia and the Middle East: Foreign Relations and Politics
Prerequisites:
12 points of Social Sciences and/
or
Humanities study at level 2
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S1 POLS3335 Social Movements and the Politics of Change
Prerequisites:
12 points of Social Sciences and/
or
Humanities study at level 2
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
N/A POLS3342 Global Environmental Politics
Prerequisites:
12 points of Social Sciences and/
or
Humanities study at level 2
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
POLS2229 States, Welfare and Environmental Policy
NS, S1, S2, SS SVLG3003 McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship
Prerequisites:
Permission/approval is required to enrol.
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
SVLG1002 SVLG2002
Degree-specific major units
Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 INDG3300 Indigenous Research
Prerequisites:
INDG2300 Indigenous Knowledge: Mind, Body and Spirit
or
INDG2400 Looking South: Noongar Voices
or
INDG2500 Looking North: The Wild West
or
INDG2600 Indigenous Representation
or
INDG2700 Knowing Country: The Dreaming and Darwin
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S2 INDG3400 Indigenous People and Global Issues
Prerequisites:
INDG2300 Indigenous Knowledge: Mind, Body and Spirit
or
INDG2400 Looking South: Noongar Voices
or
INDG2500 Looking North: The Wild West
or
INDG2600 Indigenous Representation
or
INDG2700 Knowing Country: The Dreaming and Darwin
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.

Choosing your degree-specific major

General degrees

You must satisfy the requirements of a degree-specific major before you complete your course. The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you to try out a number of different subjects to see what interests you before nominating your degree-specific major. You have the choice to either nominate your degree-specific major when you first enrol in the course or delay nominating it until your second year.

To plan the first year of your study without nominating a degree-specific major, you are advised to choose units that will pave the way to two or more degree-specific majors that are of interest to you. For examples of the choice of units available in first year, search the first-year study plans .

To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.

The following example illustrates how the Human Rights [not available in 2022] degree-specific major can be included in the Bachelor of Human Rights or Bachelor of Human Rights and Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Human Rights and Bachelor of Commerce course.

There are more choices open to you. For more examples, search the study plans .

Specialised degrees – Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science (Honours), Bachelor of Automation and Robotics, Bachelor of Environmental Design, Bachelor of Music

You must satisfy the requirements of the degree-specific major in your degree before you complete your course.

Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

This comprehensive degree does not allow you to choose a double major.