The Human Rights Program of the University of Chicago provides a forum for three key dimensions of human rights. It makes human rights an integral part of liberal arts education; it engages in the vigorous scholarly debate on human rights; and it explores, in both research and teaching, the possibility of a practice of human rights at the cusp of the academy and the world. It takes on human rights as a challenge that is eminently intellectual and, at the same time, immensely practical. The curriculum examines human rights from a variety of disciplinary, thematic, and regional perspectives. There is also an internship program with host organizations in the United States and around the world. Through conferences, workshops, lectures, and film series, the program brings the world to the campus, incorporating the broader community into its educational mission.
Human rights education has been and continues to be the core activity of the Human Rights Program. The fusion of academic endeavor and the engagement with the world of human rights practice are the defining features of the program.