Human RightsSubject regulations

Human rights are an increasingly prominent aspect of contemporary issues here and around the world. Current examples include systemic racism, equitable access to healthcare, the voting age, #MeToo, modern slavery, asylum seeking, climate justice, reproductive rights and inclusive education. These concerns are anchored in the present and their resolution focuses on the future. This major crosses the boundaries of traditional university subjects to prepare you for employment in government agencies and private companies in sectors like health, law, housing, immigration, education and social welfare. Work for NGOs like the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and Amnesty International. A major in Human Rights pairs well with many other majors the University offers, especially in the fields of Law, Management and Social Sciences, to provide you with further employment pathways.

Human Rights is available as a first major for the Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Global Studies (BGS) and the Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc). Human Rights may also be taken as a second major or minor within undergraduate degrees, subject to approval of the Division in which the student is enrolled.

To complete Human Rights as a single major for the BA, BGS or BSocSc, students must gain 135 points in the papers listed for Human Rights, including 105 points above 100 level, and 60 points above 200 level. Students must complete HUMRI100 and PHILO315.

To complete Human Rights as part of a double major for the BA, BGS, BSocSc or other undergraduate degrees, students must gain 120 points including 90 points above 100 level, and 45 points above 200 level. Students must complete HUMRI100 and PHILO315.

To complete a minor in Human Rights, students must complete 60 points from the papers listed for the Human Rights major, including at least 30 points above 100 level. Students must complete HUMRI100 and PHILO315.

Other qualifications

Prescriptions for:

A Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are available to graduates who have not included Human Rights at an advanced level in their first degree.
For further details, contact the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences

Human Rights papers

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
GNSEX101Gender and Sexuality: Representations and Realities This paper considers issues related to gender, sexuality, and the body including health issues, media representations, gender based violence, and...	15	25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Secondary School - Unistart) & 25B (Tauranga)
HUMRI100Human Rights Foundations In this paper we discuss the foundations of the modern Human Rights regime, and address important controversies for Human Rights, including...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online) & 25A (Tauranga)
INTRL103Introduction to International Relations This paper provides an introduction to the study of international relations in an era of globalisation. It covers the historical background, key...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online)
MAORI150Te Tiriti o Waitangi: An Introduction to the Treaty of Waitangi This paper seeks to provide a sound understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It reviews historical and contemporary interpretations and takes into...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Tauranga) & 25B (Hamilton) & 25I (Hamilton) & 25X (Hamilton)
PHILO106Social and Moral Philosophy An investigation of contemporary moral and social issues from a practical ethics perspective. Issues may include abortion, animal welfare...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online) & 25A (Tauranga)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
ANTHY208Protest Movements in the Asia-Pacific This paper is about how people across the Asia-Pacific region act collectively to challenge the status quo of powerful political, social, economic...	15	25B (Hamilton)
GEOGY209Health, People, Place This paper draws on critical analysis of health, people and place to introduce contemporary developments in socio-cultural geography. Attention is...	15	25B (Online)
MAORI200Mana Wahine This paper examines foundational aspects of mana wahine scholarship, the impact of colonisation on Māori and Indigenous women, and the resistant...	15	25B (Hamilton)
MAORI203Decolonising Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples The paper looks at the detrimental effects that research has historically had on Indigenous peoples and the relatively recent creation of research...	15	25A (Hamilton)
POLSC212Public Policy Analysis This paper introduces students to public policy analysis. Students focus on the role of politics, public participation and policy in addressing...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online)
SOCIO20121st Century Activism and Radical Thought This paper will offer insight into the historical legacies of systemic racism, sexism and class oppression by taking an in-depth look at key issues...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online)
SOCPY202Addressing Precarity: A Global Perspective This paper considers human precarity: past, present and future. The focus is on its contemporary forms under global market competition, and ways to...	15	25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Online)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
ECONS304International Economics Issues This paper covers in-depth analysis of the global economic environment, including international trade, access to markets and cross-border movement of...	15	25A (Hamilton)
GEOGY309Social and Cultural Geographies of Difference This paper is a forum for debate in critical geographies of difference. Key concerns are intersections between gender, ethnicity, nationality and...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Tauranga)
GNSEX303Intersectionalities: Identities and Inequalities This paper provides a comprehensive review of the historical context for understanding contemporary issues of race, gender, sexuality, and social...	15	25A (Hamilton)
HISTY302Blood, Land, DNA: Contemporary Indigenous Histories and Archives This paper explores critical questions about power, sovereignty, and belonging in contemporary Indigenous history, focusing on Aotearoa, the Pacific...	15	25B (Hamilton)
HMDEV320Disability, Diversity and Inclusion: Intersecting Identities and Experiences This paper looks at the emergence of disability as a social and political identity. Using a rights perspective, it critiques inclusion in the spaces...	15	25B (Online)
MAORI304Sustainability in Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Contexts This paper looks at Indigenous epistemological formations of sustainability as one of the most pressing issues for Indigenous peoples particularly in...	15	25A (Hamilton)
PHILO315Democracy, Justice & Equality This course provides students with an in-depth introduction to contested topics in modern political philosophy. Students will be expected to analyse...	15	25A (Hamilton)
PSYCH302Community, Culture and Diversity The focus of this paper is the study of social justice, intersectionality, transformative interventions, and social change strategies that are...	15	25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Tauranga)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
LEGAL440Pacific Peoples and the Law A critical study and comparison of legal systems and issues within the Pacific Region.	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Tauranga)

2025 Catalogue of Papers information current as of 10 Apr 2025 01:00am

Human RightsSubject regulations

Other qualifications

GradCert(HumRts) and GradDip(HumRts)

Human Rights papers