Course Curriculum

The Bachelor of Human Rights degree begins in Semester 1 of the first year with two electives, including POLS101 which must be taken early to meet later prerequisites, along with foundational units such as Legal Institutions and Human Rights (LHRG103) and Introduction to Ethics (PHIL104). In Semester 2, students build their understanding of societal and cultural contexts through Global Society and Change (SOCS101) and Australian Indigenous Peoples Past and Present (HIST106), while also studying Human Rights and Indigenous People (LHRG111) and completing their first Core Curriculum unit. Year 2 deepens historical and philosophical knowledge, beginning in Semester 1 with Human Rights in History (HIST251), a compulsory 200-level Sociology elective chosen from a set of human rights–focused SOCS units, Human Rights and Criminal Justice (LHRG207), and Justice, Authority and Human Rights (PHIL202). Semester 2 advances this learning through Security, Terrorism and Human Rights (POLS213), an additional elective, Australian Human Rights Law and Policy (LHRG203), and The Ground and Nature of Rights (PHIL225). In the final year, Semester 1 explores broader policy and global issues through Power, Wealth and Welfare: Social Issues and Policy (SOCS300), World Politics and Justice (POLS309), and International Humanitarian Law (LHRG303), alongside completion of the second Core Curriculum unit. The final semester allows students greater flexibility with two electives while also completing a community engagement placement through Human Rights Advocacy (LHRG306) and further philosophical analysis in Human Rights: Contemporary Moral Issues (PHIL324). Across the three years, the structured mix of law, philosophy, humanities and applied learning ensures that students progressively develop a comprehensive and practical understanding of human rights theory, systems, and advocacy, preparing them for a wide range of professional pathways.