Human Rights Spring 2026 Courses
Thu. Mar. 19, 2026
The Spring/Summer timetable is now available to view on WebAdvisor. If you have any questions about the scheduled courses, please contact Dr. Kenyon kr.kenyon@uwinnipeg.ca
HR 2100: International Human Rights Law in Context
June 8 - June 23, Monday - Friday 1 - 4 pm
Instructor: Katrina Leclerc
This course will examine the origins, codifications, and impacts of international human rights law. Students will learn about the different types of rights (political, civil, social, economic, and cultural) and how they are legally protected. Focusing on United Nations treaties and conventions, the course will explore how these documents are written, how they shape international norms, and what legal accountability entails. Reflecting on the current international human rights landscape, the course will also analyze evolving human rights issues such as environmental rights and technology rights.
HR 2650: Music and Human Rights
May 4 - June 15, Tuesday/Thursday 9 am - 12 pm
Instructor: Steve Dueck
This course explores the deep connections between music and human rights movements across time and place. Through artists ranging from Bad Bunny, Billie Holiday, Lady Gaga and Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, Kendrick Lamar, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter, students will examine how music reflects, shapes, and challenges social realities. We will analyze songs that confronted racism, fueled civil rights and labor movements, resisted colonialism and apartheid, amplified LGBTQ+ voices, defended Indigenous sovereignty, and addressed global crises such as environmental destruction, nuclear war, forced migration, and child trafficking.
HR 3650: Representing 2SLGBTQ+ Rights
May 4 - June 15, Tuesday/ Thursday 6 - 9pm
Instructor: Scott de Groot
This course introduces sexuality as a domain of historical inquiry, surveys the history of queer oppression and resistance in Canada, and analyzes contemporary representations of the long, ongoing struggle for 2SLGBTQ+ rights. It pays special attention to the role of cultural institutions, such as museums and heritage sites, in shaping narratives and public understandings of queer history and 2SLGBTQ+ activism. It considers the limitations and possibilities of these institutions for connecting the past with the present – especially in ways that foster critical dialogue, spur reinterpretation, occasion artwork, and provoke action. The course will feature conversations with 2SLGBTQ+ scholars, activists, and artists about their work in the realm of public history and cultural production.