Friday, Sept. 9

SMU makes human rights major official

SMU students will now be able to major in Human Rights.

According to Dr. Rick Halperin, the director of the Embrey Human Rights Program, the major was approved earlier this morning at the Board of Trustees meeting.

This makes SMU the first college in the South to offer the major and the fifth in the country.

He received an e-mail with the news.

"This step today is a great recognition of student interest in this program. We wouldn't have this major without the students who are interested in pursuing these courses and their passion to make the world better," Halperin said. "So it's really a tribute to student interest."

Halperin started teaching human rights through the history department at SMU in the spring of 1990. The program officially began on July 1, 2006 after receiving a one million dollar donation. The minor, which started in Fall 2007, gives students the opportunity to learn about all forms of human rights ranging from civil to cultural.

The major will allow students to delve deeper. Students will be able to choose between two tracks, one focusing on gender and human rights and the other on public policy and human rights.

"It's a really transformative event," he said. "To recognize that we have attracted and we are obviously going to continue to attract students here from all over the country who want, in some capacity to work for a better society and a better world."

Although student and faculty supporters were the big contenders in the approval of the major, Halperin believes everyone will benefit.

"It's really a team triumph," he said. "And I mean the entire SMU family."

(source: SMU Daily Campus)