Courses Taken

Coursework & Academic Journey

The Master of Arts in Human Rights and Social Justice program challenged me to look beyond textbook theories and confront the complex realities of human suffering, structural inequality, and resilience. Below is an overview of the core courses I completed, along with the personal reflections, emotional insights, and critical questions that emerged from my coursework.

Below you can see the full list of courses I took during the program:

HRSJ 5010 – Foundations of Human Rights and Social Justice

In this foundational course, we explored central themes of human rights and social justice, addressing issues of equity, fairness, and decolonization across local, national, and transnational settings. We engaged with diverse theoretical approaches, which included universalism and relativism, intersectionality, distributive justice, critical race theory, disability theory, and feminist analysis. Placing a strong emphasis on Indigenous, anti-colonial, decolonizing, and Global South perspectives, the course connected theory to practice by examining human rights laws, social movements, refugee and immigrant rights, and international governance.

Working through the theoretical foundations of global injustice forced me to grapple with the sheer scale of systemic failures. Studying how abstract legal frameworks often fall short when applied to marginalized populations sparked a deep internal drive to understand how advocacy can be made more tangible and effective for everyday people.

HRSJ 5020 – Indigenous Ways of Knowing: Resurgence of Land Based Pedagogies and Practices

This course examined Indigenous land-based epistemologies through an interdisciplinary framework combining Indigenous law, geography, social work, education, and wellness. Taking an experiential approach that centered Indigenous knowledge, we looked at the land as a primary teacher. We investigated how colonial policies systematically obstruct Indigenous access to land and how diverse resistance and resurgence movements assert Indigenous rights concerning food, water, education, ceremony, and mobility, while articulating ethical ways of living that honor Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty.

The main highlight of the course for me was visiting the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School. It was an overwhelming and deeply sobering experience. The echoes of the past hung thick in the air as I walked through a site that operated from 1890 until 1978, bearing witness to the systematic attempts to assimilate Indigenous children by stripping them of their languages, cultures, and identities. Seeing images of young children that became victims of systemtic abuse and hearing heartbreaking accounts from survivors about cultural, emotional, and physical abuse permanently altered my perspective. The discovery of unmarked graves in Kamloops made the visit even heavier, transforming an academic trip into a profound call to action. It reinforced an unwavering personal duty to respect survivors’ experiences and ensure that such injustices are never repeated.

HRSJ 5030 – Problem Solving in the Field: Study Techniques and Methods

Focusing on social science and humanities field research, this course explored multidisciplinary research methods across various contexts. We engaged with both quantitative and qualitative epistemologies, learned to formulate research questions, and evaluated the ethical implications of different methodological choices. The curriculum incorporated Indigenous and anti-colonial research approaches, data collection techniques from the Global South, and practical training in drafting comprehensive research proposals and ethics applications.

As someone who is looking forward to my research after graduation, learning how to structure research proposals and navigate grant applications was a true revelation. It shifted my perspective from passive observer to active participant, giving me the technical tools necessary to turn passion into actionable, fundable initiatives.

HRSJ 5110 – Genocide in the 20th Century

This interdisciplinary course approached the complex issues of genocide through philosophical, historical, and literary lenses. We analyzed specific historical case studies, the role of language, the impacts of eugenics and colonialism, and international efforts to define and address mass atrocities. By utilizing diverse sources and methodologies, the course encouraged critical analysis of historical and systemic violence, examining how global legal and political frameworks respond to genocide.

For my research in this course, I chose to investigate the long-term historical and intergenerational consequences experienced by Gulag survivors and their families. Focusing on the Soviet forced labor camp system, I examined how state-sponsored totalitarian violence, forced displacement, and psychological terror ripple across generations. This project allowed me to explore how the trauma of state repression lingers long after the camps close, affecting family structures, memory, and societal reconciliation. It highlighted the urgent need for historical acknowledgement, archival accessibility, and supportive legal and social frameworks that honor the dignity of survivors and their descendants.

HRSJ 5220 – Trauma, Rights and Justice: From War and Gender-Based Violence to Peacebuilding

This course confronted gender-based violence, trauma, and human rights violations in situations of war and conflict. Utilizing critical analysis tools and principles of social justice, we explored the complexities of trauma and violence across multiple disciplines, evaluating pathways toward peacebuilding, healing, and structural accountability.

Confronting the horrific realities of gender-based violence during wartime was emotionally taxing, yet it instilled in me a profound respect for the resilience of survivors. This course challenged me to look past the political rhetoric of conflict and focus on the human core of peacebuilding and community healing.

HRSJ 5250 – Risk, Place, and Social Justice in a Turbulent World

Examining different types of societal risks, this course explored the populations, places, and life experiences most affected by vulnerability and uncertainty. Using a case study approach, we integrated perspectives from sociology, history, politics, and environmental studies to assess how policy gaps and inclusionary or exclusionary institutional practices address modern risks.

This course opened my eyes to how institutional structures often manufacture vulnerability rather than mitigate it. It pushed me to critically evaluate who bears the heaviest burdens of societal risks and why certain communities are routinely left unprotected by public policy.

HRSJ 5260 – Moral Economies and Social Movements in Contemporary Capitalism

Drawing on geography, sociology, anthropology, and law, in this course we examined contemporary capitalism as a system connecting extraction, production, consumption, and disposal. Beginning with moral economic critiques of deregulated capitalism, we analyzed labor, commodification, and valuation, alongside social movements that resist capitalist exploitation through labor, migrant, environmental, and gender justice frameworks.

Examining the economic landscape of contemporary North America through the lens of the Gilded Age has been an enlightening experience. Analyzing how extreme wealth concentration, corporate power, and systemic inequality from history mirror our current socioeconomic reality made me realize how cyclical capitalist exploitation truly is. This course showed me the urgent need to critically evaluate modern economic structures and support movements advocating for genuine labor equity and public accountability.

HRSJ 5270 – Health for All: Global Inequities, Social Determinants and Medical Care

This course covered multiple disciplines (sociology, history, geography, law, and medicine) to analyze health inequities within and across global contexts. We explored social determinants of health and legal access to medical treatment under global capitalism, assessing the impact of state-based, international, and community-based responses to real-world health disparities.

Studying global health disparities made the abstract concept of structural violence painfully real. It highlighted how unequal access to basic healthcare is not an accident of geography, but a direct consequence of historical and economic inequities that demand urgent systemic correction.