Fall 2023 course on Human Rights and Cultural Heritage Protection

HRTS 495a/595a: Human Rights Across Contexts
Cultural Heritage Protection

Fully online course – 7 weeks, fall 2023, session 1 (Aug 21 – Oct 11)

Of particular interest to students of art, architecture, languages, urban planning, geography, law, religion, history, international relations, human rights practice, and more...

From Syria to Ukraine, to Afghanistan to Myanmar, and beyond: cultural heritage is under threat of destruction and erasure worldwide. Artefacts, monuments, buildings, sites, and museums are among the most endangered forms of cultural heritage, reflecting a diversity of values and societies.

This course will examine the meaning and scope of cultural heritage protection, what that means in practice, and how it can preserve the traditions of peoples around the world, including indigenous and minority groups. Student work will center on how human rights practitioners apply cultural heritage protection in different contexts, with students engaging with a variety of NGOs and participating in a project centering on language preservation. 

This course has no prerequisites and is open to all graduate and undergraduate students from AZ Online, Main Campus, and Global Direct. To learn more, please contact instructor Dr. Leonard Hammer at lhammer@arizona.edu

About the Instructor
Leonard M. Hammer, Ph.D.,LL.M., is the Director of Outreach and Program Development, Human Rights Practice Graduate Programs (SBS).  He is also the David and Andrea Stein Visiting Professor of Modern Israel Studies, Center for Judaic Studies.  He has a JD from Georgetown University, an LLM in international law from New York University (NYU), and a Ph.D. in international human rights from the University of London (SOAS).  He has worked for 10 years as an International Scholar at the Open Society Foundation, developing human rights graduate law programming in former Soviet satellite states, such as Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. Dr. Hammer has conducted extensive research into sacred spaces and holy places with a focus on Israel and Palestine.  He has also lectured and researched various projects in Israel, Turkey, Australia, Taiwan, and Canada.