Spring 2026 course on Cultural Heritage Protection, Memorialization, and Human Rights
JUS/HRTS 462/562: Cultural Heritage Protection, Memorialization, and Human Rights
Fully online course – 7 weeks, spring 2026, session 1 (January-March)
Of particular interest to students of art, architecture, languages, urban planning, geography, law, religion, Judaic studies, 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. This course also shall focus on memory and approaches to memorialization with a focus as well on the Holocaust and beyond. Student work will center on how human rights practitioners apply cultural heritage protection in different contexts. 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., was a co-creator of the Human Rights Practice program and currently holds the Lakin Chair on the Holocaust, Human Rights, and Comparative Genocide. 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. To read more, visit: https://humanrightspractice.arizona.edu/people/leonard-hammer
About the Human Rights Practice Program, School of Global Studies
The wholly online BA, MA, degree and graduate certificate programs in Human Rights Practice are professionally oriented programs designed to provide you with the foundational knowledge, critical perspectives, and practical skills to advance human rights around the globe. Our curriculum includes unique online experiences such as virtual field trips, in-depth analyses of current human rights crises with input from actors on the ground, community-engaged projects, and incorporation of students’ current human rights work. Classes are also designed to support the human rights work of NGOs, activists, and government officials, as well as the specific interests of students. To read more, visit: https://humanrightspractice.arizona.edu/
About the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, School of Global Studies
This course is cross-listed with the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, a unit of the School of Global Studies. The Center’s mission is to contribute to the overall goals of The University of Arizona by promoting advanced scholarship, translating faculty research into dynamic undergraduate instruction, and contributing to the community through educational outreach and professional advising. The Center seeks to transmit, interpret and critique Jewish historical, religious, and cultural traditions for the benefit of present and future generations. To read more, visit: https://judaic.arizona.edu/