New course in spring 2026 session 2: Legal Advocacy for Human Rights 

HRTS 496b/596b: Cutting Edge Advances in Human Rights – 
Legal Advocacy for Human Rights (3 units, elective)
Elisa Marchi, Ph.D., LL.M.

Fully online course -- 7 weeks, Spring Session 2 (Mar 16 – May 06, 2026)

This course trains students to use strategic advocacy to advance human rights at the local, national, and international levels. Working with real community partners and ongoing initiatives, students will apply advocacy tools in practice, developing strategies that respond to context, power, and political opportunity.

Students will learn how to design and assess advocacy approaches across a spectrum of methods, including strategic litigation, policy engagement, public campaigning and communications, coalition building, and the use of international human rights mechanisms. Through guest lectures from experienced practitioners and hands-on project work, students will build practical skills in planning, implementation, and evaluation, with a strong emphasis on ethical engagement and accountability to partners. 

This course is offered by the Program in Human Rights Practice at the School of Global Studies in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The course format is fully online and includes weekly content, guest lectures, group activities, and individual projects. The course is open to all UA undergraduate and graduate students from AZ Online and Main Campus. The course has no prerequisites, although some prior familiarity with human rights is preferable.  Undergraduate students require the permission of the instructor to enroll.

For more info, contact instructor Elisa Marchi at elisamarchi@arizona.edu