What are human rights and where do they come from? How have human rights become a global issue and are they improving or worsening over time? What explains human rights abuses and how can they be prevented? What roles do states, international organizations, NGOs, and civil society play in promoting and enforcing human rights norms? And how do human rights intersect with the defining policy issues of our time? This course focuses on human rights from a global perspective. Over the course of the semester, students will understand the foundations and contemporary challenges of the international human rights regime. The first part of the course integrates theoretical perspectives with empirical research to examine core concepts and definitions of human rights, international treaties, challenges of measuring abuses, and the institutions and actors involved in promoting and protecting rights. The second part of the course explores human rights at the intersection of major global policy challenges. We will examine how human rights shape, and are shaped by, issues such as climate change, conflict and security, artificial intelligence, and business. The course will feature guest speakers working in the field of human rights, documentaries, and case studies. By the end of the course, students will be able to evaluate the opportunities and constraints of human rights as a tool for global and domestic change.