Institutional Change in American Universities: The Rise of Human Rights Centers and Degree Programs

David F. Suarez

Over the last 30 years an increasing number of universities in the Unites States have established research centers and degree programs in human rights. Why and how did human rights become university knowledge, what types of degree programs and research centers exist, and which universities develop human rights programs? These core questions frame my proposal to study human rights in universities, building from research on the global rise of human rights education in primary and secondary school curricula. Event history analyses will address the adoption of human rights programs in U.S. universities, and I will evaluate hypotheses based on four conceptual frames using a sample of 384 institutions with data since 1970. Qualitative comparative analysis will focus on the diversity and evolution of human rights programs in universities, and I will select 10 programs for intensive study. This research is important because it draws attention to the transformation of human rights from a radical social movement to a legitimate academic field in universities. Moreover, by addressing a curricular innovation that builds from a global social movement, my work contributes to understanding how processes operating beyond the United States are translated into local contexts.

About David F. Suarez

David F. Suarez is an Assistant Professor of Public Management in the School of Policy, Planning and Development (SPPD) at the University of Southern California. His research interests included comparative education, human rights, civic engagement, and nonprofit management. His publications have appeared in Sociology of Education, Comparative Education Review, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Administration & Society, Comparative Education, and several edited volumes. His current work focuses on the development and institutionalization of human rights in universities. Other ongoing research addresses institutional change in the nonprofit sector, specifically with respect to professionalization and managerialism.