Suffering from the effects of the relentless pandemic, beginning in 2020, the year 2021 continues to prove how crucial it is to have conversations surrounding the concept of human rights. At the University of Dayton, we value the critical study and understanding of these concepts, whether it be through one’s own research or a class’s collective study. The University started its undergraduate human rights studies program in 1998 with a minor and now offers a major and a minor in human rights.
In Spring 2021, students enrolled in Dr. Caroline Waldron’s Introduction to Human Rights (200) course - a class required of all human rights studies majors - discussed everything from the origin of human rights to the present condition of these concepts. At the end of the course, students were tasked with conducting research on Living Wage in Dayton and how it is intertwined with human rights. Students were given the opportunity to meet with experts from the University of Dayton and the Dayton City Commission Office. After concluding their research, students were asked to formulate a podcast that illustrated the data they collected.