The new degree will prepare students for human rights activism and non-profit work while providing them with a broader, international perspective. In addition to a minor in a related field, and at least two years of a foreign language, every student majoring in human rights will be required to participate in service learning and take SMU’s spring civil rights pilgrimage across the deep South. Halperin’s human rights course will also be required.

A recent weekly Tuesday evening class of 30 students opens with some of them citing recent human rights violations.

Halperin then focuses on slavery’s legacy in the United States. To encourage participation, he brings up the 1960s film, "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner."

In it, a young white woman introduces her parents to the black man she wants to marry. Fifty-two years ago, the movie was controversial. For many, it still is. To explore cultural and racial changes through the generations, Halperin asks each student how their parents and grandparents might react today, to the same scenario.

“My parents were born in the 1950s in the South, but then became hippies," says one, "so I really don’t think they care.”

Another had a different take. “My parents are from Mexico and they were also born in the 50s, and I do not think they would be okay with it.”

For some students, the course fulfills an undergraduate history requirement. But for others, like Emily Mankowski, it is a core subject, one that is closely aligned with their interests. The sophomore says the opportunity to minor in human rights was a big reason she came to SMU.