Barring physical abnormalities, all human beings are born as linguistic equals. That is, at birth, any given human baby is endowed with the ability to learn the language of the community in which it is raised. However, the equality that exists at the moment of birth soon gives way to the realities of the politics of power, and of language, one of the tools of power. Whether arising though conquest and colonization, immigration, enslavement, or the creation of a political state that ignores "natural" ethnic territories, linguistic minorities have existed at least since the dawn of history. Virtually without exception, where there exists a linguistic minority, there exist issues related to the rights of the minority to use its language freely and without prejudice. This course, Language Rights, will explore the issues surrounding linguistic human rights, the fundamental right to use one's language and the efforts that have been made to both secure those rights and deny them through official legislation and unofficial actions. Examples will be drawn from domestic and international history and current events.