"After working in a law firm in Milan, I went into the development sector. In my last post, I was programme manager for a project on gender violence in Northern Uganda, which received some of its funding from the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims.
After four years of being in the field, I felt it was time to do postgraduate study so I could develop my legal background and development experience into a professional career in human rights. This LLM was very much the right choice."
Laura Canali, LLM Student 2010/11
"For my LLM dissertation, the Centre linked me up with ABColombia, a human rights project. I talked with them about which research topics they would find useful for their advocacy work. As a result, I will be spending time in Colombia this summer researching and writing how the Justice and Peace Law is affecting the work of human rights defenders advocating for victims’ rights. "
Primrose Lovett, LLM Student 2010/11
Poster against domestic violence, Malaysia
Women's Aid Organisation Offices, Malaysia
COMPULSORY MODULES
DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS (40 credits)
Jonathan Ensor, Paul Gready, Martin Jones, Alice Nah and Lars Waldorf
Autumn and Spring terms
This required module for both MA and LLM students provides an opportunity to learn the core skills for doing human rights work.
The main aim of this module is to have students develop the practical, problem solving, and reflective skills needed for human rights work. At the start of the year, students will be placed in small groups linked to their preferred placements with organizations in South Africa (for the MA), Malaysia (for the LLM), or UK (for either MA and LLM students who decide not to travel abroad). Those student groups will engage in tasks designed to develop specific skill sets, accumulating portfolios of work for assessment. Sessions will be led by Centre staff, experienced practitioners, and international human rights defenders based at the Centre.
LAW, PUBLIC POLICY AND HUMAN RIGHTS (20 Credits)
Martin Jones
Autumn Term
The aim of this module is to identify strategies and tools for the application of human rights standards, as set forth in international law, in a variety of contexts. The module seeks to address the related questions, “how can law make a difference?” and “how can we change policy?” Answering these questions requires identifying the intersections between international and domestic jurisdictions, and between human rights, law, public policy and the provision of public services.
APPLYING INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW (20 Credits)
Lars Waldorf
Autumn Term
This module provides an overview of international human rights law that enables students to understand its substance, processes, and architecture. It begins by asking the question whether human rights have become too legalistic. It then looks at key aspects of international human rights law: rights, obligations, derogations, limitations, subjects, and remedies. Next, it looks at the existing architecture of international human rights protection (international, regional, and domestic) while also considering whether we need a World Court of Human Rights. As a case study throughout the term, we explore the political and legal controversies over Muslim women and girls in Europe wearing headscarves. We focus particularly on how headscarf bans have been adjudicated in international, regional, and domestic human rights bodies.
DISSERTATION (60 Credits)
Summer Term and Summer Vacation
Students write a 12,000 word dissertation on a topic they choose (subject to approval). Students are encouraged to choose issues that relate to their Malaysia and UK placement projects that address the links between international human rights law and practice.