Course description
LLM (Master of Laws) / PGDip
Human rights questions have been central to the development of international law during the era following the Second World War. More recently, human rights have dominated developments in national constitutional law. The LLM in International Human Rights Law is broad in scope, offering the opportunity for students to gain a critical understanding of the history and theoretical underpinnings of international human rights, international and regional human rights systems, and the practical application of human rights norms in a range of contexts.
In Semester 1 the compulsory module in International Law provides a general introduction to the theoretical basis and main aspects of public international law of which international human rights law is a very important subcategory. In Semester 2, in addition to the compulsory module in International Human Rights Law, students are able to choose from a wide range of specialist topics, including International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, corporate liability for human rights violations and human rights issues in international trade.
Course content
Students studying for the LLM/PGDip in International Human Rights Law are required to complete the double compulsory module in International Law (40 credits) and the single compulsory module in Advanced Legal Research Methods (20 credits) during the first semester.
In semester 2 you must take the compulsory module in International Human Rights Law (20 credits). In addition you can choose any two of the following options (20 credits each, totalling 40 master's-level credits):*
* International Criminal Law
* International Humanitarian Law
* International Refugees and Migrants
* European Union Law (taught in Semester 1)
* Trade, Human Rights and Labour Standards
* International Environmental Law
* Independent Study Module
* International Labour Law
* International Intellectual Property Law.
In addition, students studying for the LLM in International Human Rights Laware also required to complete a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic related to any aspect of international human rights law as agreed with the dissertation module leader. Full-time students will normally begin preliminary work on the dissertation in Semester 1 and formalise the topic and structure of the dissertation in Semester 2. The main work on the dissertation will normally take place from June to mid-August.
* Note that availability of options may vary from year to year.
Teaching, learning and assessment
A wide diversity of teaching methods are employed throughout the LLM programmes in order to provide a high-quality learning experience. These include lectures, seminar discussions, individual and small group tutorials, case studies, and group and individual presentations. Particular emphasis is placed on skills training, with opportunities provided to acquire and practice legal reasoning as well as research and IT skills. Opportunities are also provided for extra-curricular activities such as the LLM student conference and the annual trip arranged for students to visit a range of international tribunals in The Hague. Assessment methods include coursework assessments and individual and group presentation assessments.
Quality
The Law Department gained grade 4 rating in the last Research Assessment Exercise.
All the members of the LLM course team are active researchers and encourage students to become involved in their respective areas of research by teaching specialist modules in which they have expertise, and by supervising dissertations in their specialist subjects.
