Course summary

We live in an age that can increasingly be defined by our struggle for greater accountability, equality and freedom. Human rights values, norms and standards are frequently invoked as part of this struggle, in legal argument, political debate and public conversation. Human rights lawyers and others with training in human rights law play an important role in shaping these debates and determining their outcome. The York Law School's LLB in International Human Rights provides you with the skills and experience to confidently contribute to the struggle for social justice in the UK and around the world. You will develop as a problem solver and creative, critical thinker through a problem-based learning (PBL) approach working collaboratively to analyse real-world human rights violations and pursue remedies. At the centre of your learning will be the practical application of human rights law to contemporary problems and cases around the world, through a collaborative human rights project with a leading human rights organisation in Year 2 and by working under supervision in our legal advice clinic in your final year. In addition, you will have the ability to select from a range of options to develop areas of interest to further your personal ambitions. Throughout your degree you will learn not only about the complex set of norms, institutions and processes that have been developed to protect human rights around the world but how this human rights regime can be used to produce change. You will develop your skills as a powerful written and oral communicator, coordinator and team player. As a graduate of the programme, you will be able to contribute to the human rights movement’s struggle for greater social justice as a creative, ethical, rigorous problem solver both within the legal profession (the degree meets the academic stage training requirements for those wishing to qualify as a solicitor or barrister) and beyond. Your personal development, employability and professional ambitions are also at the core of the degree. In addition to the academic, professional and communication skills described above, you will develop team-working, interpersonal and planning skills in your PBL groups. You will be a professional and ethically aware graduate, able to reflect on your individual learning and career development, evaluating your progress and identifying how to develop further to achieve your personal ambitions. What you take from the LLB will be useful to you both if you elect to progress into legal professions, and if you choose to pursue a different career path. Knowledge of the law is useful in a wide range of professions, and to citizenship as a whole. You will meet and be taught by experts from the international human rights movement and work in partnership with leading human rights organisations. Moreover, the skills which you will develop are valued not merely by lawyers, but in a broad range of contexts.