Course summary

The LLM International Human Rights Law is your opportunity to explore the way that international law is used to protect human rights and enables you to gain expertise in a distinct yet relatively broad specialism. You will combine core and elective modules to gain an international perspective on this field of law. The degree is taught by many of our research-active academics based in the Law School and offers you the opportunity to engage with teaching staff who are working in the field of International Human Rights research. Our Law School is home to the Centre for International Law and Human Rights, Centre for Crime, Law and Justice, the Centre for Law and Society, and the Centre for Child and Family Justice; these influential centres underpin our postgraduate teaching, which is often research-led and research-informed. For your degree, you will study 6 taught modules plus writing a dissertation of 15, 000 words. Some of these modules are compulsory (core), while you can choose the rest from our list of optional modules. Your core modules are International Law, International Human Rights Law, Research Methods in Law and the LLM Dissertation. The modules in International Law and International Human Rights Law will address key questions such as how international laws protect, govern and define your human rights and inter-state relationships. You will evaluate the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights protected through international instruments and explore the way that international law is used to shape the world in which we live. The Research Methods in the Law module will provide an insight into various theoretical approaches to the study of law, as well as give practical guidance on research design and ethics. The dissertation is an independent, in-depth inquiry into a research topic of your choosing. The topic will link to a key legal question or issue and may also directly relate to your professional/career interests. This is your opportunity to make a contribution to the legal and academic community with new, original research and writing. A dissertation supervisor can provide you with support and introduce you to relevant legal material and research; their personal research interests will closely align with your chosen topic wherever possible. We pride ourselves on the choice and breadth of elective modules available, offering you access to expertise in growing fields such as The Rights of Peoples, International Terrorism and the Law, and International Environmental Law. Our teaching approach is international in scope and comparative by nature, and we actively encourage you to build a beneficial network of academics, peers and alumni during your time with us. All of this will help you to broaden your experience, deepen your understanding, and prepare for your next step. Your postgraduate LLM degree can open doors to a wide range of careers. You will have the opportunity to develop the skills required to critically evaluate research relating to international human rights law; skills which can be highly prized by employers both here in the UK and overseas. Whilst on the degree you will also have the chance to develop your analytical and communication skills which can help to build on your employability in any sector. The LLM is also an ideal stepping stone to PhD study and academia.