Postgraduate Prospectus

Human Rights | www.essex.ac.uk/hrc
Why study human rights
at Essex?
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One of the oldest academic
human rights centres in the world
and one of the world’s most
prestigious and highly-regarded
human rights centres, awarded
the Queen’s Anniversary Prize
Part of the University’s accredited
Doctoral Training Centre of the
Economic and Social Research
Council (ESRC), with a number
of ESRC studentships available
for new postgraduates
Almost two thousand Essex human
rights graduates now work around
the globe
An unrivalled range of academic
core and optional modules for
our taught courses
Academic staff of international
standing both within academia
and within the global human
rights community
Career prospects
Graduates of our MA courses
go on to a variety of careers in the
governmental, inter-governmental
and non-governmental sectors,
and undertake further research.
Our graduates now work for the
Council of Europe, the United
Nations, the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in
Europe, Save the Children, Shelter,
Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch and the International
Commission of Jurists.
About our Centre
We are the UK’s leading centre for the
interdisciplinary study of the theory and
practice of human rights, with a worldwide
reputation for our research, teaching and
practice. In February 2010, we were
awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize
in recognition of our work in advancing
human rights across the globe.
In 1983, we established the first
postgraduate course in international
human rights law in the UK. Then, as
the new Millennium began, we introduced
a suite of undergraduate human rights
programmes, amongst the first in the
UK and the world.
The foundation of our ground-breaking
teaching is world class human rights
research and practice. Our research is
wide ranging and in-depth. Topics include
the prohibition against torture, freedom
of religion, children in armed conflict,
methods of democratic assessment, and
the relationship between human rights and
foreign direct investment. While our primary
focus is international and comparative
human rights, our acclaimed research-active
staff also encompass human rights and
democracy in the UK.
Our human rights research has always
been informed by human rights practice.
For many years, our senior staff have
held – and continue to occupy – key
positions in the United Nations human
rights and development fields. We have also
conducted numerous cases in Strasbourg,
establishing far-reaching precedents that
have shaped the jurisprudence of the
European Court of Human Rights.
Members of our Centre include Professor
John Packer, senior legal adviser and
first director, OSCE High Commissioner
on National Minorities (1995-2004);
Professor Sir Nigel Rodley, member of
UN Human Rights Committee since 2001
and UN Special Rapporteur on Torture
(1993-2001); Professor Françoise
Hampson, member of UN Sub-Commission
(1998-2007); Professor Paul Hunt,
member of the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (1999-2002)
and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to
Health (2002-08); Professor Diane Elson,
Special Adviser to Executive Director at
UNIFEM (1998-2000); Professor Geoff
Gilbert, Editor in Chief of the International
Journal of Refugee Law.
We form part of Essex’s interdisciplinary
Doctoral Training Centre, recently
designated by the UK’s Economic and
Social Research Council (ESRC) and one
of only 21 in the UK. This means some of
our courses have ESRC Doctoral Training
Centre accreditation, and a number of
ESRC studentships are available for new
students to begin an MSc, followed by a
PhD, with us (1+3).
Taught courses
Our Masters courses are multidisciplinary
and provide a first class education in both
the intellectual foundations of human rights
and in the application of human rights
within a complex global environment.
As a student within our Centre, you will be
taught and supervised by our staff who are
world leaders and experts in the field of
human rights.
Internships are a central part of our courses
and we strongly advise you to undertake an
internship to gain professional and personal
experience. Many of our graduates now
work in the human rights field to which they
were introduced during their internship.
Interns work with inter-governmental and
non-governmental organisations for a
varying amount of time during the summer
term, in the UK or abroad. We advise you in
seeking your internship, although you are
free to seek out organisations and design
new internships for yourself. You may draw
upon our global network of alumni, along
with fellows practising in the field.
MA Human Rights and Cultural Diversity•
Our MA Human Rights and Cultural
Diversity is suitable if you have a particular
interest in this specialised area of study.
You acquire a deeper knowledge and
understanding of the central issues and
debates surrounding the application and
130 | Postgraduate Prospectus 2012