Erasmus Mundus Action 1 Compendium 2009 - EACEA - Europa

Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses
MA Human Rights Practice (Erasmus Mundus)
Duration: 2 years
Course description:
With the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention of
Human Rights, and the many human rights documents and treaties that have followed in their wake,
human rights have become the dominant international moral code, regulating both how people should
be treated by their governments and institutions and, more generally, the agenda of international
relations at large. Despite the social, political and philosophical dimensions of human rights, the study
of the subject has been dominated by the legal profession. This Masters course, however, takes an
interdisciplinary approach that goes beyond the formal legalistic dimensions of human rights, providing
necessary insights from anthropology, philosophy, sociology, and political science. In doing so, the
course's emphasis is on human rights ‘practice’. The ‘practice’ of human rights, involving activities
such as the construction and implementation of rights by different authorities and institutions, the work
of NGOs and humanitarian agencies in assessing the enjoyment or violation of human rights and the
dissemination of human rights research, is a crucial but often neglected aspect of human rights
education.
This course seeks to address this deficiency through a variety of teaching methods in conjunction with
placement learning. Indeed, placement learning will be central to the course in this respect and
students will be trained in project management and organisational analysis, as well as key intellectual
themes of human rights work and social research methods before taking up a practical work
placement in a relevant organisation. The rationale for the course is the development of skilled
postgraduates who can make a significant contribution to the burgeoning human rights agenda in
Europe, and around the world, working with civil society organisations, governments, the public sector
and business.
Website:
http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/international/erasmusmundus/
Partners:
Roehampton University, United Kingdom(Co-ordinating institution)
University of Tromso, Norway
Gothenburg University , Sweden
Contact:
Dr. Gregory Kent
ROEHAMPTON UNIVERSITY
Southlands College, Roehampton Lane
UK-London SW15 5SL, UNITED KINGDOM
G.Kent@roehampton.ac.uk
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