Human Rights MA

You will look at the organisations and activities involved in the protection of human rights. You will explore social and campaigning movements, pressure groups, nation states, international and transnational organisations, and examine the scope of their contributions to the development of human rights and social justice.

You will analyse current international situations and relations between states and non-state organisations where conflicts have resulted in considerable violations of human rights.

You will investigate the challenges and demands that arise from the continual movements of peoples, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who flee conflicts and disasters, seeking realisation of their fundamental rights.

Key topics in the curriculum are compiled on an annual basis, so your learning is based on major contemporary issues in human rights. For example, recent case studies in the core modules have addressed the human rights implications of the use of drones in the "war on terror"; the status of UN negotiations to create a legally binding treaty on human rights and transnational corporations; the challenge of rising populism; and the question of extreme poverty and human rights in the USA.