School of Law

MA Human Rights Law (2021 entry)

Select year of entry: 2021 2020

Overview

Overview and entry requirements

The MA in Human Rights Law provides a specialisation in a constantly evolving area of law that covers a range of issues at the heart of major contemporary developments and debates.

This programme offers a wide range of distinctive modules that combine a focus on core subjects in the field alongside a critical inquiry into the theory and practice of human rights law and related fields, particularly as they relate to the global South.

Options include core international modules on international human rights law, international criminal law, international refugee and migration law, international humanitarian law, and justice, reconciliation and reconstruction in post conflict societies.

The degree also offers singular modules on specific legal approaches, settings, and cross-cutting themes such as Human Rights and Islamic Law; Law, Rights & Social Change; Law, Human Rights and Peace-building: the Israeli-Palestinian case; Darfur: Anatomy of a Human Rights Emergency; and Human Rights of Women.

Why study MA in Human Rights Law at SOAS

we are UK Top 20 and World Top 200 for Law (QS World University Rankings 2021)
SOAS provides a unique environment and opportunity to engage with relevant issues taught by our expert staff who bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience of working and teaching in the field. This includes posts such as United Nations Independent Expert on human rights in the Sudan, acting as advisors to national, regional and international bodies, and in multiple roles and affiliations with civil society organisations and actors
The MA in Human Rights Law uses a range of teaching methods and approaches, which draw on the wider, global community of academics, legal practitioners and NGOs, to foster an engaged, critical learning environment

SOAS Centre for Human Rights Law

The area of human rights, conflict and justice occupies an important place in the SOAS School of Law, which is home to the SOAS Centre for Human Rights Law. The Centre provides a focal point for research activities and regular events, and an opportunity for postgraduate students to become involved and engage with the SOAS research community and actors in the field.

Why you

The programme is ideal for legal professionals as well as students without a law degree, with an interest in the theory and practice of human rights law and related fields, particularly as they relate to the global south.

You will join an international alumni of graduates from SOAS, many of whom are now working at the UN, in NGOs, in government, private practice, policy work or academia.

Explore

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Entry requirements

We will consider all applications with 2:ii (or international equivalent) or higher. In addition to degree classification we take into account other elements of the application including supporting statement and references.

Featured events

duration:: One calendar year (full-time); Two or three years (part-time, daytime only)

Fees 2021/22

UK fees:: £16,400

Overseas fees:: £23,680

Fees for 2021/22 entrants. This is a Band 7 fee. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Registry Postgraduate Tuition Fees page

Convenors

Dr Lutz Oette Convenor

Structure

To facilitate the study of law, all MA students are required to attend a two-week Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods in the September before beginning the MA programme.

Students must take modules to a total value of 180, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules. Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits.

Students who wish to graduate with a specialised MA are required to take at least 60 credits associated with his or her specialised MA, a further 30 credits within the School of Law (General Law Postgraduate Taught Module List), and a final 30 unit which can either be taken within the School of Law or from the Language Open Options or Non-Language Open Options pages with the MA Programme Convenor’s permission. The dissertation topic will be undertaken within the MA specialisation.

Please note: Not all modules listed will be available every year. Please see the individual module page for information.

Dissertation

Students must complete a Dissertation (12,000 words) in Law, which should be on a topic relating to their chosen MA specialism.

Module	Code	Credits	Term
MA Dissertation in Law	15PLAC999	60	Full Year

Taught Component

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods	15PLAC162	0	Term 1

AND

Choose modules from the List A below to the value of 45 credits

AND

Choose a module(s) from the List A or General Law Options below to the value of 30 credits

AND

Choose a module(s) from the List of General Law Options below or from Postgraduate Open Options to the value of 30 credits

List of Modules (subject to availability)

List A

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Human Rights of Women	15PLAC112	30	Full Year
International Human Rights Clinic	15PLAC145	30	Full Year
Human Rights and Islamic Law	15PLAC150	30	Full Year
Foundations of International Law	15PLAH021	15	Term 1
Law, Rights & Social Change	15PLAH064	15	Term 1
International Migration Law	15PLAH068	15	Term 2
International Refugee Law	15PLAH069	15	Term 1
Israel, Palestine and International Law	15PLAH081	15

General Law Options

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Gender, Law and Society in the Middle East and North Africa	15PLAH056, Not running 2021/22	15
Alternative Dispute Resolution	15PLAC104
Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics	15PLAH061	15	Term 2
Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies	15PLAH062	15	Term 1
Human Rights and Islamic Law	15PLAC150	30	Full Year
International Commercial Arbitration	15PLAC153	30	Full Year
International Human Rights Clinic	15PLAC145	30	Full Year
International Investment Law	15PLAH063	15	Term 1
Islamic Law (MA/LLM)	15PLAC121	30	Full Year
Law and Development in Africa	15PLAC160	30	Full Year
Law and Society in Southeast Asia	15PLAH049	15	Term 2
Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa	15PLAC130	30	Full Year
Law, Rights & Social Change	15PLAH064	15	Term 1
Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods	15PLAC162	0	Term 1
International Migration Law	15PLAH068	15	Term 2
International Refugee Law	15PLAH069	15	Term 1
Law and Society in South Asia	15PLAC129	30	Full Year
Mapping International Law in London - International Legal Geography in the Capital of Empire	15PLAH072	15
Law, Environment and Social Justice	15PLAH067	15	Term 1
Law and Justice in Contemporary China	15PLAH071	15
Colonialism, Empire and International Law	15PLAH025	15	Term 2
Foundations of International Law	15PLAH021	15	Term 1
Human Rights of Women	15PLAC112	30	Full Year
International Criminal Law	15PLAH055	15	Term 1
Law and Natural Resources	15PLAC126	30	Full Year
Law and Policy of International Courts and Tribunal	15PLAH026
Law and Postcolonial Theory	15PLAH050	15	Term 2
Multinational Enterprises and the Law	15PLAC140
The Law of Armed Conflict	15PLAH022	15	Term 2
World Trade Organisation Law	15PLAH038
Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements (Law)	15PLAH044	15	Term 1
Intellectual Property Law (PG)	15PLAC182	30	Full Year
Law and Global Commons	15PLAH070	15	Term 2
International Environmental Law I: Principles, Institutions & Enforcement	15PLAH073	15	Term 1
International Environmental Law II: Biodiversity, Wildlife & Habitats	15PLAH074	15	Term 2
Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation (Law)	15PLAH076	15	Term 2
Multinational Enterprises and the Law I	15PLAH077	15	Term 1
Multinational Enterprises and the Law II	15PLAH078	15	Term 2
Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy	15PLAH079	15	Term 1
Comparative Company Law	15PLAH080	15	Term 2
Israel, Palestine and International Law	15PLAH081	15
Palestine, Resistance, and the Law	15PLAH082	15
Alternative Dispute Resolution I	15PLAH083	15	Term 1
Alternative Dispute Resolution II	15PLAH084	15	Term 2
International laws on the use of force	15PLAH020	15	Term 1

Open Options Note

Open options from cross-Faculty list will need approval of deputy PG programme convenor (LLM or MA)

Programme Specification

MA Human Rights Law Programme Specification (pdf; 231kb)

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

Contact hours

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

More information is on the page for each module.

Knowledge and understanding

Students will acquire specialist knowledge of human rights law internationally.
This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, knowledge and understanding of the following:
1. the theoretical and practical underpinnings of human rights law internationally;
2. the context in which law is made, interpreted, adjudicated, and amended;
3. the role played bylaw,particularly human rights law indifferent situations at the national, regional and international level;
4. the role and function of legal institutions in dealing with human rights;
5. the weight and significance of different sources and methodologies.
Students will develop knowledge of how to locate relevant materials and assess their relevance and/or importance.

Intellectual (thinking) skills

Students should develop rigor in analysis and assessment of legal arguments.
Students should develop the ability to understand, summarise and critically assess differing perspectives on theoretical debates.
Students should develop independence of thought and the confidence to challenge the accepted wisdom.
Students should learn to identify issues and formulate questions for further research through independent work.
Students will be encouraged to bring to bear their own previous experience and knowledge in addressing legal issues in an interdisciplinary manner.

Subject-based practical skills

The programme will help students develop the ability to:

Write clear research essays and dissertations.
Research in a variety of specialized research libraries and institutes and online,and retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources.
Present seminar papers and defend the arguments therein.
Discuss ideas introduced during seminars.
Develop essay and dissertation research questions.
Read legal source materials rapidly and critically.
Present legal arguments in moots and debates.

Transferable skills

The programme will enable students to:

Communicate effectively in writing.
Structure and communicate ideas and arguments effectively both orally and in writing.
Read and comprehend significant quantities of reading rapidly and effectively and develop critical faculties.
Find and use a variety of written and digital materials, especially legal materials, in libraries and research institutes.
Present (non – assessed)material orally.
Develop teamwork skills.

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Fees and funding

Tuition Fees

Full details of postgraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Postgraduate Tuition Fees page.

This is a Band 7 tuition fee.

Fees for 2021/22 entrants. The fees below are per academic year. Fees go up each year, therefore, your tuition fee in your second & subsequent years of study will be higher. Our continuing students, on the same degree programme, are protected from annual increases higher than 5%.

Full-time		Part-time 2 Years		Part-time 3 Years		LLM only 4 Years
UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students
£16,400	£23,680	£8,200	£11,840	£5,460	£7,890	£4,100	£5,640

Scholarships

Felix Non- Indian Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2021-01-29 00:00