Admission requirements
Master degree
Description
The Privatissimum is a short, intense, course. The aim of the course is to (further) develop a range of professional skills students need if they want to work in the field of human rights while at the same time deepening their comparative knowledge of the global and regional human rights systems.
In order to achieve these aims students have to research specific elements of the various human rights systems explored in the first two courses of the advanced master European and International Human Rights Law that lend themselves for a fruitful comparison. Differences and similarities, strong and weak aspects, and overlap and (potential) interaction between different human rights mechanisms are explored, keeping in mind the specific social, political and legal settings in which they operate.
Students are required to quickly acquaint themselves with a specific human rights issue and how it is dealt with under different human rights mechanisms, look for relevant materials on the topic and write and present short papers on their findings. As in real life professional situations, this has to be done under tight time constraints. Also as in real life situations, they have to work both in groups and individually. In addition, the final individual assignment will give them a flavour of the type of research that is also expected for the thesis.
Course objectives
students can conduct sound comparative research on different human rights systems
students can find relevant, academically sound information concerning human rights law issues
students can discuss and evaluate the working, overlap and (potential) interaction of different human rights mechanisms by delving into several concrete human rights issues from a comparative perspective
students develop their ability to write a clear, informative and well-structured, well-written paper covering their research findings
students can carry out research and present their findings by working both individually and in groups
students can cope with working under tight time constraints
students have gained a better grasp of the type of research that will be needed for the final thesis
Mode of instruction
Lectures
In the first three weeks, the students address a different, topical human rights issue each week. They investigate how these issues are approached under the various global and regional human rights systems that have been explored in the previous courses. The teacher discusses the topic chosen for the week with the students. The students work in subgroups and each subgroup investigates how the topic is approached under different human rights mechanisms, assigned to them by the teacher.
To this end the students
search for and collect relevant information through internet and/or the library
discuss the results within their subgroup
write subgroup papers (and one small individual paper) with their main findings and send it around to the other students and to the teacher by the end of the week.
At the next session, the papers are presented and discussed in a small-scale conference type seminar to explore in which ways the approaches differ or are similar, how this can be explained, which approaches seem to be most fruitful etcetera. In addition, students receive collective feed-back on their papers and how to improve them.
In the fourth week students are assigned a topic on which they have to do similar research, but this time they write a more extensive individual paper in which they have to compare different human rights mechanisms.
- Required preparation by students: see above
Assessment method
Examination form(s)
Assessment method(s) and the weighting of each form of assessment towards the final grade
two group papers and one individual paper and presentations in conference type seminars: 3x 15% = 45%
one final individual paper: 55%
Submission procedures
- hard copy, via email and through Blackboard
Areas to be tested within the exam
See above.
Reading list
Obligatory course materials
Literature:
Given the character of this course, there is no fixed reading list. Students have to search for and collect relevant information themselves as part of the learning goals.
Reader:
- Seminar reader with course information.
Contact information
Co-ordinator: Dr. Ingrid Leijten
Contact information: Leiden University, Faculty of Law, Institute of Public Law
Kamerlingh Onnes Gebouw, Steenschuur 25, 2311 ES Leiden, Room number B116
Tel. +31 71 527 7398
a.e.m.leijten@law.leidenuniv.nl
Institution/division
Institute: Public law
Administration advanced masters: BIO
Mrs. Mahshid Alizadeh (LL.M.): m.alizadeh@law.leidenuniv.nl