Theory and Practice of Human Rights (master's 2-years)
Duration: 2 years
Credits: 120
Organization: Full time study
Responsible faculty: Faculty of Law
Programme name
Theory and Practice of Human Rights (english)
Why choose this programme?
Human Rights: Few other concepts — legal, political or moral — can compete with ‘human rights’ as an emblem of modernity and globalisation.
It brings forward dreams of freedom as well as fears of foreign domination and it refers to actually existing international law and associated legal and political mechanisms as well as processes of far-reaching social and cultural change.
This programme focuses on human rights in both theory and practice from legal, historical, philosophical, political and social science-based perspectives. Students are provided with specialised knowledge about human rights law, including the relationship between that law and other types of human rights initiatives and activities.
Human rights are approached as an element of public international law, at global and regional levels, and the different forms of implementation — international, regional, and national — are examined. They are also contextualised within a social science perspective and knowledge about and understanding of the normative and institutional framework, contemporary issues relating to terrorism, religion, ethnicity, women and development are studied in different courses.
There will be opportunities to do practical work (mock trials, internships) and discussions about human rights as social and cultural practices are included in the courses. The final part of the programme consists in writing a thesis through which the students acquire methodological and practical skills well-suited to match a growing demand for professionals with a background in human rights.
Learning outcomes
The programme provides the student with the capacity to identify issues and problems relating to the realisation of human rights, and strengthens the ability to contribute to the resolution of human rights issues and problems. It also develops investigative and analytical skills.
Human Rights: Few other concepts — legal, political or moral — can compete with ‘human rights’ as an emblem of modernity, good governance, and globalisation. Its universal nature with reference to the dignity of every human being brings forward dreams of freedom as well as worries about foreign influence. It refers to actually existing international law and associated legal and political mechanisms as well as processes of far-reaching social and cultural change. This programme offers courses in human rights in both theory and practice from legal, historical, philosophical, political and social science-based perspectives.
Knowledge
The programme is multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. After having completed the required number of courses and written a master thesis, students will have acquired advanced knowledge about
- human rights as a branch of public international law, and relevant juridical mechanisms at global as well as regional levels,
- human rights as an object of study in history, philosophy and the social sciences, as well as a practical reality in national and international politics,
- different forms of promoting and implementing human rights, domestically as well as on the international level
- the role of human rights in contemporary issues relating to terrorism, religion, ethnicity, gender and development
- scholarly values such as transparency, impartiality, clarity, reliance and the importance of sound reasoning and empirical inference
Skills
The programme enables students to take an analytic and critical stance and deal with questions of how human rights affect social and political processes. At the end of the programme you will be able to
- search for, identify and assess primary sources as well scholarly literature about human rights
- identify, contextualise and use information about the human rights situation in a given country,
- critically appraise source material, including cases from human rights committees and tribunals and reports and summary records from treaty bodies
- analyse a country’s situation or an international situation in terms of human rights and formulate human rights-based initiatives and policies
- promote human rights through legal as well as non-legal means
- participate in legal, political and other debates involving human rights in a knowledgeable and constructive way
General competence
The programme allows students with a bachelor’s degree, prospective professionals and scholars to develop expertise in the field of human rights — or in a particular, a specialised area within the field — and it enables human rights practitioners to widen their theoretical hold on the human rights system and its historical and philosophical underpinnings.
Having completed this master`s programme, you will be able to
- work independently and carry out a professional and original work in the field of human rights, in NGOs, international organisations, ministries and state agencies that address human rights
- work in conjunction with human rights specialists and other scholars in expanding knowledge about human rights as well as promoting respect for the values they embody and symbolise
- communicate your acquired skills in the field of human rights through teaching as well as legal action and policy-making; and
- pursue an academic career in human rights
Target group
The programme allows students with a bachelor’s degree, prospective professionals and scholars to develop expertise in the field of human rights — or in a particular, specialised area within that field — and it enables human rights practitioners to widen their theoretical hold on the human rights system and its historical and philosophical underpinnings.
Admission
Get your admission requirements and application deadline for this programme by following our guide.
Check your admission requirements and when to apply
Answer three questions in our admission guide to get
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your application deadline
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admission requirements
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which documents to submit
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access to the application portal Søknadsweb
Selected program requirements (visible to UiO employees only)
Available places
30
Required specialization
Bachelor's degree
You must have a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree.
Required specialization and minimum grade requirement
You must have a minimum grade average comparable to a Norwegian C in the required specialization. A Norwegian C is described as a good grade, generally comparable to an American B and a Second Class Upper in the British system. We do not use conversion tables for foreign grades. All foreign education is individually evaluated during the admission process.
Please note that eligible applicants who fulfill the minimum grade requirement will compete for a study place. Please see the section on ranking for more information on selection criteria.
Required specialization:
At least one and a half years (90 ECTS-credits) of your bachelor's studies must be in law, a social science (i.e., political science, anthropology or sociology), philosophy, history or a related field as long as the study in question includes courses that are relevant for the study of human rights. A combination of these subjects is also possible.
Further documentation for this program
- CV (Curriculum vitae)
- Motivation letter (maximum one page stating why you are applying for this programme).
Optional documentation:
- Documentation of professional experience. Letters documenting relevant work/trainee experience are important if you want the Admission Committee to consider this experience as part of the assessment basis for your application.
Note! You can be asked to send in or upload further documentation like course descriptions which contain information about the courses you have completed (e.g. a document containing links to relevant websites) at a later stage in the application process.
Ranking of applicants
Selection is based on your academic performance in the required subjects for this programme.
Admission to this programme is usually highly competitive. Please note that even if you fulfill the minimum grade requirement, you are not guaranteed a study place in the programme.
Additional ranking:
Relevant professional experience/practice and motivation for the study will also come into consideration when assessing the applicants. The additional ranking is done after the applicants have had their ordinary ranking point total calculated.