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Oxford Summer Program Course Information

2024 Dates: July 2-27

Course Aims

The program aims to provide an intensive immersion in international human rights law and practice. Students will learn about key international and regional human rights laws and the enforcement of human rights by courts, quasi-judicial bodies, the UN and other inter-governmental organizations and non-governmental actors. The introductory morning session course – entitled The Fundamentals of International Human Rights Law –  aims to provide a basic grounding in the field of international human rights law for students with no prior knowledge. The advanced morning course – entitled Human Rights Lawyering – is restricted to students with prior study of/or experience human rights protection. The six afternoon electives, from which each student chooses one, aim to provide students with an opportunity to specialize in a key sub area of international human rights law or international humanitarian law. More broadly, the program is intended to prepare participants to contribute to the improvement of human rights conditions in their homelands and around the world.

Course Structure

The 2024 program begins on Tuesday, July 2, with arrival and registration. Wednesday, July 3, is reserved for orientation, library registration, and an optional but recommended introductory lecture on the sources of international law and the means of its enforcement. Classes are held mornings and afternoons Thursday, July 4 to Wednesday July 24. Thursday, July 25, is reserved for a reading day, and examinations are held on Friday, July 26, followed by a farewell dinner. The program concludes after breakfast on Saturday, July 27.

Academic Program

The academic program consists of:

  • Morning: a daily plenary lecture given by a leading expert within the faculty; followed by small break-out discussion groups (3 sections of the Fundamentals course, 1 section of the Lawyering course)
  • Afternoon: study in small interactive group seminars led by experienced tutors
  • Optional extra-curricular events program

All students will take either one of two morning courses for three credits:

  • The Fundamentals of International Human Rights Law; or
  • Human Rights Lawyering (advanced)

Students then choose one afternoon elective seminar for two credits. The 2024 electives are as follows: 

  • Climate Justice  
  • Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age
  • Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Law and Practice
  • Gender, Sexuality and International Human Rights Law
  • War, Peace and Human Rights

Seminars will usually contain no more than 18 students.

A typical class day looks like this:

8 am Breakfast
9-10 am Plenary Lecture
10-10:20 am Coffee Break
10:30-11:50 am Fundamentals/Lawyering Seminars
12-1:30 pm Lunch
2-3:35 pm Afternoon Elective Seminars

In addition, there will be optional afternoon events, including special guest lectures and panel presentations on some days.

Contract Hours

The program provides a minimum of 58 hours and 45 minutes, comprising:

  • 15 plenary lectures of 1 hour each day
  • 15 morning break-out groups of 80 minutes each day
  • 15 afternoon seminars of 95 minutes each day

Levels and Demands

This course is an intensive program of postgraduate-level study and potential applicants should therefore be confident that they are academically and linguistically prepared for such a program. American undergraduates cannot be admitted to the program.

Participants are expected to:

  • Undertake preparatory reading before each class
  • Attend all seminar sessions and lectures
  • Be actively engaged with their seminar topics

If your first language is not English, you must supply evidence of your proficiency before a place can be offered. Further information about accepted English tests and minimum scores for this course are listed in the Applications section.

Assessment

Assessment for all classes in this program is by way of timed examination and class participation but examinations are only compulsory for those seeking credit from the program. Further information about credit can be found in the Certificates and credit section below.

Please note: all examinations take place on the final Friday of the program and cannot be re-arranged.

Certificates and Credit

All students who satisfactorily complete the program will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance. To qualify for this, students are required to attend lectures and seminars to the satisfaction of the course tutors. It is not necessary to take the examinations in order to receive a Certificate of Attendance but those seeking credit from the program will need to sit the examinations. The certificate will list your name, the dates of the program and the two courses you have taken.

The program is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) for 5 semester credits, but these can only be awarded to North American law students who have applied for the program through the George Washington University (see 'Application procedure' on the Applications page). North American students must take the examinations to receive ABA accreditation.

2024 Seminar Options

In the mornings, all students who have not previously studied international human rights law at the graduate level take the Fundamentals of International Human Rights Law (IHRL), which provides an in-depth understanding of relevant laws, legal principles, obligations and enforcement machinery. This course comprises a plenary lecture, followed by small-group seminars. For students who have previously studied IHRL or who have substantial experience in the field may qualify for Human Rights Lawyering. In the afternoons, students choose one of six seminars for a more in-depth study of a particular specialized area of IHRL.

You will be asked to choose your seminar options on the online registration form. For the afternoon seminars, we will ask you to make a first, second and third choice of class. Classes are allocated on a first-come first-served basis according to payment date. Therefore, if you are keen to take one particular class, we advise you to apply early and pay as soon as possible if you are offered a place. If your first choice of class is oversubscribed when your fees are received, you will be allocated to your second or third choice of class. 

All courses are evaluated by way of a written examination and class participation. Participation includes discussions and, for some courses, in-class exercises.

For information on all faculty, please see your tutors.

Morning Seminars

The Fundamentals of International Human Rights Law

Prof. Stephen Meili, Prof. Alexandra Xanthaki

This core course provides students with a broad grounding IHRL and its monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. The course is accessible to students who have no prior knowledge of international law or IHRL, as well as those who are seeking to broaden their understanding of IHRL.

The first part of the course examines the philosophical basis and historical development of human rights, in light of the key principles of public international law which underpin IHRL. In this part of the course, particular emphasis is placed on the sources of IHRL. The second part of the course explores international and regional human rights laws and their enforcement mechanisms. In this part of the course, we examine and evaluate the work of the United Nations Charter and treaty bodies, as well as the regional human rights laws and systems in Africa, the Americas and Europe. The final part of the course examines a number of substantive issues in IHRL, including poverty and human rights, women's human rights, humanitarian law and intervention, refugee rights, business and human rights, international criminal tribunals, and the role of non-governmental organisations in the protection and promotion of human rights.

Teaching on the course comprises a mix of plenary lectures and seminars.

Human Rights Lawyering (advanced class)

Prof. Başak Çalı

This course, designed for advanced students with previous studies or experience in the field, emphasizes the role of legal professionals in the interpretation, application and enforcement of IHRL. Students analyze human rights norms in the form of treaties, customary international law,  “soft law” instruments and case law. They further gain a practical insight into the workings of various international, regional, and domestic systems of enforcement and their effectiveness. At each juncture, they confront contemporary problems in IHRL, especially, access to IHRL mechanisms, standards of attribution, jurisdiction and evidence, implementation of human rights judgments, human rights backlash, and liability of non-state actors and international organizations.

Afternoon Seminars

War, Peace and Human Rights

Prof. Stuart Maslen

This course focuses on the rules applicable to armed conflict, particularly the conduct of hostilities (Hague Law) and the treatment of persons in the power of the enemy (Geneva Law). Key topics for discussion include identifying an armed conflict, the legality of means and methods of warfare, including the weapons used, piloted and unmanned bombing, blockades, cyberattacks, and conflict in space. Application of the law to non-state armed groups are covered as well as the relationship between warfare and law enforcement and between the law of armed conflict and jus ad bellum. We also consider the means by which the law of armed conflict is enforced in the current international system.

Gender, Sexuality, and International Human Rights Law

Prof. Charles Ngwena

This course critically explores the role and effectiveness of IHRL in protecting women’s rights at the intersections of gender and sexuality. The emphasis is on protecting the rights to equality, non-discrimination and human dignity. In conceptualizing gender and sexuality, the course acknowledges the intersections with reproductive rights. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) serves as a necessary human rights source in the framing and appraisal of the human rights protections for women. At the same time, the course makes connections with other human rights treaties that are contributing to the protection of human rights of women, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The discussion will cover classical issues such as domestic violence, contraception, sterilisation and abortion as well as contemporary issues such as transgender, disability, #Me Too movements and climate justice. The course draws on critical social theory and mainly feminism and decolonial theories to show how social and legal norms shape gender and sexuality and to evaluate the efficacy of international human rights protections. The aim is to understand, apply and critique international law and its contribution to improving the lives of women at the intersection with gender and sexuality.

Climate Justice

Prof. Helen Duffy

Climate change threatens the effective enjoyment of the full array of human rights, including the rights to life, water and sanitation, food, health, housing, equality, culture, development, self-determination and more. States have human rights obligations to prevent the foreseeable adverse effects of climate change and ensure that those affected by it, particularly the most vulnerable, have access to effective remedies and means of adaptation to enjoy lives with dignity. This course addresses the framework of international human rights law (IHRL) establishing obligations of duty bearers to rights-holders with respect to the threats and harm to human rights associated with climate change, and the tensions and challenges that arise in seeking to give effect to that framework in practice. It explores what a human rights-based approach to climate action could look like. This include analysis of the range of evolving rights and principles, including the right to a healthy environment, the array of implicated economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights, the principle of participation and reparation. The course analyses the roles of a range of IHRL mechanisms, institutions, agencies (at the UN and regional levels) and other actors in addressing climate change. A particular focus is on role of the courts and the burgeoning global practice of strategic human rights climate litigation. We explore the role of diverse international and national fora, and the goals and impact, as well as limitations and challenges, of climate litigation. Overall, the course therefore takes a comprehensive approach, considering law, process, actors and strategy, to examine the potential and limits of IHRL in pursuing climate justice.

Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age (new for 2024)

Prof. David Kaye

The right to freedom of expression has long been considered a cornerstone of democratic society and an essential element for human development. Yet it faces global challenges arguably not seen since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The digital age, for one thing, has transformed the public understanding of speech harms, triggering a wave of regulation in democratic and authoritarian societies alike. Digital technologies have not only provided new tools for censorship and the surveillance of journalists, opposition figures, and others; they have also created new tensions between rights, such as the privacy-expression tension encapsulated in the right to be forgotten. At the same time, government repression of criticism and dissent, expansion of defamation laws, barriers to access to information, and concentration of media, among many other problems, threaten expressive rights. Beyond government burdens on speech, other free speech debates are proliferating, from rights during protest, the problem of hate speech, and academic freedom. This course will address these issues and more, often but not exclusively focused on issues in the digital age. The course will center discussions on international and regional human rights law, largely exploring the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Human Rights Committee and UN Special Procedures, as well as case law in African, European and Inter-American human rights mechanisms.

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Law and Practice

Prof. Judith Bueno de Mesquita

This course focuses on the legal and institutional system for the protection of economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights such as health, housing, education, food, water and work. Once neglected, this is now a particularly dynamic field of international human rights law. The course will critically explore the contribution of these ESC rights to protecting people against poverty, inequality and discrimination including on grounds of gender, race, and socioeconomic status; and to achieving the building blocks for a dignified life for all – such as affordable healthcare, quality education, adequate housing, a living wage, social protection, safe drinking water, a healthy environment, and freedom from gender-based violence.

Grounded in international law including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the course will critically explore the emergence of an increasingly rich ESC rights jurisprudence at the international, regional and domestic levels; and the implementation of ESC rights through human rights ‘mainstreaming’ in policies and budgets. The course will introduce students to the latest frontiers of ESC rights research and practice, including in the context of contemporary global environmental, public health and economic challenges that have a particular impact on ESC rights.