Oxford Summer Program Course Information

2025 Dates: July 6-31

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 2025 program begins on Sunday, July 6, with arrival and registration. Monday, July 7, 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 Tuesday, July 8 to Wednesday Monday, July 28. Exams will be held July 29-30. Students will depart on July 31.

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 2025 electives are as follows:

• Refugees and International Human Rights Law
• Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age
• Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Law and Practice
• Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence
• War, Peace and Human Rights
   

Seminars will usually contain no more than 18 students.

A typical class day looks like this:

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.

2025 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.

Your Tutors

Morning Seminars

The Fundamentals of International Human Rights Law

Prof. Başak Çalı, Dr. Marija Jovanović

This core course provides students with a broad grounding  in the scope, content and interpretation of international human rights law (IHRL) and monitoring, enforcement and accountability mechanisms in IHRL.  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 historical development of IHRL, the sources of IHRL  and principles of interpretation. The second part of the course explores international and regional human rights instruments and their enforcement mechanisms. In this part of the course, we examine and evaluate the work of the United Nations Charter Bodies, such as the UN Human Rights Council and United Nations Treaty Bodies, as well as the regional human rights treaties, courts and commissions in Africa, the Americas and Europe. The final part of the course examines a number of substantive themes, such as gender and human rights, protection of refugees, economic, social and cultural rights, business and human rights and international humanitarian law.

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

Human Rights Lawyering (advanced class)

Prof. Helen Duffy

This course, designed for advanced students with previous studies or experience in the human rights field, emphasizes the role of legal professionals in the interpretation, application and enforcement of IHRL. Various human rights actors, forms of “human rights lawyering” and international, regional, and domestic systems of enforcement will be explored. The course will hone in on the role (and limits) of strategic human rights litigation (SHRL) and advocacy: what forms does human rights litigation take, pursuant to what and whose goals, with what impact, and subject to what legal strategies. Students will consider the role that various sources and human rights norms play, and the many challenges that arise in giving effect to the law in practice in the world today, from access to justice, to poor implementation, the responsibility of diversifying non-state actors and human rights backlash. Case studies will explore the role of human rights lawyering in response to contemporary challenges – such as the climate crisis, rights violations in armed conflict, enforced disappearance or torture, and democratic backsliding including threats to judicial independence.

Discussions are in a small dynamic study group, led by a professor and human rights practitioner, and enriched by brief presentations by invited guests with diverse experience of human rights lawyering. Students are encouraged, informally and through student presentations, to bring their own experience and perspectives from particular jurisdictions or issues to the group.

Since this is an advanced class, please note that participation is subject to approval from one of the Course Directors or the Lawyering tutor.

Afternoon Seminars

Note on cancellation of Gender, Sexuality and International Human Rights Law elective

Regrettably, we will not be able to offer the Gender, Sexuality and International Human Rights Law course as an afternoon elective this year. This was due to be taught by Professor Charles Ngwena who sadly passed away in Pretoria earlier this year. In place of the Gender, Sexuality and IHRL elective, a new course on Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence will be offered, taught by Dr. Daragh Murray of Queen Mary University of London. The information provided in the accordions below will provide further information. 

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.

Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Daragh Murray

This course examines the complex and nuanced impact Artificial Intelligence (AI)  exerts on both individuals and society, through an international human rights law lens. It is structured around four key objectives. First, understanding how AI works. This is not intended to replicate a computer science degree but rather will highlight those characteristics of AI relevant to any human rights law analysis. Second, understanding how AI engages human rights law. This will unpack both how AI can advance human rights protections, and how AI may cause harm to human rights. Third, understanding what is different about AI, and how the widespread adoption of AI can impact individuals’ ability to freely develop their identity and undermine the effective functioning of democratic societies.  Fourth, understanding how international human rights law can respond effectively to the complex, multifaceted and reverberative harms associated with AI. The course itself is divided into three sections. The first five classes are centered around explaining AI and introducing relevant international human rights law concepts. The middle section of the course examines AI’s impact, by means of a number of different case studies. These look at the use of AI by law enforcement, the military, and for the delivery of health, education and social welfare. The final five classes then look at the regulation of AI and approaches to accountability. A particular emphasis is placed on shifting human rights law from a primarily reactive, after-the-fact body of law, to a more anticipatory, before-the-fact, framework.

Refugees and International Human Rights Law

Prof. Stephen Meili

This course will examine international and domestic protections available to refugees. Its primary focus will be the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol and other international instruments, and how they have been interpreted by various international, regional and national institutions. The course will emphasize the human rights approach to refugee law, i.e., the extent to which human rights instruments such as the Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights inform interpretations of the Refugee Convention. Given the ongoing refugee crisis in various parts of the world, we will pay particular attention to the role of regional human rights instruments applicable to refugees, including the Cartagena Declaration of 1984, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Organization of African Unity 1969 Convention. We will also analyse the way that the constitutionalisation of human rights law in many countries has impacted refugees and asylum-seekers, and the strategies of the advocates who argue for their protection. The course will combine lectures, discussions and in-class exercises such as oral arguments and debates.

Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age

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

Ms. Meghna Abraham

This seminar critically explores the international legal and institutional systems for the protection of economic, social, and cultural rights. It focuses on the obligations that states have to ensure that all persons are able to access food, housing, healthcare, education, water, sanitation, protections at work, and an adequate standard of living. It will look at challenges around implementation, including the role of courts, companies, other governments, and inter-disciplinary approaches necessary to evaluate policies and budgets. It considers the extent to which international law should guide decisions on how governments allocate resources and whether they are required to address economic inequality, along with other forms of inequality. It will also discuss whether the international legal framework is fit for purpose to address major global challenges such as the climate and biodiversity crises, pandemics, and societal changes that may come about as a result of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.