LLM Program in International Human Rights

The Program in International Human Rights Law is designed for students who wish to undertake an in-depth study of the norms and methods of international human rights law and its implementation in domestic legal systems. The degree program provides an excellent grounding in international human rights law for individuals with career interests in the field.

The structure of the program affords unique advantages for educational and social interaction. Students are assured of a close working relationship with the professors, all of whom have had hands-on legal practice and academic experience in the field, and access to the programs of the Center for International Human Rights. The Center is led by its Director, Professor David Scheffer, a former US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues in the Clinton Administration who played the key US role in the creation of and support for the international and hybrid criminal tribunals. Students in the program also benefit from participating in small group seminars with other LLM students and joining JD law students in core and elective courses of the program. In addition, the program encourages international students to study not only relevant law, but its application to the circumstances of their home countries.

Individuals who wish to complete the Program in International Human Rights must apply specifically to that program by checking the appropriate box on their application for admission.

Core and Elective Courses
Five core courses (described below) fulfill 11 of the 20 required credits for the LLM in International Human Rights Law. HR LLM students must earn an additional 9 credits related to international human rights law, including at least one of the elective courses (described below) in the International Human Rights Law Program. The remainder of these 9 credits can be gained either via additional Program electives or, after prior consultation with and approval by Professor Arimond, via another relevant course offered by the law school. Likewise, in lieu of a core course that the student has already completed with a satisfactory grade in prior legal studies, a student may take another relevant course offered by the law school after prior consultation with and approval by Professor Arimond. In exceptional cases, elective courses that would have the student exceeding the required 20 credit hours may be taken after prior consultation with and approval by Professor Arimond.

For more information on the program courses, view the Current Course Listings.

Fall Semester

Core Courses

International Human Rights Law (3 credits) (Instructor: David Scheffer)

This is an introductory survey course about the growing field of international human rights law. The course examines the sources, history, and theoretical underpinnings of human rights law and then covers the modern protection of civil, political, economic, and social rights. The critical role of international and regional human rights organizations and courts is studied as well as how non-governmental organizations influence the development of the law.
Human Rights Advocacy: Legal Analysis and Writing (3 credits) (Instructor: Bridget Arimond) (Core open only for international LLM candidates—see below)

This course has been designed specifically for LLM students in the International Human Rights concentration to be taken in lieu of the Common Law Reasoning course offered to other LLM students. The class explores sources and research methodologies for international human rights law, treaty interpretation, analysis of customary international law, modes of argument, the use of cases before international tribunals and bodies, and the use of international law before domestic courts. Students complete a series of writing exercises leading up to the writing of a brief to a human rights body in a hypothetical human rights case.

JD Graduates in the LLM (Human Rights) program: As an alternative to this course, the JD graduate may select an alternative course related to human rights law after prior consultation with and approval by Professor Arimond.

Human Rights Colloquium (1 credit First Semester and 1 credit Second Semester) (Instructor: Bridget Arimond)

The Human Rights Colloquium is an opportunity for LLM students in the concentration in International Human Rights to meet in a collegial setting with the International Human Rights faculty to discuss human rights issues from their international home countries. During the course of the year each student will make a presentation on a contemporary human rights issue in his or her home country. Through these presentations and the ensuing discussions, all participants will have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of human rights issues and share insights regarding the ways in which various countries handle comparable problems and situations.

Electives

Nation Building: International Human Rights Law in Transitional Societies (3 credits) (Instructor: Stephen Sawyer)

This seminar course will explore the nation building elements that must be in place in a state emerging from a period of state oppression or armed conflict in order for that state to become a society where human rights are respected. In the course we will examine the concepts of international human rights, democracy, rule of law, constitutionalism, self-determination, civil society, gender justice and minority rights, and the role these factors play, individually and in combination, in creating and maintaining an emergent society that respects international human rights. We will consider the role of a number of devices designed to aid broken societies transition to rights respecting ones, including truth and reconciliation commissions, judicial intervention, and collective action under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Trial Advocacy (4 credits) (Instructor: Steven Lubet) (Elective open only to international LLM Human Rights candidates) (See below for further restriction.)

Trial advocacy skills are developed through students' presentation of solutions to problems at weekly class sessions. The problems require students to examine witnesses; introduce evidence; present and challenge the testimony of expert witnesses; and present opening and closing arguments. In addition to regular weekly problem preparation and classroom presentations, each student is responsible for the preparation and trial of a mock civil or criminal case. Students' performances are evaluated by faculty, practicing trial attorneys, and judges. This course is designed to maximize the development of decision-making and analytical ability. The various problems emphasize the importance of theory choice by lawyers, as well as the interrelationships among the rules of trial procedure, evidence, and legal ethics. Mandatory class attendance. Those students who do not attend the first class meeting will be dropped. Evaluation: This course is graded on the basis of the students' weekly performances and final jury trial. There is no exam. Teaching method: Lecture and simulation.

Trial Advocacy will only be available to international HR LLMs to the extent that trial teams of four international HR LLM students can be formed.

Spring Semester

Core Courses

International Criminal Law (3 credits) (Instructor: David Scheffer)

This course provides an introduction to international criminal law as it pertains to the international and hybrid criminal tribunals, including the International Criminal Court, the International Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Kosovo and Timor-Leste courts, and the Iraqi High Criminal Court. Students study the sources and evolving definitions of the atrocity crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, aggression, and large-scale terrorism, as well as the creation and jurisprudence of the tribunals. Special attention is paid to the debate over the crime of torture and recent U.S. litigation pertaining to the "war on terror."

Human Rights Colloquium (see description under Fall Semester)

Electives

International Human Rights: Differing Perspectives in Europe, the Americas, the U.S. (3 credits) (Instructor: Stephen Sawyer)

This seminar examines the developing case law of two international regional courts—the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights—and the U.S. Supreme Court, with a particular emphasis on matters of topical interest, such as the critical elements of a democratic society; due process standards for those charged with crimes; the duty of government to investigate crimes that violate international human rights; freedom of expression and association; the role of religion in the society; and the rights of gays and lesbians to participate fully in society.

Human Rights in the 21st Century (3 credits) (Instructor: Sandra Babcock) (Offered in Spring 2007; may not be offered in Spring 2008)

Over the last several decades, the human rights movement has grown exponentially. Government conduct is now routinely assessed by human rights panels and treaty monitoring bodies. Scores of domestic interest groups have joined the ranks of non-governmental organizations using the discourse of human rights. And yet, the human rights movement today faces a number of daunting challenges. This seminar will examine some of the modern controversies in the field of human rights. Among other things, students explore (1) theories of cultural relativism and other academic critiques of the human rights movement—focusing in part on the campaigns to end female genital mutilation and the death penalty; (2) political challenges to the legitimacy of United Nations bodies, including the controversy over the former Human Rights Commission; (3) challenges to domestic enforceability of binding human rights obligations; and (4) the threat to human rights posed by the global war on terror. Grading will be based on a paper and class participation. Class size is limited to 20 students.

Human Rights Clinic (3 credits) (Instructors: Bridget Arimond and Sandra Babcock) (Acceptance into this course requires the prior approval of the instructor.)

Students in this course will have the opportunity to work on actual cases or projects applying the norms of international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and/or international criminal law. Students will gain exposure to diverse forms of human rights advocacy before domestic courts, international tribunals, and inter-governmental agencies. Current and past clinic projects have included the preparation of legal memoranda at the invitation of various international and hybrid criminal tribunals; the preparation of written submissions to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights regarding human rights violations in U.S. death penalty cases; the preparation of a report for the U.N. Human Rights Committee on violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights arising out of the Guantanamo detentions; and the conducting of interviews with atrocity survivors for the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Graduate Thesis (4 credits)

Human Rights LLM students engage in intensive, supervised research and produce a thesis of substantial length and high quality. Students propose topics in the field of international human rights law for approval by the supervising professor and prepare at least one initial draft for review prior to finalizing the thesis.

Additional Human Rights-Related Electives within the Law School
In addition to the above-listed courses offered by the faculty of the Center for International Human Rights, every year a number of additional courses related to human rights are offered as part of the general Law School course offerings. While the offerings change from year to year, the following courses, from the 2006-2007 offerings, are representative of the kinds of courses offered:

Fall 2006:

European Legal Systems and the Holocaust: From Genocide to Present Day Restitution (1-2 credits) (Instructor: Richard Weisberg)
European Union Law (2-3 credits) (Instructor: Elizabeth Duquette)
Prisons and Prisoner’s Rights (2-3 credits) (Instructor: Alan Mills)
Torture: Paradigms and Practice in International and Domestic Law (2-3 credits) (Instructor: Bernardine Dohrn)

Spring 2007:

International Perspectives on Violence, Public Health and Law (2.5 credits) (Instructors: Katherine Christoffel and Cynthia Grant Bowman)
Introduction to Poverty Law (2-3 credits) (Instructor: Audra Wilson)
Politics of Human Rights (2.5 credits) (Instructor: Jeffrey Winters) (Evanston Campus)
Refugees and Asylum (2-3 credits) (Instructor: Joyce Anne Hughes)
Women, Children and Human Rights (2-3 credits) (Instructor: Bernardine Dohrn)

Language Proficiency
All students must be proficient in English, as demonstrated by a sufficient TOEFL score.

Tuition and Financial Aid
A limited number of Northwestern University fellowships, based on merit and financial need, may be awarded to applicants or negotiated with third party funders. However, not enough funds are available for all qualified students in need. Applicants are strongly encouraged to investigate other sources of support, including employers and government agencies, scholarship funds, and family and personal funds. Non-US citizens may also apply for the University-administered NU Loan, which must be co-signed by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

For further information, contact Professor Bridget Arimond, Director of the LLM in International Human Rights Law.