Latin America Pathway

The Human Rights Consortium, in collaboration with the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, offers a specialist pathway through the MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights which enables students to focus their studies on the human rights concerns – past, present and future – of Latin America.

The pathway offers an in-depth, practical engagement with human rights in relation to social movements, political/economic regimes, the police, multinational corporations and informal/illegal organisations. As well as providing a grounding in the regions’ histories of slavery, colonialism, liberation, revolution and democracy, the course prepares students for work, advocacy and/or research in the region.

Structure

In order to pass the MA, students need to have achieved a total of 90 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. ECTS credits are recognised across the European Union. The degree comprises four compulsory modules (including the dissertation), and three optional modules.

Students wishing to undertake an internship can do so at any point during the academic year. Students who wish to obtain an extra 20 ECTS credits for this component (extra credit only) must complete the equivalent of 25 working days to pass this module and must submit a 1000-word assessment of their placement experience.

Required Modules

Autumn Term

Three core compulsory modules are required:

• Understanding Human Rights I: Ideas and Contexts [10 ECTS]
• Securing Human Rights I: Actors and Mechanisms, Skills and Strategies [10 ECTS]
• Translating Human Rights into Law I: The Foundations of International Human Rights Law [10 ECTS]

Spring Term

One compulsory module:

• The Politics of Human Rights in Latin America [10 ECTS]

Followed by 2 modules from the following (subject to availability):

• Understanding Human Rights II: Genocide, Gross Human Rights Violations and Reconciliation [10 ECTS]
• Securing Human Rights II: Securing Human Rights in Development and in Conflict [10 ECTS]
• Translating Human Rights into Law II: Topics in International Human Rights Law [10 ECTS]
• Researching Human Rights: Social Research Methods [10 ECTS]
• Environmental Justice, Sustainable Development and Human Rights [10 ECTS]
• Indigenous Peoples, Minorities and Human Rights [10 ECTS]

Summer Term

Dissertation [30 ECTS]

Students will complete a 15,000-word research-based dissertation on a chosen topic within the human rights of Latin America which is of special interest to them. This topic will be chosen in consultation with your dissertation supervisor, who will provide support.