PMHRLMDL - LLM Human Rights Law

RATIONALE FOR THE COURSE

The Human Rights Law distance-learning programme has been designed in response to the growing demand for legal education in the area to civil liberties and human rights specifically, the areas of civil liberties, human rights in Europe, public international and humanitarian law and environmental law and human rights. By taking a practice-focused approach throughout, study of these modules will give a professional edge to anyone seeking employment or advancement in this highly competitive field, giving them the confidence and knowledge to transform their lives.

LEARNING TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Overview

Students will be taught by a combination of online lectures, interactive online seminars, one-to-one supervision, and self-study of a comprehensive module, with students encouraged to read from specified case law and legal journals. Students will be given the opportunity to discuss theoretical issues as well as practical problem solving. Students will be supported in undertaking on-line research using electronic law databases and encouraged to use on line legal resources on a regular basis. There is a virtual learning environment (VLE) containing handbooks, lecture notes, weblinks, discussion groups, study skills materials and assessment criteria.

Experiential Learning

Students will be encouraged to respond to realistic case-studies relating to the sector, giving written legal opinions to clients in the style of a professional legal advisor. As an alternative core for the LLM award, students will be able to undertake and experiential learning project. Students will also be able to participate in the extracurricular experiential learning offered within the Law School, including the Pro Bono Clinic and the Mooting Club.

Study Support

Students will have regular access to module tutors by email and by one-to-one video conferences to support their studies. They will also engage with one formative assessment for each module, which will be marked promptly with opportunities for feedback either by email or individual online discussion.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Each of the modules will have a bespoke manual, written exclusively for London Met by an expert in the field. Students will also have 24/7 access to the extensive online law library, including the professional primary and secondary source data-bases of Westlaw, Lexis Library and iLaw. Blended learning pervades the delivery of the module and is actively encouraged as students will engage with digital materials, use on-line discussion groups (blogs) and achieve a competent standard of digital literacy during their studies.

MARKET DEMAND AND EMPLOYABILITY FOCUS

The course is centred on the needs of the modern professional lawyer or anybody with an interest in civil liberties and human rights, who needs or wants to develop their existing knowledge of the legal framework governing this constantly developing area. This could span a potentially large cohort of students in a range of different industries from a range of jurisdictions.

The course is designed to merge a practical approach with theoretical understanding, and is ideal for anyone already working within areas relating to human rights or international relations who needs to expand their knowledge; and for anyone thinking of practising in this field of law. As such the course will be of interest to a range of professionals including, policy advisers, environmentalists, journalists, or those working in charity organisations or business who need an understanding of the legal framework relating to civil liberties.

Students will gain confidence to act independently in relevant areas of legal practice, including the enhanced ability to articulate and communicate their opinions and advice with persuasive eloquence, both orally and in writing. They will also be able to devise creative solutions to complex problems. This in turn will enhance their employability and promotional prospects in a competitive sector where substantive knowledge and effective advocacy is always at the fore.

COURSE AIMS

The purpose of the course is to deliver an academically rigorous programme of study, which provides students with the opportunity to study the major disciplines in human rights to relate these to the professional practice.

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive, critical understanding and in-depth knowledge of the legal issues which govern civil liberties and human rights. They will develop skills and gain knowledge in an area of considerable socio-economic interest which will in turn enhance graduating students’ employability potential.

Topics will include the constraints the state may place on the citizen’s exercise of his or her human rights. It will also focus on concepts of social justice and the need for mutual human respect on a global as well as local scale. The course is essential study for anyone wishing to practise in this increasingly important sector, giving them the confidence and knowledge to transform their own lives and those of others for the better.

The LLM dissertation will enable students to research and critically to analyse an area of particular interest to them.

The programme promotes the use of a range of teaching, learning and assessment methods, which develop the students’ intellectual abilities, self-confidence and ability to study independently.

The course has been devised with reference to the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Law. The subject specific knowledge and skills, cognitive abilities and non-subject specific skills outlined in the benchmark statement are referenced in the relevant sections of this document.

This course is ideally suited to students who want to develop their understanding of civil liberties and human rights, and to gain a strong, objective and analytical understanding of the key legal issues in the area. It would be of particular benefit to students who are practising – or who wish to – practise professionally in this area, whether in the legal, political or activist sectors.

The course aims to enable to students to:

• Appraise the international importance of civil liberties and human rights law
• Have a critical understanding of the influence of human rights in Europe with focus on the European Convention on Human Rights.
• Appreciate the political and socio-economic aspects of human rights and the challenges of implementation and enforcement
• Enable students to critically evaluate the impact of Public International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights, Environmental Law and Human Rights, Civil Liberties Human Rights in Europe and International Human Rights.

On completion of this course, students should be able to do the following:

LEARNING OUTCOME 1

To demonstrate extensive knowledge and understanding of the broad range of areas of Human Rights Law. (QAA i, iii, iv and v)

LEARNING OUTCOME 2

To evaluate the commercial and government policy implications of Human Rights Law and appreciate its socio-economic balance. (QAA iii, iv, viii and xii)

LEARNING OUTCOME 3

To synthesise relevant case and statute law in order to present conflicting arguments.

(QAA i, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, x and xi)

LEARNING OUTCOME 4

To apply the law to problem scenarios relevant to aspects of Human Rights Law. (QAA i, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, x and xi)

LEARNING OUTCOME 5

To demonstrate the ability to apply creative thinking to practical problems. (QAA i, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, x and xi)

LEARNING OUTCOME 6

To have the confidence needed to take leadership decisions in challenging situations.

(QAA i, ii, vi, vii, viii and xi)

LEARNING OUTCOME 7 (ULO)

To demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and to act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible professionals in their discipline. (QAA i, ii, vi, vii, viii and xi) (ULO)

LEARNING OUTCOME 8

To possess extensive communication skills that will help them adopt a global and multicultural perspective in their professional context. (QAA xi and xii)

LEARNING OUTCOME 9

To be critically cognisant of the social and environmental effects of their decisions and to remain active citizens of the places they live and work. (QAA iii and iv)

LEARNING OUTCOME 10

To possess the analytical and organizational skills to translate creative ideas into operational solutions in the context of the course curriculum. (QAA i, v, vi, vii, viii, ix, x and xi)

LEARNING OUTCOME 11

To adopt an appropriate research strategy and techniques to support a sustained academic and professional argument on critical issues within the area of Human Rights Law. (QAA i, v and vi)

LEARNING OUTCOME 12

To construct an academic and professional argument, including supported contextual and critical material suitable for inclusion and completion of a piece of sustained academic research on a subject related to the area of Human Rights Law. (QAA i, iv, v, vi, viii, ix and x)

APPENDIX

QAA: Subject Benchmark Statement for Law: November 2019

A law student's skills and qualities of mind

i intellectual independence, including the ability to ask and answer cogent questions about law and legal systems, identify gaps in their own knowledge and acquire new knowledge, and engage in critical analysis and evaluation

ii self-management, including an ability to reflect on their own learning, make effective use of feedback, a willingness to acknowledge and correct errors and an ability to work collaboratively

iii awareness of principles and values of law and justice, and of ethics

iv knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts, values, principles and rules of public and private laws within an institutional, social, national and global context

v study in depth and context of substantive areas of law

vi ability to conduct self-directed research, including accurate identification of issue(s) which require researching, retrieval and evaluation of accurate, current and relevant information from a range of appropriate sources, including primary legal sources

vii ability to work with a range of data, including textual, numerical and statistical

viii ability to recognise ambiguity and deal with uncertainty in law

ix ability to produce a synthesis of relevant doctrinal and policy issues, presentation of a reasoned choice between alternative solutions and critical judgement of the merits of particular arguments

x ability to apply knowledge and understanding to offer evidenced conclusions, addressing complex actual or hypothetical problems

xi ability to communicate both orally and in writing, in relation to legal matters, including an ability to listen and respond to written and oral stimuli, including questions and instructions

xii engagement with their own personal and professional development, and academic integrity.

Law

Assessment strategy

The course adopts the four assessment strategy principles of the School that are developed in the spirit of ESJ (Education for Social Justice). These are:

i) The School is committed to ensuring that each student should not have more no more than 2 assessment points per 20 credit module.

ii) We provide balanced forms of assessment, both in terms of its overall volume (measured in terms of assessment points and output required and the types used.

iii) Group activities are part of the learning and teaching strategies but assessment is at the level of the individual. Thus, assessment focused on individual reflections and learning from participating in a group activity.

iv) Flexibility/choice in assessment methods will be introduced wherever possible in order to facilitate different learning studies and support personalization

The range of assessment methods to be employed on this course reflects the range of skills required by the discipline of law and the standards expected.

In line with our policy on facilitating formative feedback to students, the assessment strategy is designed to provide formative feedback on a piece of contributing summary assessment before another summative component is due to be submitted.

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The course may be taken either full-time (one year) or part-time (two to three years). Part-time students may choose how many modules to do in each year, subject to a minimum of 60 credits in the first year.

Courses shall conform to both framework and University Academic Regulations.

Postgraduate Certificate: Any 3 of the 20 credit modules

Postgraduate Diploma: Any 6 of the 20 credit modules

LLM: Any 6 of the 20 credit modules and one of the core 60 credit modules

Every module on this course has embedded within it reflective learning components and personal development planning relevant to the year of study. It will be encouraged in module handbooks and self-study questions and through assessment methods. Students will be directed to reflect on knowledge specific learning, personal and employability skills development. Students will be encouraged to engage positively with all feedback opportunities and to reflect and learn, resulting in the developing of further learning strategies.

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London maintains a solid position as one of the world’s leading centres of law and is unrivalled in European terms. Although there have been some major challenges in the sector over the past two years, legal services in London remains a strong service provider and a strong recruiter. Students graduating from this course are likely to be legal or financial professionals looking for a specialisation in their sector or a step up the career ladder. Some students may be undertaking this course as a specialisation without being a registered practitioner and looking for work within the wider legal profession or legal supply chain and may go on to take professional qualifications later.

Take the next step in your career as a professional working in a related sector within a range of businesses.

If you successfully complete the LLM qualification, you will have a Master of Laws qualification. The PG Dip and PG Cert are also postgraduate qualifications that will give you an insight into human rights law and can help you progress in this field professionally.

You’ll be required to have:

• a minimum of a lower second-class (2.2) undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as law and human rights (or an equivalent international qualification).
• an IELTs score of 6.5 or above as a standard entry requirement for postgraduate law courses.

If you have a degree outside of the subject areas listed above, you may still be considered. Please contact courseenquiries@londonmet.ac.uk to be referred to an academic for consideration.

For mature applicants without a degree, you may be considered on merit of 2+ years appropriate work experience and other professional development or professional qualifications.