human rights phd proposal

• Centre for Applied Human Rights

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Doctoral studies at CAHR

After studying the MA in Applied Human Rights, I was keen to continue in the Centre's PhD programme. The fieldwork experience I gained during the MA visit to Cape Town inspired my PhD's exploration of transitional justice, masculinities and male victimisation. Additionally, it gave me a head-start on the PhD by facilitating links with a network of practitioners. Lucy Harding, MA Student 2009/10; PhD awarded 2015

The Centre has an active research agenda and a growing number of PhD students. We are happy to entertain applications for doctoral studies on a wide range of topics in human rights, particularly on:

• human rights defenders
• human rights practice 
• human rights and development
• legal empowerment
• refugee law and policy
• responsibility to protect
• transitional justice

We particularly encourage applications from individuals with practical experience relating to the topic of their research. In keeping with the international nature of the Centre and its staff, we welcome applications from individuals from around the world. For current supervised topics, please see current PhD student profiles .

Research environment

The Centre, both independently and through its affiliations with the Department of Politics and International Relations and the York Law School , has an active programme of research and seeks to develop research communities on the topics noted above, including for example the inter-departmental Development and Conflict Working Group and York Law School’s Socio-Legal Research group. We regularly programme lectures, workshops and conferences on various human rights issues; we also host the Journal of Human Rights Practice (published by OUP). We view our doctoral students as key participants in the research activities of the Centre and the wider university and practitioner communities in which the Centre locates itself, including the Centre’s visiting human rights defenders . We would expect all of our doctoral students to actively contribute to the research environment of the Centre.

Supervision

For an indication of the range of potential areas of doctoral supervision available please see the research and staff  pages of the Centre. For specific advice on applying and the possibility of supervision please contact the member of academic staff by which you would like to be supervised. Co-supervision is also available with academic staff in other departments and at other research centres.

Programme of study

Having decided to write my MA dissertation on land reform and the right to housing, I chose to pursue my research further by undertaking PhD study, with the rights of landless people in South Africa as the main case study. My supervisor has been very supportive in focusing my topic and in giving advice on the research process. Matthew Evans, MA Student 2009/10; PhD awarded 2013

In their first year of study, doctoral students will receive formal training in research methods conducted in conjunction with the Department of Politics and International Relations and the the York Law School. The training includes regular sessions during term on theory, ethics and methodology. In addition, doctoral students are invited to attend faculty research seminars and other academic events on campus.

The PhD programme does not include any formal course-work. Doctoral students are eligible to audit (or to formally enrol in) any of the postgraduate courses offered by the Centre as part of its MA in Applied Human Rights or its LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice . Arrangements can also be made with other departments to audit (or enrol in) additional courses.

Progress, Dissertation and Examination

All PhD students are subject to formal reviews of progress. These formal reviews of progress take place at the end of the first year and at the end of the second year (or part-time equivalent). 

Students meet regularly with their supervisor and attend a Thesis Advisory Panel twice a year. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss the student's progress, in particular with a view to ensuring that the student's thesis is completed on time.

After completing and submitting their thesis, the student must attend an oral examination. There are usually two examiners, at least one external to the University (in most cases a member of the academic staff of another higher education institution in the UK). If there is an internal examiner, he or she is normally a member of the academic staff of the University other than the candidate’s supervisor.

Full-time PhD students are expected to have completed and submitted their dissertation within 3 years of commencing studies. This deadline is extended to 6 years in the case of part-time students.

The Centre’s staff has consistently made time to talk with me about my work -- as well as any other concerns that arise. My supervisor has been fantastic. He helped me secure full funding for my PhD. He has also provided both academic opportunities and the chance to engage with, and contribute to, human rights practice. Lucy Harding, MA Student 2009/10; PhD awarded 2015

Only students who have applied to and have been accepted into the programme are eligible for consideration for financial assistance. Financial assistance is available both from the university and from external funders. Some opportunities for part-time employment as tutors or lecturers may also be available. We are happy to discuss potential scholarships and other assistance with individuals after an offer of admission has been made. Please be mindful that many scholarships have early application deadlines.

In recent years, the Centre has successfully nominated and advocated on behalf of prospective students for competitively awarded university and ESRC scholarship funding. This funding, in the case of UK students, can cover tuition and provide a basic stipend. Funding for international students through these routes is more limited and generally only covers a relatively small portion of their expenses (usually some of the tuition). In all cases, students seeking funding should apply early in the academic year. Most university and ESRC funding decisions are made by April so in order to be considered a complete application is recommended by the end of January. We are happy to support applications for external funding by prospective students, for example by providing letters of support for this purpose.

WRoCAH studentships  The White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities (WRoCAH) is a Doctoral Training Partnership of the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. It is responsible for the distribution of AHRC-funded studentships for these universities and for the coordination of a doctoral training programme.  WRoCAH is able to offer over 50 AHRC studentships per year to candidates with a place for doctoral study at the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield or York. Applicants for an AHRC studentship must have applied for a place of study in an eligible School, Department or Centre and may only apply for funding at one of Leeds, Sheffield or York. The studentship application form and details of how to apply are only available from the WRoCAH website .

Applications and Further Information

We are happy to discuss your interest in doctoral studies with you. Please feel free to contact any of the staff of the Centre, particularly the person(s) who you would be interested in as a supervisor. 

Find out more Current PhD students PhD Alumni Draft dissertation proposal (PDF , 153kb)

After having worked for several years in the protection of refugees and migrants with both NGOs and the UN, I had a desire to reflect and look more deeply into some of the issues encountered on the ground. The CAHR offered me the opportunity to conduct innovative and ethical academic research that considers above all the practical outcome for the people it aims to reach. I am particularly grateful for the support I receive from my supervisors regarding my interdisciplinary approach and the choice to apply a drama-based methodology in working with unaccompanied migrant children in South Africa. Lena Opfermann, PhD student

Centre for Applied Human Rights 6 Innovation Close , University of York , Heslington , York , YO10 5ZF , UK Tel: work +44 (0)1904 325830 | [email protected]

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Human Rights PhD

Key information.

• 1st   in the world for Development Studies   (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)

Our PhD in Human Rights is radically interdisciplinary, spanning the social sciences and humanities. As a doctoral researcher, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake research in human rights beyond a narrow legal approach. You’ll:

• be co-supervised by faculty with expertise in a wide range of areas, from social sciences to humanities and to law
• benefit from our strong international networks for research and collaboration
• be a part of the doctoral and early career researcher community affiliated with the Centre for Rights and Anti-Colonial Justice , and participate in the research-in-progress seminars and other events of the Centre.

Areas of study

Our areas of expertise and supervision include:

• human rights in international politics and global political economy, including foreign policy
• social movements, including labour, religious, indigenous, anti-colonial and rebel politics
• poverty, exploitation and dispossession
• racism, colonialism, anti-colonial mobilisations and anti-racism
• gender and sexuality
• race, indigeneity and ethnicity
• migration, asylum and refugeehood
• historical and contemporary forms of violence, including genocide and ethnic cleansing
• issues of identity and difference
• globalisation, development and climate change
• regional and global governance, as well as international and non-governmental organisations
• theories and philosophies of human rights, including of protection, obligation, responsibility and remedy
• theories and histories of the human and subject of rights
• business and human rights, including corruption and corporate obligations
• transitional and reparative justice
• ethical theories of human rights
• rule of law and post-conflict reconstruction.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

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Entry requirements

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If your country is not listed, you need to contact us and find out the qualification level you should have for this course. Contact us

English language requirements

Ielts (academic).

High level (6.5 overall, including at least 6.0 in each component).

IELTS scores are valid for two years from the test date. You cannot combine scores from more than one sitting of the test. Your score must be valid when you begin your Sussex course.  Find out more about IELTS

We accept IELTS One Skills Retake.

We do not accept IELTS Online.

Check full details of our English Language requirements and find out more about some of the alternative English language qualifications listed below

Alternative English language qualifications

Proficiency tests, cambridge advanced certificate in english (cae).

169 overall, including at least 162 in each skill.

We would normally expect the CAE test to have been taken within two years before the start of your course.

You cannot combine scores from more than one sitting of the test. Find out more about Cambridge English: Advanced

Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

We would normally expect the CPE test to have been taken within two years before the start of your course.

You cannot combine scores from more than one sitting of the test. Find out more about Cambridge English: Proficiency

LanguageCert International ESOL SELT

High level (International ESOL SELT B2 with a minimum of 39 in each component)

LanguageCert International ESOL scores are valid for two years from the test date. Your score must be valid when you begin your Sussex course. Find out more about LanguageCert SELT

We only accept LanguageCert when taken at SELT Test Centres. We do not accept the online version.

Pearson PTE Academic

High level (62 overall, including at least 59 in all four skills)

PTE (Academic) scores are valid for two years from the test date. You cannot combine scores from more than one sitting of the test. Your score must be valid when you begin your Sussex course. Find out more about Pearson (PTE Academic)

We do not accept the PTE Academic Online test.

TOEFL (iBT)

High level 88 overall, including at least 20 Listening, 19 in Reading, 21 in Speaking, 23 in Writing.

TOEFL (iBT) scores are valid for two years from the test date. You cannot combine scores from more than one sitting of the test. Your score must be valid when you begin your Sussex course. Find out more about TOEFL (iBT)

We do not accept TOEFL (iBT) Home Edition.

The TOEFL Institution Code for the University of Sussex is 9166.

English language qualifications

As/a-level (gce).

Grade C or above in English Language.

Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE)/ AS or A Level: grade C or above in Use of English.

GCE O-level

Grade C or above in English.

Brunei/Cambridge GCE O-level in English: grades 1-6.

Singapore/Cambridge GCE O-level in English: grades 1-6.

GCSE or IGCSE

Grade C or above in English as a First Language (Grade 4 or above in GCSE from 2017).

Grade B or above in English as a Second Language.

Ghana Senior Secondary School Certificate

If awarded before 1993: grades 1-6 in English language.

If awarded between 1993 and 2005: grades A-D in English language.

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)

 Level 4, including at least 3 in each component in English Language.

Indian School Certificate (Standard XII)

The Indian School Certificate is accepted at the grades below when awarded by the following examination boards:

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) – English Core only: 70%

Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) - English: 70% 

International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB)

English A or English B at grade 5 or above.

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education

Grades A - C in English language

Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) 1119/GCE O-level

If taken before the end of 2008: grades 1-6 in English Language.

If taken from 2009 onwards: grade C or above in English Language.

The qualification must be jointly awarded by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES).

West African Senior School Certificate

Grades A1-C6 (1-6) in English language when awarded by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or the National Examinations Council (NECO).

Country exceptions

Select to see the list of exempt english-speaking countries.

If you are a national of one of the countries below, or if you have recently completed a qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelors degree or higher in one of these countries, you will normally meet our English requirement. Note that qualifications obtained by distance learning or awarded by studying outside these countries cannot be accepted for English language purposes.

You will normally be expected to have completed the qualification within two years before starting your course at Sussex. If the qualification was obtained earlier than this, we would expect you to be able to demonstrate that you have maintained a good level of English, for example by living in an English-speaking country or working in an occupation that required you to use English regularly and to a high level.

Please note that this list is determined by the UK’s Home Office, not by the University of Sussex.

List of exempt countries: 

• Antigua and Barbuda
• New Zealand
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• The British Overseas Territories
• Trinidad and Tobago
• United Kingdom

** Canada: you must be a national of Canada; other nationals not on this list who have a degree from a Canadian institution will not normally be exempt from needing to provide evidence of English.

English language support

If you don’t meet the English language requirements for your degree, you may be able to take a pre-sessional course

• Visas and immigration

Admissions information for applicants

If your qualifications aren’t listed or you have a question about entry requirements, contact us

• How to apply

If you’d like to join us as a research student, there are two main routes:

• browse funded projects in this subject area
• browse our potential supervisors and propose your own research project.

Find out how to apply for a PhD at Sussex

Full-time and part-time study

Choose to work on your research full time or part time, to fit around your work and personal life. For details about part-time study, contact us at [email protected]

PhD or MPhil?

You can choose to study for a PhD or an MPhil. PhD and MPhil degrees differ in duration and in the extent of your research work.

• For a PhD, your research work makes a substantial original contribution to knowledge or understanding in your chosen field.
• For an MPhil, your work is an independent piece of research but in less depth than for a PhD. You’ll graduate with the degree title Master of Philosophy. You might be able to change to a PhD while you study for an MPhil.

Our supervisors

Our faculty have undertaken research and consultancy in a range of human rights fields and regional contexts.

Your primary supervisor will be located in the School of Global Studies . Your secondary supervisor will be drawn from faculty researching human rights in a range of areas at Sussex.  

Dr Stephanie Berry

Senior Lecturer in International Human Rights Law

[email protected]

View profile of Stephanie Berry

Prof Gurminder Bhambra

Professor of Historical Sociology

[email protected]

View profile of Gurminder Bhambra

Dr Lara Montesinos Coleman

Reader in International Relations, Law and Development

[email protected]

View profile of Lara Montesinos Coleman

Dr Matthew Evans

Senior Lecturer in Law

[email protected]

View profile of Matthew Evans

Prof James Fairhead

Professor of Social Anthropology

[email protected]

View profile of James Fairhead

Prof Nuno Ferreira

Professor of Law

[email protected]

View profile of Nuno Ferreira

Dr David Karp

Senior Lecturer In International Relations

[email protected]

View profile of David Karp

Dr Elizabeth Mills

Senior Lecturer in International Development

[email protected]

View profile of Elizabeth Mills

Dr Agathe Mora

Lecturer in Social Anthropology

[email protected]

View profile of Agathe Mora

Prof Louiza Odysseos

Professor of International Relations

[email protected]

View profile of Louiza Odysseos

Dr Ceri Oeppen

Senior Lecturer in Human Geography

[email protected]

View profile of Ceri Oeppen

Prof Darrow Schecter

Professor of Critical Theory and Modern European History

[email protected]

View profile of Darrow Schecter

Dr Charlotte Skeet

[email protected]

View profile of Charlotte Skeet

Dr Bal Sokhi-Bulley

Senior Lecturer in Law and Critical Theory

[email protected]

View profile of Bal Sokhi-Bulley

Prof Maya Unnithan

Professor 0f Social And Medical Anthropology

[email protected]

View profile of Maya Unnithan

Funding and fees

How can i fund my course, funded projects and scholarships.

Our aim is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to despite financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique individuals. Don’t miss out on scholarships – check the specific application deadlines for funding opportunities. Note that funded projects aren’t available for all our PhDs.

£3,000 scholarships available to environmental influencers bringing about real-world behaviour change

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£800 scholarship available to reward talented organ player studying on any course at Sussex.

Scholarships of £800 are available to reward talented musicians studying on any course at Sussex

Cash scholarships available for students who have demonstrated sporting excellence

University of Sussex Stuart Hall Doctoral Scholarship

Applying for USA Federal Student Aid?

If any part of your funding, at any time, is through USA federal Direct Loan funds, you will be registered on a separate version of this degree which does not include the possibility of distance learning which is prohibited under USA federal regulations. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid .

Part-time work

We advertise around 2,500 part-time jobs a year so you can make money and gain work experience. We have a special scheme to employ students on campus, wherever possible.

Find out more about careers and employability

How much does it cost?

Fees for self-funding students.

Home students: £4,786 per year for full-time students

Channel Islands and Isle of Man students: £4,786 per year for full-time students

International students: £21,500 per year for full-time students

Home PhD student fees are set at the level recommended by United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) annually, rising in line with inflation. Overseas fees are subject to an annual increase - see details on our tuition fees page

Additional costs

Note about additional costs.

Please note that all costs are best estimates based on current market values. Activities may be subject to unavoidable change in response to Government advice. We’ll let you know at the earliest opportunity. We review estimates every year and they may vary with inflation. Find out how to budget for student life .

Empirical research costs

On top of your PhD fees and living costs, you may also need to cover some research and training costs, relevant to your research project. These costs will depend on your research topic and training needs, but may include: - travel (to archives, collections or scientific facilities) - a laptop - overseas fieldwork costs (travel and accommodation, and language training) - conference costs (travel, registration fees and accommodation) - laboratory consumables and workshop materials - participant costs - transcription or translation costs - open-access publication costs. If you have a scholarship from one of the UK Research Councils, your scholarship should cover these types of costs. You'll receive details of how to claim this additional funding. If you're self funded, or if your scholarship doesn’t cover these costs, check with the Research and Enterprise Co-ordinator in your School for details of School or Doctoral School funding that may be available.

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If you haven’t applied yet:

+44 (0)1273 877107 globalresearch@​sussex.ac.uk

Dr Sam Knafo Human Rights PhD Convenor +44 (0)1273  678041 s.knafo@​sussex.ac.uk

Find out about the School of Global Studies

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+44 (0)1273 877773 [email protected]

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PhD Scholarship in International Human Rights

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The department of law and criminology at royal holloway is inviting students to apply for a full-time scholarship for doctoral research..

• Date 26 May 2021

Eligible candidates are invited to submit their proposals if they meet the eligibility criteria and their project falls within the scope of the description below.

International Human Rights Futures

This is a project on International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and its relationship with existence, empowerment, and human dignity. Global issues are increasingly interlinked and overlapping. Peoples’ human rights are increasingly threatened by risks to their very existence, for example, by cross-border threats of violence, health, and environmental crises. These affect individuals’ daily lives and are not halted by traditional state boundaries. Many argue that IHRL is failing to adequately respond to these challenges and that it must implement new, bottom-up approaches where the international community is responsive to the needs identified by those affected individuals themselves.

Proposals covering any of the following areas are sought from candidates with excellent credentials. Candidates need to explain in their proposal how it connects to the overall aim above.

• Theoretical rethinking, reimagining, and reconstructing the current framework of IHRL using feminist and or Third World Approaches to International Law. The project’s use of critical approaches will evaluate the merits of the literature on the humanisation of IHRL in the context of current challenges to the state based IHRL system. Drawing on literature on the meanings of human dignity and humanisation, the candidate will construct an analytical framework with which to draw conclusions on the way forward for IHRL, exploring methods of empowerment and how these benefit from grassroots’ approaches to IHRL. The student may choose to apply critical theory to focused case studies or utilise socio-legal methods if they so choose.
• What use is strategic litigation in IHRL? Strategic litigation can be brought by advocacy groups that mobilise globally to gain support and spearhead challenges to states’ human rights obligations, but groups can also form the darker side of activism posing new threats and potential divisions. Whilst human rights litigation has been used by groups as well as individuals, many argue it remains conceptually focused on individual rights prioritising certain types of lives, ways of living and persons worth protecting. How useful is this strategy? The student may choose to evaluate practice at international and regional levels in a variety of areas, such as displacement or climate change.

The Scholarship

The School of Law and Social Sciences Scholarship offers a home fee waiver and a maintenance award of £16,000 p.a. for 3.5 years for full-time students (or half of that amount per year for 7 years for part-time students). International students are eligible to apply but please note that if successful the difference between the home and overseas fee will need to be found from another source. The exception is made for EU students starting in September 2021, who will be awarded an additional fee reduction scholarship that brings your fee into line with the fee paid by UK students.

Students can start in either October 2021 or January 2022.

Supervision

The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Irene Antonopoulos , Dr Alexander Gilder and Professor Jill Marshall .

The Department of Law and Criminology has an active multidisciplinary research culture. We have developed a thriving culture and highly regarded profile for research across outputs, impact, and funding. Staff and postgraduate students regularly publish work on a wide range of subjects spanning law, criminology, forensic psychology, social policy, and sociology. Staff and PhD students work together in research clusters to organise events, submit funding applications, publish, and create a supportive research environment across four main research themes of: Crime and Punishment; Families and Children; Health and Social Care; and Rights and Freedoms.

We have a strong postgraduate community, and our students enjoy a friendly and stimulating research environment. Many of our postgraduate students are from outside the UK, which provides a forum for exchanging ideas in an international context.

Qualifications and Eligibility

Candidates must:

• Have a first or upper-second class honours degree in law or equivalent
• Have a Masters-level qualification (or be nearing completion)
• Have excellent interpersonal communication skills

Candidates with a background in Public International Law and International Human Rights Law are encouraged to apply for this scholarship.

Application Procedure

In order to be considered for this scholarship, please submit

• A 1-2 page statement outlining your interest in the research project and how you meet the eligibility criteria
• A copy of your undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts
• A current CV
• A proposal (up to 2,000 words) setting out how you would develop the envisaged research project.

These materials will need to be submitted directly to Dr Emily Glorney ( [email protected] ).

The closing date for applications is Friday 18 June 2021 5pm GMT. Interviews are expected to take place at the end of June-beginning of July.

Informal enquiries about the scholarship can be made to Dr Irene Antonopoulos ( [email protected] ).

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PhD at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies

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Apply now to this course

Undertaking doctoral research allows you to develop in-depth knowledge, while making a meaningful contribution to your chosen field.

With guidance from our expert supervisors, you'll carry out extensive independent research culminating in a thesis of up to 100,000 words. Broadly speaking the focus of research degrees has increasingly been on the humanities and cognate social sciences, particularly on the subjects of human rights, globalization and development, politics, and Commonwealth history.

This degree presents the opportunity to gain expertise in your area of interest while also honing a range of transferable skills. On completing this course, you'll be well prepared for specialist career paths both within academia and beyond.

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies

The  Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS)  is the only postgraduate academic institution in the UK devoted to the study of the Commonwealth. The Institute has been supervising interdisciplinary doctoral degrees for over half a century.

The focus of research degrees has increasingly been on the humanities and cognate social sciences, particularly on the subjects of human rights, globalization and development, politics and Commonwealth history.

You'll pursue academic interests in the friendly and supportive environment of the Institute, where your research will be enhanced by the outstanding libraries of the University of London, including the Institute’s own prestigious collection. The Institute offers a unique scholarly environment and you'll be able to draw on the wide-ranging expertise of our staff. 

The School of Advanced Study

The  School of Advanced Study  at the  University of London  brings together  eight internationally renowned research institutes  to form the UK's national centre for the support of researchers and the promotion of research in the humanities.

Course structure

The degree can be taken full time over three years (or a maximum of four) or part time over five years (or a maximum of six), with entry in either October or January.

You'll initially be registered for our MPhil and then, providing your progress has been satisfactory, be upgraded to our PhD programme.

The primary activity of the PhD programme is the writing of a thesis of up to 100,000 words. There is no formal coursework, but you will be expected to participate in a weekly seminar on Work in Progress and to present a paper every year from your second year onwards. In your first year you are required to attend a weekly class on Techniques of Scholarship. You're also encouraged to participate in the regular seminars held at the Institute during the academic year.

After submission of the thesis, you will attend an oral examination conducted by an internal examiner, from the University of London, and an external examiner, normally from another British university. Graduates are awarded a University of London degree.

Distance Learning

The School of Advanced Study offers students with an appropriate topic and level of local resource the opportunity to undertake a PhD by distance learning. These students are required to attend our London campus at set intervals to complete an intensive research training module, for upgrade, and for the viva but will otherwise study at their own location. This option is available to UK, EU and international students on the same basis as our on-campus PhD programmes (three years full time, six years part time). Fees are the same as for our on-campus PhD programmes. Please note that not all institutes and supervisors offer this option, and that some topics are not appropriate to be studied this way.

If you would like to be considered for our Research Degree programme via Distance Learning, please download and fill out the  Research Degrees by Distance Learning form , to attach to your online application.

Subject areas

The  Institute of Commonwealth Studies  offers doctoral research supervision in the following broad areas:

• Human rights

• Ecocide, environmental destruction and human rights

• Genocide studies

• African politics, governance and development

• International human rights law

• Ethnicity: conflict and accommodation in plural societies

• Protection of refugees

• Minority and Indigenous rights protection

• Dynamics of armed conflict and forced displacement

• Twentieth-century British and Commonwealth History

• Globalisation, security and conflict

• The Commonwealth as an international organisation

• British Imperial history, including decolonization

• European colonialism in comparative perspective

• Post-colonial legacies in the Commonwealth and beyond

• Non-governmental public actors, civil society and development

• British and Commonwealth intelligence communities

Before submitting an application you are advised to contact a member of the Institute's academic staff who has interests in your proposed field of study to discuss your proposal. A list of academic staff and their interests can be found  here .

Supervisors

Dr Corinne Lennox, Co-Director of the Human Rights Consortium

Email  |  Research Profile

Topics :  

• Minority rights protection
• Ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
• Multiculturalism
• Human rights and development and human rights-based approaches to development
• UN human rights mechanisms
• Transnational social mobilisation and norm entrepreneurship
• Indigenous peoples' rights
• Afro-descendants in Latin America
• Dalits and caste-based discrimination
• Roma in Europe

BA (McMaster), MA (Essex), MSc, PhD (LSE)

Research interests include: human rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples; civil society mobilisation; human rights and development; social mobilisation of Afro-descendants in Latin America; Dalits and caste-based discrimination; international relations and human rights; the role of international organisations in the protection of minority and indigenous rights.

Professor Damien Short, Co-Director of the Human Rights Consortium

• Sociological and anthropological approaches to human rights
• Indigenous rights
• Reconciliation initiatives
• Genocide Studies

LLB (University of Wales), MA, PhD (Essex)

Dr Damien Short is Director of the Human Rights Consortium (HRC) and a Reader in Human Rights at the School of Advanced Study. He has spent his entire professional career working in the field of human rights, both as a scholar and human rights advocate.

He has researched and published extensively in the areas of indigenous peoples’ rights, genocide studies, reconciliation projects and environmental human rights. He is currently researching the human rights impacts of extreme energy processes (e.g Tar Sands and Fracking - see our designated HRC website http://extremeenergy.org) . Dr Short is a regular academic contributor to the United Nation’s ‘Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ and an academic consultant for the ‘Ethical Trade Task Force’ of the Soil Association.

He is also Assistant Editor of the International Journal of Human Rights (Taylor and Francis) and Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Human Rights in the Commonwealth (University of London) and convenor of the British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Rights Study Group and an active member of the International Network of Genocide Scholars.

Dr Short has also worked with a variety of NGOs including Amnesty International, War on Want, Survival International, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs; and with a range of campaign groups including Eradicating Ecocide, Biofuelwatch, Climate Justice Collective and the UK Tar Sands Network.

He currently advises local anti-fracking groups in the UK and county councils on the human rights implications of unconventional (extreme) energy extraction processes such as fracking. 

Dr Bronwen Manby, Lecturer in International Human Rights Law 

• International human rights law
• African region
• Statelessness
• Comparative nationality law
• Legal identity

PhD (Maastricht University)

Dr Bronwen Manby is a part time lecturer in international human rights with the School of Advanced Study in the University of London. In the 2022-23 academic year, Dr Manby was a Jean Monnet Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence. She is also a senior visiting fellow at the LSE’s Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa, and in 2017-20 she was principal researcher at the LSE Middle East Centre on the project Preventing Statelessness among Migrants in North Africa and their Children. 

Bronwen’s research and writing focus is statelessness, comparative nationality law, and legal identity. Her book Citizenship in Africa: The Law of Belonging analysed the history of nationality laws in Africa, and their relationship with politics, from the colonial era to the present. She has worked closely with UNHCR on its global campaign against statelessness, including writing in-depth reports on different regions of Africa; and has also advised World Bank 'identification for development' initiative. Bronwen has degrees from Oxford and Columbia Universities, is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales, and previously worked for the Open Society Foundations and the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. She is a board member of the International Lawyers Project and of the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion. 

The Institute registers students for MPhil/PhD study only when principal supervision is offered by the staff listed below. It is, however, possible to arrange co-supervision with particular experts in the Colleges of the University of London, and, on occasion, with experts from institutions outside the University of London (e.g. the British Library) when such experts are also Teachers of the University of London.  In cases where it is more appropriate for MPhil/PhD students to be registered at a College of the University, the Institute is happy to offer informal advice.

Opportunities and facilities

The Human Rights Consortium (HRC) at the School of Advanced Study brings together multidisciplinary expertise across a range of areas within human rights, including environmental justice, ecocide and genocide studies, indigenous rights, international refugee law, and securing rights for LGBTI people worldwide. The HRC acts as a national and international collaborative centre to support, promote and disseminate academic and policy work in human rights and hosts a number of seminars and research-led conferences on different themes in human rights throughout the academic year.

How to apply

Before submitting an application you are advised to contact a member of the academic staff who has interests in your proposed field of study to discuss your proposal. A list of academic staff and their interests can be found  here .

Before agreeing to accept you, the School will require you to submit a research proposal, so it is worthwhile having this drafted ahead of a formal application.  Guidelines on drafting your research proposal .

Candidates will normally receive an initial response to their application within 28 working days. Those who have been formally interviewed will normally be informed within one week as to whether they are to be offered a place.

Note : in accordance with regulations research students will be registered for the MPhil degree in the first instance. Upgrading to PhD will be considered in the second year for full-time students and in the third or fourth year for part-time students. 

Contact the Institute

Key information.

The School of Advanced Study is a unique environment in which to study the humanities.  The School strives to reflect the latest developments in thinking across the humanities disciplines it supports and to ensure that its programmes reflect this.   We are also aware that the needs of our students are constantly changing.  With that in mind, the School continually reviews the its programmes and, as part of that process, reserves the right to alter or discontinue them. 

We assure you that we carry out these exercises at no detriment to any enrolled students. Students enrolled on any programme that we discontinue will be able to complete that programme within a reasonable timeframe and with all the necessary resources at their disposal. The School will communicate any anticipated changes with students as early as possible.

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Law Human rights

The full range of our expertise can be found via the webpage for our human rights-dedicated research centre, the Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law, which highlights areas of expertise linked to staff profiles. We are able to supervise many areas of human rights-related doctoral research, including research that spans different disciplines. Find out how to apply to Strathclyde  and learn more about the Humanities and Social Sciences Graduate School .

In addition, we have a Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training focused specifically on Human Rights-Based Decision Making.

Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training in Human Rights-Based Decision Making

The Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Human Rights-Based Decision Making launched in 2023.

The PhD projects affiliated with this CDT should enhance understanding of the complex challenges and opportunities related to human rights-based decision making by a range of actors/institutions in the public, private, and third sector.

The CDT’s aim is to bring together a cohort of postgraduate researchers to build interdisciplinary skills and knowledge needed to help tackle the major challenges of translating international legal protections into more just institutions, processes, and equitable outcomes for people in their everyday lives.

The ever-growing CDT supervisory team includes academics in Law, Humanities, Computer and Information Sciences, Government and Public Policy, and Economics. The multidisciplinary supervisory team evolves in line with the research projects.

As a CDT-affiliated postgraduate researcher, you will be trained by, and collaborate with, the supervisory team to grow a critical knowledge base around understanding how human rights standards can become integrated in strategic and operational decision making.

At Strathclyde, CDTs aim to provide you with an innovative, engaging, and supportive student experience that promotes world class research in an interdisciplinary environment. A key focus of the CDT is training, to support your development as a highly skilled researcher able to work at the interface of different disciplines and methods. You will benefit from a range of excellent training opportunities and be part of our vibrant research culture.

CDT projects can include funded supervisor-led opportunities, funded student-led opportunities, as well as self-funded projects.

If you would like to enquire about joining this team, please contact the CDT’s Senior Academic Mentor, Dr Elaine Webster , for further information.

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Human rights in postgrowth proposals and policies

Sustainable Transitions - Governance, Ecological Management and Society - Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme 2024-25

Project area title: Human rights in postgrowth proposals and policies

Course: Applicants wanting to undertake this research project should apply for a  PhD in Law

Funding: The University of Essex is offering six PhD research scholarships  for students to participate in one of our Sustainable Transitions DTP projects.

This is an opportunity to conduct fully funded interdisciplinary research under the Sustainable Transitions Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme  at the University of Essex.

Amidst concern that the prevailing ‘green growth’ model advanced under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not avert climate, ecological and socioeconomic crises, increasing attention is being given to alternative post-growth and growth-agnostic policy approaches at a wide range of governmental and institutional levels. Research on the relationships between human rights and post- growth proposals such as degrowth or doughnut economics – in theory and practice - is in its infancy. This research project would develop the understanding of obstacles and opportunities to centre human rights in postgrowth approaches as a normative and legal foundation, to protect dignity and well-being and against the abuse of power.

Supervisory team

Secondary Discipline Supervisor

Interdisciplinary focus

International human rights law will provide a normative framing to analyse current shortcomings for human well-being in green transitions, and equally to analyse postgrowth proposals such as degrowth and doughnut economics and their contribution to social and environmental justice, and how this is advanced in local contexts. The project will incorporate political ecology (and human geography more broadly) approaches to analysing degrowth or doughnut economics as a series of proposals and programs that substantiate concrete alternatives within existing socio-economic arrangements and locations.

Political ecology, as the study of the intersection and relationship between politics, economics and the environment, will ensure a clear emphasis on social, economic and environmental processes as determinants of human rights. Political ecology focuses on mobilising critical social science approaches to these intersections, making use of a broad methodological approach incorporating qualitative methods such as ethnography, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Such methods can lead to an understanding of the way that postgrowth proposals may or may not produce socio-economic tensions and conflicts that bear upon human rights.

Training and support

You will be supported through the Sustainable Transitions training programme which provides initial training in interdisciplinary research methods, training in the secondary discipline within the project area, and ongoing training throughout the duration of the programme. All doctoral scholars benefit from the support of Proficio , which entitles you to £2,500 that can be used to purchase training courses either within or external to the University. Additionally, all scholars are entitled to an additional £10,000 that can be used to cover research costs and further training. Doctoral scholars are encouraged to audit/attend University masters and degree level courses where appropriate. You will also have the support of the Sustainable Transitions management team as well as your own supervisory team. All Sustainable Transitions scholars will become part of the University of Essex Centre for Environment and Society  through which ongoing events and networking opportunities are available.

Person specification

The successful applicant will have a postgraduate taught degree (e.g. international law, international development, political ecology, environmental studies, human geography, human rights, gender studies) that includes a focus on human rights.

They will also have an interest in developing interdisciplinary research drawing on social science based approaches.

Research proposal

The project area is broadly defined, leaving scope for the applicant to develop their own specific research proposal as part of the application. The successful candidate will further develop their proposal in close consultation with the supervisory team.

Supervision

The primary discipline supervisor takes the lead responsibility for supervising the project. For further detail relating to supervision see the Guidance for Applicants  (.pdf) document.

Additional background information

As governments and key institutions increasingly adopt pro-environmental policies and measures, a series of strong critiques extending into the heart of international climate processes has emerged around the compatibility of economic growth and action on key environmental issues such as climate change. In particular there is a conflict between the hegemonic framing of the issue as one where environmental issues are not only compatible with continued economic growth but will be solved through ‘green’ growth, and a series of critiques setting out how economic growth is incompatible and antagonistic to resolving the broad set of environmental crises we collectively face.

While debate continues over what constitute growth, and whether economic growth broadly understood necessarily includes increasing material and energy usage or is necessary for developing human well- being or flourishing, there has been a recent proliferation in postgrowth policy statements, frameworks and visions.

The social and environmental shortcomings of green growth approaches have resulted in increased attention to other pathways to secure human and environmental well-being under approaches like postgrowth, degrowth and doughnut economics. The human rights implications of these approaches remain underexplored, yet scholars are starting to identify broad synergies as well as potential tensions. Also, whilst increasingly addressing climate change as a human rights issue, and whilst human rights abuses have been arising in green transition contexts, the human rights community has given scant attention to what it would look like to live within planetary boundaries whilst actively protecting human rights and may learn valuable insights from engagement with postgrowth scholarship. While some work has started to be done to explore whether or not human well-being and flourishing is actually possible within planetary boundaries, under-explored is the question of how any transition to such a postgrowth state will impact human rights.

As socio-economic programs and policy developments have emerged as alternative approaches to social provisioning and economic production, including doughnut economies, circular economy, the commons, a renewed cooperativism and social economy, including at formal EU and national policy levels, there is thus an urgency to analyse the impacts of these developments, including the interest and engagement with degrowth and post-growth policies, on human rights and well-being.

Supervisory team references

• Bueno De Mesquita, J. (2024). Re-interpreting human rights in the climate crisis: moving beyond economic growth and (un)sustainable development to a future with degrowth. Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights
• Beuret, N., (2021). Containing climate change: The new governmental strategies of catastrophic environments . Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space. 4 (3), 818-837
• Beuret, Nicholas and Bettini, Giovanni and Turhan, Ethemcan (2021) On the Frontlines of Fear Migration and Climate Change in the Local Context of Sardinia, Italy . Acme: an international e-journal for critical geographies, 20 (3). pp. 322-340.
• Bueno de Mesquita, J., Ohdedar, B., Chirwa, D., Fyock, C., Madhav, R (forthcoming, 2025), Law for a Post-growth Era: Global Perspectives on Environmental, Human Rights and Economic Law (Edward Elgar)
• Bueno De Mesquita, J. and Forman, L., (2023). Normative Frameworks: Human Rights and Social Justice in Global Health. In: Global Health Law & Policy: Ensuring Justice for a Healthier World. Editors: Gostin, L. and Meier, BM (Oxford University Press)

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Conflict Studies and Human Rights

Doing a Phd

If you have completed your Master's programme, and you are enthusiastic about doing research in your field, then maybe doing a Doctorate (PhD) might be something for you. A Doctor’s degree is the highest academic degree awarded by a Dutch university. You start as 'assistant in training' (aio) or 'researcher in training' (oio).

At Utrecht University

At Utrecht University you take part in education in one of the Graduate Schools and often also teach students. During the four-year PhD programme you work under the guidance of a professor on creating a research project that results in a dissertation or a series of articles in scientific journals. You can search for positions on research projects on offer or a position whereby you are free to submit your own research proposal. Read more on doing a PhD at Utrecht University. 

Other options

The best way to find a PhD position is through networking with the professor in the field you wish to specialize. Another option is to search via www.academictransfer.nl . Here you can also find more information on doing PhD research in the Netherlands. 

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177 Human Rights Research Topics: Bright Ideas List 2023

Do you have a college research project or thesis on human rights and have been wondering how to prepare a good paper? You need a number of things, such as good research, analytical, and writing skills. However, the first step is getting the right topic. This is very challenging for most students, but we are here to help. This post provides a 177 human rights topics list that you can count on for the best grade. We will also tell you how to craft a great university human rights dissertation.

A Brief about Human Rights

Human rights are the basic freedoms and rights that belong to all persons in the globe, starting from birth to death. These rights apply irrespective of where you are, personal beliefs, or the way you decide to live your life. They cannot be taken away but can be restricted in some cases, such as if you break the law.

The basic rights are anchored on shared values, such as dignity, fairness, equality, independence, and respect. They are all protected by law. Because of their wide applications in areas such as the justice system and employment-related topics, you can expect to get many related school assignments and projects on it.

How to Write a Good Human Rights Thesis or Dissertation

Before we can look at the best human rights thesis topics, let’s look at the best process of writing it. This can be divided into six main steps:

• Identify the study topic in line with your class teacher/professor’s recommendations. You can use our list of basic human rights topics that comes shortly after this guide.
• Research the topic well to ensure it has ample resources. Then, identify the main points that will be covered during the study. It will be good to think about the entire dissertation right from the start because all parts are interconnected.
• Develop a thesis statement. This is very important because it will be tested after analyzing the results.
• Develop a good structure for the thesis. This is the outline that will guide you on what to include at what point. Carefully look at the current recommendation from your school. One of the best outlines you might want to consider include:

Introduction Literature review Methodology Results Analysis and discussion Conclusion Bibliography

• Prepare the first draft.
• Write the final draft by redefining the first draft. At this point, it will be a good idea to consider editing services from experts.

Next, we will highlight the main topics that you should consider in human rights. However, we’d like to remind that you can only pay for thesis and not waste your time over a tone of assignments.

Top Human Rights Research Topics

• How does social discrimination impact people living with HIV/AIDS?
• Same-sex marriage: Why is it more social compared to religious significance?
• A review of international reaction to sweatshops in Asian countries.
• A closer look at the flaws of morals for kids raised in the US compared to those brought up in Japan.
• A comprehensive review of the employment problem arising from the surge of the immigrant population.
• Human rights violations in a country of choice: How has it impacted its image?
• War against terrorism: How is it impacting human rights?
• Should prisoners retain their voting rights?
• Should the US cut trade ties with countries that grossly violate human rights?
• Universal human rights: Are they achievable in the modern world?
• Is there a point where human rights can be justified in the interest of national security?
• Use of cameras in public places: Do they violate human rights?
• Non-governmental organizations’ operations: Are they strong enough to help protect human rights?
• Promotion of human rights: Should it be the first priority for every government?
• Capitalistic systems: Do they defend or violate human rights?
• Comparing the policies for human rights protection of the United States and India.
• A review of human rights violations during the 2021 US army withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• Should the US be held accountable for the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945?
• Human rights in the US and Latin America: A comparison.
• Compare two historical human rights portraits in the 20 th century.

Argumentative Human Rights Topics

• Is violation of human rights allowed during times of war?
• Circumcision of infants: Does it violate their human rights?
• Should women and men have varying rights?
• What is the link between human rights and traditions?
• Capital punishment: Should it be considered a violation of human rights?
• Right for freedom to education: Should it be made available for all?
• Social media networking services: Should they guarantee privacy for all the clients.
• Is the US policy on immigration discriminatory?
• Interest of states: Should it take precedence over an individual’s human rights?
• Developed countries have a duty to promote human rights in the developing states.
• Pet ownership should be considered a universal human right.
• Childhood concept differs from one culture to another: Should the notion of child labor also vary?
• What are inappropriate ways of fighting for human rights?
• Development of a country: Does it depend on the country’s defense of human rights?
• From a human rights perspective, which is the most important amendment to the US constitution?
• Comparing Apartheid and Holocaust: Has justice been done for the victims.
• Human rights in the 21 st century: Is the globe doing enough to address the crisis in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia and Afghanistan?
• What are the most important lessons on human rights from World War II?
• Human rights violations in West Bank: Has the globe done enough?

International Human Rights Topics

• What does the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines tell us about human rights internationally?
• A review of cases of human rights in the United States between the 1950 and 2000.
• Analyze the impacts of discrimination based on color and race.
• A thematic review of modern human rights movements.
• Trace the evolution of human rights starting from the ancient times to the age of globalization.
• What is the relationship between human rights and peace in a country? A case study of the Netherlands.
• Disability in the UK is under attack: Discuss.
• Who should people running away from human rights violations turn to?
• Is it appropriate to deny human rights on the basis of religion and gender?
• Violation of human rights in North Korea: How is the developed world preparing to tackle it?
• Violation of human rights in Venezuela: Should the United States get involved?
• The right to stay silent in a court of law: How is this likely to affect the accused person?
• What are the best remedies for addressing violations of women’s rights in the Middle East?
• Will the world ever get to a point where people will live without worrying about human rights violations?
• What makes it so difficult to introduce gun control in the United States?
• Who should be held responsible for cases of mass shootings in schools?

Controversial Human Rights Topics

• What are the similarities and differences between human and civil rights?
• Evaluate the violation of human rights in Syria in the 21 st century.
• Police-related human rights violation: How can we prevent it?
• Should prisoners have a right to vote?
• Assisted euthanasia is a violation of human rights: Discuss.
• Should persons who try to take their own lives be charged in a court of law?
• What is the best way to punish states for violating human rights?
• Countries arming themselves with nuclear weapons are readying to violate human rights.
• How effective are laws on domestic violence in the UK?
• All cases of human abuses in history should be tried and concluded.
• Is the UN doing enough to protect human rights?
• Holocaust: Is it possible for the world to heal completely?
• Do you think that the Rwanda Genocide could have been avoided?
• It is time to act: How do you think the global community should handle the problem of immigrants trying to cross from Africa into Europe?
• The hidden danger of not addressing bullying in school.
• Is disciplining a child a violation of human rights?
• Are correctional facilities doing enough to correct the behavior of inmates?
• Is imprisonment enough to punish murder criminals?
• Making a case for life imprisonment and the death penalty for murder criminals.
• Is abortion a violation of human rights?

Human Rights Discussion Topics

• What is your view on the famous revolt of the Cockroach People?
• Discuss the outcomes of the LGBT movements in the 20 th century.
• A deeper look into civil rights movements from Malcolm X point of view.
• Interaction between Japan and China during WWII: How did it impact human rights issues in the two states?
• Discuss the biggest human rights violations in South Africa after Apartheid.
• UN Refugee program: How does it help enhance refugees’ welfare across the globe?
• French Revolution and human rights: A thematic review.
• Human rights in medieval Europe.
• Human Rights Act in New Zealand in 1993: What is its significance?
• Which human rights did women across the globe find hard to access in the 20 th century?
• Police brutality in Brazil: Are the efforts taken by the government enough?
• Discuss transgender rights in Europe.
• A review of transgender human rights issues in the United States.
• Disability rights in the UK.
• Comparing disability policies in the US and India.
• Racial profiling by police.
• What are the roots of racism in the United States?
• Review the Trail of Broken Treaties.
• A deeper look at the Chattel Slavery in the Colonial America.
• Review the African-American male experience.
• Reviewing the history of the Bill of Rights in the United States.
• Analyzing the American Indian Movement: How does it compare with other human rights movements?
• Human rights in modern cinema: How are whites and people of color-treated?

Interesting Civil Rights Topics

• Black Power Movement: How did it impact the Black Lives Matter in 2020 and 2021?
• Are the 20 th Century civil rights movements sustainable?
• Comparing women rights movements in 2020 and the 20 th century.
• How did Martin Luther influence the civil rights approaches that came after him?
• Comparing the scientific Revolution, Reformation and Renaissance movements’ impacts on western thought.
• Protestant Reformation: Discuss how Catholic Church’s corruption and crusaders of war contributed towards its formation.
• A closer look at the human rights movements during the Industrial Revolution of between 1760 and 1840.
• How did the teachings of the American Revolution help the secession movement and Civil War?
• How did Teddy Roosevelt impact the progressive movement?
• The impact of communism impacts world history.
• The location of a civil movement is the most important thing in its success: Discuss.
• What made people start nationalist movement in Prussia?
• Discuss the results of anti-nationalist movements in New York.
• Female and Islam oppression on the globe.
• Reinventing a revolution: A closer look at the Zapatista Movement.
• What is the link between music, protest, and justice?
• Confederate Flag: Is it a symbol of oppression?
• Review the voting rights of 1965.
• The West Memphis Three.

Special Human Rights Debate Topics

• Women rights in the first half and second half 20 th century.
• Legalization of same sex marriage and its impact on global fights for human rights.
• Human rights movements in the US and their impact on federal policies.
• International human rights movements: How has it influenced the UK judicial policies?
• Responsibility to protect: How is it related to the issue of human rights?
• Suffrage rights in ancient Greek: A holistic review.
• Human rights presentation in the philosophy of enlightenment.
• Human rights violations during the First World War.
• What are lessons did we learn from Hitler and Holocaust during WWII.
• These five reasons are the main causes of human rights violations in the 21 st century.
• The main causes of gender disparity in the US.
• Comparing the state of human rights in the UK and Qatar.
• Do you think the bible violates human rights?
• Environmental racism: What are the main effects?
• The importance of the judiciary in protecting human rights.
• Women rights in the Roman Empire.
• Segregation is a violation of human rights.
• Discussing critical human rights issues in India.

Unique Human Rights Topics for Research

• The collapse of the Soviet Union and Rise of Communism in Russia.
• Comparing the Pan-African movement to the 20 th -century cultural nationalism of Latin America.
• A review of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement’s goals and methods.
• Abolition of death penalty: Why it is a major human rights issue.
• Popularity of social media and its impact on human rights. A closer review of Arab countries in North Africa.
• International Calvinism: What was the impact on European Culture?
• Why do other countries not intervene in North Korea where massive abuses of human rights have been reported?
• A statistical review of human trafficking in the 20 th century.
• How can a person as an individual help to promote human rights?
• Utilitarianism contravenes human rights.
• Human rights institutions and their efforts in protecting human rights in Africa.
• Military actions to protect human rights: Does it make sense?
• Black Lives Matter Movement protests: What does the movement say about human rights today?
• Does the UK constitution comprehensively cover the issue of human rights?
• Global manufacturing: How has it impacted the rights of workers?
• Has the International Labor Organization done enough to protect the plight of workers on the globe?
• How does poverty impact human rights in developing countries?

PhD Topics in Human Rights

• A review of the parts of the globe with the worst cases of human rights violation.
• How does the internet promote human trafficking? A thematic review.
• A comprehensive review of factors that impact the outcome of different trials in a court of law.
• Legitimate forms of the death penalty.
• What factors prevent people from getting justice? A literature review.
• A comprehensive review of the impacts of legalizing drug use.
• What factors prevent equal representation of women in top leadership roles in the developing world?
• What are the major problems faced by LGBT couples? Propose possible solutions.
• Racial profiling by police: A case study of Mexico.
• A comparative review of human rights policies of three countries of your choice in Europe.

Other Human Rights Research Paper Topics

• LGBT relationships: Why are they disallowed in some countries?
• Comparing the rights of pets to human rights?
• A review of human rights violations during quarantines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A review of the fundamental principle of the EU Commission of Human Rights.
• Human rights violations in Taiwan.
• What is the link between ecological problems and human rights problems?
• Evaluate the most frequently violated human right in your workplace.
• What is the UK policy on refugees?
• A closer review of transgender rights in Europe.
• Discuss physical abuses in marriage in the UK.
• Evaluate the amendment of laws in France to suit LGBT relationships.
• Prisoners of war: Do they deserve human rights protection?
• Discuss the strategies used by the two countries with the best human rights records.
• Comparing the human rights institutions in Africa to those in Asia.
• Violation of human rights in Crimea in 2014: Were the remedies enough?

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Doctoral Student Fellowship

Investing in the next generation of scholars

The Pozen Human Rights Doctoral Fellows Program provides an intensive yearlong interdisciplinary forum for University of Chicago doctoral students whose research intersects with human rights themes.

Fellows meet throughout the academic year, typically three times per quarter, for interdisciplinary conversations and scholarly exchange with each other and Center and University faculty. These seminars function as a reading group where students introduce work from their respective disciplines, as well as a space where they workshop part of a dissertation or an article in preparation. At the end of the year, students workshop their papers again with invited scholars from around the world.

In addition to mentorship, Pozen Fellows receive a $3,000 stipend and grants to support research (including field work) as well as conference attendance.  All Fellows that successfully complete the program are awarded a Human Rights Certificate by UChicago.

• Eligibility

Applicants must be doctoral students at the University of Chicago and have a research topic/interest that intersects with human rights. Applicants at any stage of a research project/idea are welcome to apply, but preference is given to those who have defended their PhD dissertation proposal.

• How to Apply
• Application deadline has been extended to April 24, 2024, at 11:59 (CST).
• Submit applications online.
• Current Fellows

Browse a gallery of current fellows and their research interests.

• Past Fellows

2022-23 Fellows

• Arwa Awan , Political Science
• Juan Wilson Coddou , History
• Stephanie Craver , Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
• Sonja Castañeda Dower , Political Science
• James Green , Policy and Practice
• Reyna Hernandez , Sociology
• Kevin Irakoze , Philosophy
• Evelyn Kessler , History

2021-22 Fellows

• Heba Alex , Sociology
• Lauren Beard , Sociology
• Leila Blackbird , History
• Angel Boulware , Comparative Human Development
• Geneva Cole , Political Science
• Blaize Gervais , Divinity School
• Alysia Mann Carey , Political Science
• Bellamy Mitchell , Department of English, Committee on Social Thought
• Anjali Mohan , Political Science

2020-21 Fellows

• Matthew Travis Barber ,   Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
• Margaret Brower , Political Science
• Esma Ozel , Sociology
• Johan Luíz Rocha , Comparative Human Development
• David Wilson , Music
• Warren Paul Wilson , Philosophy
• Nory Peters , Comparative Literature

2019-20 Fellows

• Elizabeth Jordie Davies , Political Science
• Keyao Pan , History
• Roy Kimmey , History
• Aylon Cohen , Political Science    
• Nathan Gonzalez , Sociology  
• Genevieve Bates , Political Science  
• Annie Heffernan , Political Science  
• For more information, please contact Professor Kathleen Cavanaugh .

Program Details

© 2023 Pozen Family Center for Human Rights | Accessibility | Colophon

Master Programmes

Training programmes.

• International Electoral Observers
• La Tutela dei Diritti Umani presso la CEDU
• Summer Schools
• Venice School
• Venice Academy
• Cinema Human Rights and Advocacy

Sustainability campaign

Regional Programmes

• GC South East Europe
• GC Asia-Pacific
• GC Caucasus
• GC Latin America Caribbean
• GC Arab World
• GC Central Asia

Career Development

• Global Internship Programme
• Alumni associations’ activities
• Online Courses
• Blended Courses
• Training Seminars

Capacity Development Programme

• Timor Leste

Networking and Outreach

• Global Classroom
• Nelson Mandela World Moot Court
• Exchange of Professors
• Afghan Scholarship Programme
• Exile Project
• Visual Contest
• To The Righthouse Podcast Series
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Research Programme
• Policy Observatory Project
• Children's Rights
• UN Global Study
• Visiting Researchers

Publications

• Global Campus Human Rights Journal
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• Comunicazione ai sensi Art. 1 Commi 125 - 129 Legge 04.08.17 N.124
• Comunicazione ai sensi Art. 14 comma 2 del Codice del Terzo Settore
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Call for Applications: Fully Funded Cross-regional PhD in Children’s Rights

The Global Campus of Human Rights is a network of over 100 universities with 7 dedicated programmes across the world promoting human rights and democratisation.

This large network is comprised of seven regional hubs, whose keys actors are:

• the Headquarters of the Global Campus in Venice , which coordinates the overall network and manages the European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (EMA/GC Europe);
• the Universities of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Bologna (Italy), jointly responsible for coordinating the European Regional Master’s Programme in Democracy and Human Rights in South East Europe (ERMA/GC South East Europe);
• the University of Pretoria (South Africa), coordinating the Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA/GC Africa);
• the University of Mahidol (Bangkok, Thailand), which coordinates the Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in the Asia-Pacific region (APMA/GC Asia-Pacific);
• the State University of Yerevan (Armenia), which coordinates the Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in the Caucasus (CES/GC Caucasus);
• the University of San Martin (Buenos Aires, Argentina), responsible for coordinating the Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in Latin American and the Caribbean (LATMA/GC Latina America and Caribbean);
• the University of Saint Joseph (Beirut, Lebanon), coordinating the Arab Master’s Programme in Democracy and Human Rights (ARMA/GC Arab World).

Since 2019, the Global Campus of Human Rights has been working in close cooperation with the Right Livelihood Foundation with the intention to promote children’s rights worldwide. A primary goal of the cooperation is to contribute to the development of non-traditional and innovative ways to approach children’s rights through research, education and advocacy. The cooperation specifically encourages engagement with critical perspectives, movement building and the creation of sustainable multipliers for children’s rights across our networks. Additionally, all our activities are designed to foster cross-regional ownership of the cooperating institutions’ vision (for more on the Vision, click here ). The Cross-regional PhD Scholarship in Children’s Rights has been established to support post-graduate research according to the objectives of the cooperation briefly summarised above.

The selected candidate will be awarded with a full-scholarship covering a PhD programme of at most 4-years. The scholarship includes a total of €58.000 for living expenses . It also foresees  €4.000 as a travelling stipend as well as an additional €12.000 for tuition fees .

We invite applications for this fully funded scholarship from any of our Global Campus Alumni.

• The topic of study has to be in children’s rights.
• The candidate needs to enrol in one of the partner universities of the Global Campus (host university, i.e. the university where the candidate is enrolled). For a list of all the participating universities, please go to the following page on our website .
• The candidate must fulfil all admission and course criteria of the host university.
• The candidate must have 300 ECTS upon application.
• When applying, the candidate must already have identified the host university and department (Note: the PhD will be awarded by the host university and not by the Global Campus of Human Rights).
• The application should also indicate who his/her supervisor will be at the host university.
• During the course the PhD, the candidate is expected to visit at least two additional regional programmes. In consultation with the selected cooperating university/ies in the relevant(visited) region/s, the candidate will be required to add value to the respective courses by contributing to the teaching, research and/or child rights activities of the (visited) university/ies.Theseregionalvisits can also be combined with the needs of the candidate’s empirical research. The visiting experiencecan be done at any university within the Global Campus network or at any of the Right Livelihood Colleges.
• The selected candidate and his/her supervisor will be required to submit one progress report per annum, which will be presented to the GS-RLF Steering Group each April of each year.
• The candidate must be an alumna/alumnus of one of the regional Master programmes of the Global Campus of Human Rights.

The Application

Please ensure that the following elements are included in your application:

• Motivation letter
• Title of research
• Area of children’s rights to be focused on
• Research proposal
• Indicate if your project includes empirical research in any of the GC regions
• Indicate if your research is interdisciplinary in nature
• Institutional home, department and supervisor

We kindly ask you to send your application to the Secretary General of the Global Campus, Professor Manfred Nowak ( manfred.nowak@univie.ac.at ), as well as to the Global Campus’ Academic Director, Professor George Ulrich ( george.ulrich@gchumanrights.org ) and its Children’s Right Project Manager, Dr Reina-Marie Loader ( reinamarie.loader@gchumanrights.org )

Deadline for Applications: 11 August 2020

You will be notified if you have been shortlisted for an interview (at the end of August 2020).

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Human Rights Research Proposal outline

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Chandigarh University

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Eylül Özyurt

The purpose of this research is to show child labour as a matter of concern and to draw the attention to such a violation of human rights. Also the role of Western societies on child labour and their hypocrisy as making higher profit on one hand, and consolidating protection of human rights on the other hand is aimed to be given.

Nivedita Singh

mahesh patil

Dr Sandip Satbhai

Keough School and Organization of American States partner to protect democracy and human rights

The University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs and the Organization of American States (OAS) have launched a new partnership to strengthen democracy and defend human rights efforts across Latin America. To that end, the institutions will collaborate on joint research and policy projects, exchange faculty experts and train undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers who work in development, human rights and democracy.   

The partnership, outlined in a cooperation agreement, deepens the existing relationship between the Keough School and the OAS, which share a focus on defending democracy and human rights. It will facilitate additional opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration among researchers, students and policymakers, with the ultimate goal of fighting poverty, building peace and strengthening democracy in an era of backsliding. 

Andrés Mejía Acosta, the Keough School’s Kuster Family Associate Dean for Policy and Practice, and OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro praised the agreement.

“We salute our partnership with the OAS, an organization committed to strengthening democracy, the protection of citizen’s rights and social inclusion,” Mejía Acosta said. “We look forward to making our research knowledge more accessible, exchanging policy lessons and offering students practical experiences by working with OAS colleagues in Washington, D.C. and the region.”

Almagro agreed.

“This partnership marks a significant step forward in our shared commitment to upholding the principles of democracy and advancing the well-being of our hemisphere,” Almagro said. “The University of Notre Dame’s dedication to excellence in education and research is renowned, and we are honored to partner with such a distinguished institution. By joining forces, we strengthen our capacity to promote cooperative research and to facilitate the exchange of ideas on issues related to democracy, development and human rights in the OAS member states.”

The collaboration draws on the expertise of faculty and researchers in the Keough School’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies , which specializes in democracy; in its Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies ; and in its Pulte Institute for Global Development . In addition, it leverages the experiential learning opportunities available across the school and its nine institutes and centers. Finally, it enables Keough School students to learn from the real-world experience of professionals at the OAS.  

The arrangement will: 

• Facilitate dialogue among faculty, staff and administrators who translate research for policy impact; 
• Strengthen postgraduate training at the Keough School; 
• Encourage joint conferences and meetings on key issues of shared interest;  
• Facilitate the exchange of academic materials;
• Provide experiential learning opportunities for Keough School students who can help support OAS goals. 

The agreement is the latest development in an ongoing relationship, since the school and the OAS have worked closely together for years. In 2023, the Keough School partnered with the OAS’ Department of Social Inclusion to host a training for diplomats that explored migration, asylum and forced displacement in the Americas. And in 2021, the school partnered with the OAS’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for a series of panel discussions on promoting human rights.

Mejía Acosta said the partnership will also enable the Keough School to influence policy by leveraging expertise from its core research programs. 

“Our experts will share rigorous academic research that has clear takeaways for policymakers and practitioners,” Mejía Acosta said. “This evidence-based approach will ensure that policy design and implementation is effective and impactful. We are honored to work with our friends and colleagues at the OAS to help support their mission. We share their belief that one of the best ways to support human dignity is by defending human rights, and we look forward to strengthening and deepening our partnership in the coming years.” 

Top photo :  From left, Scott Appleby, Marilyn Keough Dean of the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, and Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro celebrate the announcement of a new partnership to protect human rights and democracy.

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Palm Springs city councilmember calls for hiatus of Human Rights Commission amidst concerns

P alm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege is calling for a hiatus of the city’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) amid concerns over potential Brown Act violations and a lack of clarity surrounding the commission’s role and responsibilities.

During the council’s May 23 meeting, Holstege expressed concerns about the commission, citing recent reports by The Post suggesting possible Brown Act violations by commissioners. She also highlighted the need for the commission to receive guidance from city staff regarding its scope and jurisdiction.

“I remain extremely concerned that we have commissioners who potentially have violated the Brown Act and also might just need some help from staff about their role, their scope, their jurisdiction, and the work to do,” Holstege said.

At issue for Holstege and others is a Feb. 13 story by The Post detailing what happened behind closed doors when some members of the HRC elected to rescind a Community Service Award that the entire commission had earlier approved awarding.Following the report, the HRC agreed to reevaluate how it hands out awards and disband its executive committee .

During the council’s May 23 meeting, Holstege, who previously served on the HRC, said she believes there could be a mismatch between the commission’s current activities and its intended purpose.

“I just think that there’s a lot more work to do to understand the role of the Human Rights Commission,” Holstege said. “I’ve said publicly many times, I ran for council because I was serving on the Human Rights Commission, and it was impossible or very difficult to get any work done because of the lack of clarity around the role for the commission.”

To address these concerns, Holstege requested a hiatus of the commission until a joint session between the HRC and the City Council can be held to provide policy direction. She also asked for a staff recommendation on updating the commission’s role and scope, suggesting a potential rebranding as a social justice commission or incorporating it into other task forces.

The council agreed to move forward with Holstege’s proposal, tasking city staff with providing recommendations for rethinking and rebranding the Human Rights Commission, as well as setting its scope, role, and responsibilities. Once these changes are considered and implemented, the commission will be able to restart its work with a clearer understanding of its purpose and alignment with the council’s priorities.

City Manager Scott Stiles said that staff can bring back recommendations for the first meeting in June. 

“Obviously, we need to get guidance from the council member on the role,” Stiles said. “The commissions themselves, they’re advisors to the city council. And so your input is going to be critically important to us, but we will work on, and we are working on those roles and responsibilities that you had brought forward earlier.”

The post Palm Springs city councilmember calls for hiatus of Human Rights Commission amidst concerns appeared first on The Palm Springs Post .

5 Funded PhDs in Human Rights 2019-2020

Phd security, conflict and human rights – university of bath – bath, uk.

The University of Bath offers a PhD in Security, Conflict and Human rights. This program is designed for interdisciplinary research to improve policy and political action. Students can work through several different research centers and can focus on one of the five research themes: Children, young people, families; Lifelong health and wellbeing; Work, welfare, and poverty; Global transformations and poverty; Governance and policy design.

Students wishing to participate in this program should have a first degree in a related social science topic or a degree in an unrelated subject with substantial relevant work experience. The program highly recommends obtaining a Master of Research degree before attending the PhD program. Students can choose to apply for just the PhD (3 years) or the MRes and PhD combined (4 years total).

Tuition for this program is £4,400/year for EU students and £15,900 for overseas students. Several full-tuition funding options are available, including the University Research Studentship Award (URSA), funding through the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership, as well as other opportunities for students with specific backgrounds and academic experiences.

International Joint PhD Programme in Human Rights, Society, and Multi-level Governance – Multiple universities – Multiple locations

This PhD in Human Rights, Society, and Multi-level Governance is offered as a joint program coordinated by the University of Padova in partnership with Western Sydney University in Australia, Zagreb University Faculty of Law in Croatia, Panteion University – Athens in Greece, and the University of Nicosia in Cyprus. This is an interdisciplinary program that includes teaching, research, and training in the field of human rights. In addition to conducting research and taking courses, students also undertake internships at their home university and at another partner university.

Interested students should have completed their master’s degree and must submit a research proposal upon applying for the program. Once admitted, students will work with the Doctorate’s Academic Board to choose their research topic area.

Students can find more information about this 3-year program and the application on the University of Padova’s website. Students can apply for full-tuition funding through their home university. For instance, the University of Padova offers full funding for all PhD students, with the exception of fees. Students who cannot afford the fees can apply for financial assistance or lowered fee amounts.

PhD Human Rights – University of London – London, UK

The University of London School of Advanced Study has a PhD in Human Rights. Within the realm of human rights, students can choose a variety of subjects to research. Students work with faculty to develop a research topic that best fits their interests and research goals under the umbrella of human rights. See the SAS PhD website for a faculty list, including their research specialties and interests.

Students can apply to pursue their PhD through full-time (3 years) or part-time (6 years) study. You can also submit an application to complete your PhD via distance learning. In order to apply for the PhD program, students must submit a research proposal. The site provides guidelines for writing and submitting a research proposal.

At the full-time pace, this program costs £6,010 per year for EU students and £15,200 for overseas students. EU students are eligible to apply for full-tuition funding through the Arts & Humanities Research Council-funded London Arts & Humanities Partnership program. The SAS Hardship Grant is also available to all students but may not be a full award. Other various awards are available for students based on country of origin, field of study, and more.

PhD Human Rights – University of Essex – Colchester, UK

The University of Essex has a PhD in Human Rights. Students can choose to work under a number of professors and can work through one of several research centers to conduct their research, including the Human Rights Centre. The university’s website also has a list of ongoing research projects and case studies for PhD students to get involved in.

Students can order a prospectus pack or attend an Open Day at the university to learn more about the programs and opportunities offered through the PhD program. Some students can choose to obtain their PhD at a part-time pace. In order to apply, students must have high academic qualifications or significant work experience, have necessary research skills, and adequate English to apply.

For full-time students, tuition is £4,630 per year for EU students and £14,720 for overseas students. The University of Essex offers fully-funded studentships in addition to the dozens of scholarships available for students to apply for.

PhD Human Rights and Global Politics: Legal, Philosophical and Economic Challenges – Sant’Anna Univesrity – Pisa, Italy

Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies offers a PhD in Human Rights and Global Politics: Legal, Philosophical and Economic Challenges. The degree is designed to equip students with advanced research skills and to help them gain professional experience with a number of private and public sector organizations on the local, national, and international levels. In particular, students will study human rights and global politics with focuses on the specific areas of agriculture, food and agri-environmental law; public international law; political economy; and political philosophy.

Interested candidates must submit a research proposal addressing one of the above focus areas. The university highly suggests reviewing the profiles of current students and faculty to prepare your research proposal. Students are awarded their degree after 3 years of full-time research and successful completion of a dissertation.

Calls for this program are currently open, and students admitted will receive a fully-funded studentship to complete their PhD studies. External awards and scholarships may also be available for eligible students.

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About the author, allison reefer.

Allison Reefer is a young professional living in Pittsburgh, PA. She works with a refugee resettlement agency to help refugees and immigrants in the city, and she volunteers with a local shelter for human trafficking victims. She obtained her Master in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in Writing from Geneva College, focusing most of her academic work on human trafficking and migration in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In her free time, she loves to write, read, sing and play bass guitar, practice Russian, and explore her city.