Postgraduate - CourseMaster of Human Rights Law

This expert graduate course enables graduates of law and other related disciplines to develop advanced professional skills and specialist knowledge of developments in human rights law. The extensive range of units enables students to develop and enhance their knowledge across the breadth of human rights law. Students investigate contemporary issues in human rights law, practice and scholarship, and evaluate complex legal issues from theoretical, international and interdisciplinary perspectives. The course enhances the capacity to undertake independent research, and includes options for a pathway to doctoral studies.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Graduates of the course will have

• knowledge and understanding of recent developments in human rights law and its professional practice
• knowledge of legal research principles and methods to plan, carry out and report on an original project in human rights law
• knowledge and reasoning skills to critically evaluate theory and practice in human rights law
• research skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories
• cognitive skills to apply theories, knowledge and skills to different human rights areas or to new situations in human rights legal practice or scholarship
• thinking skills to discuss complex and abstract human rights ideas and theories
• communication and interpretive skills to justify arguments, methods, and conclusions to legal and lay audiences
• creative skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about human rights developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship
• high level personal autonomy and accountability

Students may be eligible for credit for up to 50 per cent of the course (24 points) for previous masters level studies in law.

The course comprises eight 6-point coursework units or a combination of coursework units and a minor thesis.

Students must complete one of the following options:

Option 1

• LAW5082 Masters research (6 points)
• at least four units from the list of human rights law electiveshuman rights law electives (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/human-rights-law) (24 points)
• up to three units from the list of masters law electivesmasters law electives (http://monash.edu/pubs/handbooks/aos/law/index.html) (18 points)

Option 2

• LAW5083 Minor thesis on an approved topic in human rights law (12 points)
• six masters law electivesmasters law electives (http://monash.edu/pubs/handbooks/aos/law/index.html) including at least three from the list of human rights law electiveshuman rights law electives (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/human-rights-law) (36 points)

Option 3

• LAW5084 Minor thesis on an approved topic in human rights law (24 points)
• four masters law electivesmasters law electives (http://monash.edu/pubs/handbooks/aos/law/index.html) including at least one from the list of human rights law electiveshuman rights law electives (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/aos/human-rights-law) (24 points)

Students taking the course as a pathway to doctoral studies are advised to take a minor thesis option.

Additional course requirements:

• domestic students with a degree in a discipline other than law must complete LAW5080 (Australian legal system) as one of their masters electives
• international students and those with a law degree from a non-Australian jurisdiction must complete LAW5081 (Australian legal process and research) as one of their masters electives.

Further information is available on the faculty website regarding law units and specialisationslaw units and specialisations (http://www.law.monash.edu.au/postgraduate/units-overview.html) and the current postgraduate law timetablecurrent postgraduate law timetable (http://www.law.monash.edu.au/current-students/course-unit-information/timetables/postgraduate/index.html).

• Dispute resolution
• Human rights law
• Law

Students may exit with a Graduate Diploma in Law providing all requirements for that award have been met.

Master of Human Rights Law