Course details

Key facts

Length: 4 weeks
Dates: Sunday 7 July - Saturday 3 August 2013
Modes of teaching: Residential summer school in Oxford
Fees: £6900.00
Application deadline: 1 April 2013

Course aims

The programme aims to provide an intensive immersion in international human rights law and practice. Students will learn about key international and regional human rights laws and the enforcement of human rights by courts, quasi-judicial bodies, the UN and other inter-governmental organisations and non-governmental actors.  The introductory morning session aims to provide a basic grounding in the field of international human rights law for students with no prior knowledge. The advanced morning seminars aim to build on students' existing knowledge. The afternoon electives aim to provide students with an opportunity to specialise in a key sub area of international human rights law or international humanitarian law. More broadly, the programme is intended to prepare participants to contribute to the improvement of human rights conditions in their homelands and around the world

Level and demands

This course is an intensive programme of university-level study and potential applicants should therefore be confident that they are academically and linguistically prepared for such a programme.

If your first language is not English, you must supply evidence of your proficiency before a place can be offered. The University recognises only certain English tests. The accepted tests and minimum scores for this course are listed below.

  • IELTS: minimum overall score of 7.0 plus a minimum of 6.5 in each component
  • TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600 plus a minimum of 4.5 in the Test of Written English
  • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100
  • Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: minimum overall score of C

Further information:

Certificates and credit

All students who satisfactorily complete the programme will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance. To qualify for this, students are required to attend lectures and seminars to the satsifaction of the course tutors. The examinations at the end of the programme are optional but those students seeking credit from the programme will need to sit them.

The programme qualifies for Continuing Professional Development with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (CPD SRA) in the United Kingdom (for those that have applied through Oxford only) and is also accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) for 5 semester credits (for those that have applied through George Washinton only). Oxford itself, however, does not offer credit and therefore those wishing to obtain credit from their home institution for attending the programme must make appropriate arrangements with that institution in advance. Participants can request information to provide to the home institution which details contact hours (for lectures and seminars) and grades achieved in the examinations. The level of credit, if any, must be determined by the home institution.

Course structure

The 2013 programme begins on Sunday 7 July. Programme orientation and library registration are held on Monday 8 July. Classes are held mornings and afternoons Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 July, Monday 15 to Friday 19 July, Monday 22 to Thursday 25 July and Monday 29 to Wednesday 31 July. Friday 26 July is a reading day. Examinations will be held on Friday 2 August and the programme concludes at 09:00 on Saturday 3 August.