Curriculum

As approved by the University of Notre Dame and the American Bar Association, all LL.M. students enroll for one academic year, during which they must complete 24 credit hours of course work. Courses are assigned from 1 to 4 hours of credit depending upon the number of hours scheduled each week for the course. The following specific courses are required of students pursuing the LL.M. in International Human Rights Law in the fall semester:

Fall Semester (10 required credit hours)

• International Law (3 credits)
• Introduction to Human Rights Research and Writing (1 credit)
• Introduction to Human Rights (3 credit hours)
• Accountability for Gross Human Rights Violations (3 credits)

In addition to the required and recommended curriculum listed above, students may design their own concentration of fall semester study from a wide range of courses both within the Law School and in other University departments, including:

• Civil Rights Law (3 Credits)
• International Environmental Law (3 credits)
• Catholic Social Thought (2 credits)
• Globalization and Multinational Corporate Responsibility (2 credits)
• International Migration and Human Rights (3 credits)
• Gender and Violence (3 credits)
• Ethnic Conflict Peace Process (3 credits)
• International Labor Law (3 credits)

Spring Semester (4 required credit hours)

For the spring semester:

Barring compelling reasons to the contrary, LL.M. students are expected to enroll in:

• Human Rights Practice (3 credits)
• Regional Human Rights Protection (3 credits)

With the permission of the director of the program, students may opt to write an LL.M. Thesis (60-80 pages in length).