The Human Rights Centre of the University of Essex offers a five-day "Summer School in Human Rights Research Methods" from 1-5 July 2019. The summer school is an ideal course for postgraduate students, academics, lawyers and human rights professionals working in NGOs, government and international organisations.

From the announcement of the Centre

This Research Methods summer school provides the core methods and skills needed to carry out human rights research whether for academic scholarship, bids for large research projects or reports for NGOs, governments and international organisations. Participants will learn how to design research projects and carry them out both in a headquarters environment or while working in the field. They will learn about the range of tools and methodologies for human rights research (whether academic or practical) and when, why and how to employ particular research methods in specific research contexts. The summer school not only focuses on documenting human rights violations using qualitative and quantitative research methods but it also addresses questions of how to measure the impact and effectiveness of policies and practices based on human rights.

The summer school will be taught by a combination of Essex and external human rights academics and practitioners. All sessions will focus on research design, methodology and impact and will examine relevant examples and case-studies. The programme also includes dedicated sessions on particular projects to develop the themes of research design, methodology and impact in greater depth. As an interactive summer school, it will afford participants many opportunities to apply the theory they have learned, including through dedicated sessions in which participants will be given a problem ahead of the session and asked to prepare the research questions, methodology and impact strategy. Participants will have the opportunity to receive feedback on existing research plans in one-on-one clinics throughout the school. Particular topics that will be covered in the sessions include: interviewing survivors of human rights violations, the use of focus groups and the role of databases, amongst many others.

The summer school will be taught by a combination of Essex and external human rights academics and practitioners. The team includes: 

• Abbas Faiz, Independent Consultant, Former researcher at Amnesty International
• Dr Ahmed Shaheed, Human Rights Centre & School of Law, University of Essex. UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Religion or Belief (2016-19)
• Barbora Cernusakova, PhD Candidate, University of Manchester & Researcher at Amnesty International
• Dr Carla Ferstman, Senior Lecturer, School of Law & Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, Former Director of REDRESS.
• Dr Carmel Williams, Independent Consultant, formerly Senior Research Officer at Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project.
• Professor Clara Sandoval, Human Rights Centre, Director, Essex Transitional Justice Network, School of Law, University of Essex.
• Dr Cosette Creamer, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota
• Dr Dominik Duell, Lecturer, Department of Government, University of Essex
• Professor Francoise Hampson, Emeritus Professor, School of Law & Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
• Professor Geoff Gilbert, School of Law & Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
• Judith Bueno de Mesquita, School of Law & Deputy Director, Human Rights Centre Clinic.
• Professor Lorna MacGregor, School of Law, Director Human Rights Centre & Co-Director, Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project. Member, Equality and Human Rights Commission.
• Nazila Ghanea, Associate Professor, Oxford University
• Dr Richard Carver, Senior Lecturer, Oxford Brookes
• Dr Roisin Ryan-Flood, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Essex
• Sam Dubberley, Amnesty International and Member of the Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project, University of Essex

► More information and application 

► Summer school leaflet 

► A short video on the summer school

Source: University of Essex Human Rights Centre

26.03.2019