“Human rights law is a restricted body of law with universal application,” says Professor Susan Perry, director of AUP’s master’s program in international affairs. There are nine treaties that govern international human rights law, in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, meaning it falls into a category of limited legal structures along with, for example, the law of the sea.
“Every week, we deal with a new treaty and apply that treaty in a digital environment,” explains Perry. In addition to analyzing the content of each treaty, students look at the most important contemporary issues relating to implementing the law: “Issues of discrimination, for example, change all the time depending on what’s in the news.” Students select a right from the list enumerated in each treaty, then apply that right to a digital environment.
Course work deals in tangible terms with rapidly evolving legal frameworks, and students' research can even impact the evolution of human rights policy in real time. A recent midterm exam, for example, saw students improve upon the European Artificial Intelligence Act, which at the time of writing has yet to be passed; Professor Perry then sent feedback from this assignment to the Parliamentary Commission on Artificial Intelligence. Similarly, a recent final assignment saw students write a complaint to a UN treaty body committee based on a relevant issue, which Perry sent on to the UN portal in Geneva.
