MSc Human Rights and Politics

In today’s turbulent world, human rights are under threat in many regions – with populist nationalism and discrimination against minority groups on the rise.

This programme explores how political and social factors influence the development and implementation of human rights globally. You’ll examine the challenges and problems affecting human rights institutions, movements and practices.

Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, political theory and philosophy, you’ll delve into themes such as identity politics, political liberalism, authoritarian populism and movements against racism.

The curriculum includes a core course on the contemporary politics of human rights. You’ll also have the chance to choose optional courses on sociology, anthropology, development, gender, politics and international relations.

As a student, you’ll join a vibrant community of academics and researchers and be encouraged to participate in research activities and events. LSE Human Rights, a transdisciplinary hub for cutting-edge, critical research, teaching and scholarship on human rights, is based within the Department of Sociology and runs regular masterclasses and seminars exclusively for our MSc students, as well as public events involving world-leading human rights academics and practitioners.

This degree is ideal if you’re interested in the politics of international human rights but don’t wish to pursue a legal career in this area. Once you graduate, you’ll be well-prepared for a high-level career in human rights advocacy, politics or international development within NGOs, government or academia.

• Baxi, Upendra (2012), The Future of Human Rights (Third Edition), Oxford India.
• Boersma, David (2011), Philosophy of human rights: theory and practice, Westview.
• Brysk, Alison (2018), The Future of Human Rights, Polity Press.
• Burke, Roland (2013), Decolonisation and the Evolution of International Human Rights, University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Clapham, Andrew (2015), Human rights: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press
• Donnelly, Jack (2013), Universal human rights in theory and practice, Cornell University Press.
• Deng, Francis, An-Na’im, Abdullahi, Ghai, Yash and Baxi, Upendra (2009), Human Rights, Southern Voices, Cambridge University Press.
• Fields, Karen and Fields, Barbara (2012), Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life, Verso.
• Freeman, Michael (2017), Human Rights (Key Concepts), 3rd Edition, Polity Press.
• Moses, Dirk, Duranti, Marco and Burke, Roland eds. (2020), Decolonization, Self-Determination, and the Rise of Global Human Rights Politics, Cambridge University Press.