Arab master in democracy and human rights

A unique learning experience, rich in interdisciplinary content and academic activities and field-related work.

 

Apply Now

Overview
01
The Arab master's programme includes research-oriented courses and practical trainings in the field of human rights and democratisation. It attracts students, researchers and experts from the region and beyond because of its multidisciplinary scope, its comparative approach and its action-oriented features.
02
It offers cross-regional mobility. While based in Beirut (Lebanon), it includes a semester in one of the following partner universities: Birzeit University (Palestine), Carthage University (Tunisia), and the International University of Rabat (Morocco). Students can also spend a semester in Egypt and Jordan.
03
You will acquire theoretical and practical knowledge and insights into the region, while building expertise in the master programme’s four streams: Human Rights, Democratic Governance, the Arab World and Applied Human Rights.

Curriculum

The programme is organised into four streams providing foundational and specialisation courses in different focus areas:
Human Rights, Democratic Governance, the Arab World and Applied Human Rights.
Courses are themselves structured to provide students with theoretical grounding, practical insights and a critical perspective on the programme’s core themes.

I. Human Rights: Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural

This stream is composed of three foundational courses and four specialisation courses in Human Rights that integrate universal and regional perspectives. Foundational courses provide students with solid basis in International Law, Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law. While specialisation courses allow students to delve into specific issues in Human Rights such as forced migration, gender, criminal prosecution and transitional justice.

  • International Law and Human Rights
  • Human Rights in Armed Conflict
  • International Human Rights law and Protection Mechanisms
  • International Criminal Prosecution and Transitional Justice
  • Vulnerable Persons and Groups Human Rights
  • Refugees, Migration and Mobility Rights
  • Gender Policies and Women’s Rights

II. Democratic Governance and the Rule of Law

The second stream explores the contemporary challenges that democracies and democratic consolidation face, using a multidisciplinary perspective: historical, socio-economic, institutional and constitutional. Its six courses delve into these challenges from multiple levels: local, national, regional and global.

  • Comparative Constitutional Systems
  • Legacy of Colonialism
  • Public Policy & Human Rights
  • Politics of Globalisation
  • Peace and Conflict
  • Democratisation and Liberalisation

III. Contemporary dynamics in the Arab World

The third stream provides insights on the region’s social, cultural and political dynamics while exploring concepts and methodologies belonging to different disciplines: Philosophy and Political theory, Geopolitics and International Relations, Political Sociology and Comparative Politics.  

  • Democracy and Human Rights in the MENA  
  • Geopolitics of the MENA  
  • Political Sociology of the Arab World  
  • Arab Political Thought  
  • Political Parties and Pressure Groups in the MENA  
  • Transition Processes in the MENA  

IV. Applied Human Rights: Research and Professional Skills  

The fourth thematic stream adopts a practical approach to Human Rights. It also aims to develop students' professional skills by providing them with a large set of tools crucial for Human Rights research and action. 

  • Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights - Field Research  
  • Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights - Project (Design, Implementation and Assessment)
  • Legal Anthropology of Human Rights  
  • Human Rights Laboratories
  • Internships 

Arma Arab Master

The Arab master’s programme is taught across two campuses. While based in Lebanon, students get to spend one semester in a partner universities in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.

Tracks

The master’s programme is organised into two tracks, depending on the student’s academic background. Both tracks include one semester in a partner university across the Arab region:
Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Jordan or Egypt
They allow you to develop research and practical skills. They include a week-long field trip and offer the possibility of doing internships in leading national and international organisations across the region. Internships are mandatory in the two-year track.

One-Year Track (75 to 90 European Credits)

This track gives direct access to the second year of the programme to students who hold an M1 in social sciences (or the equivalent of 60 European postgraduate credits). Students admitted to this track are required to take all core courses of the second year in addition to specific foundational courses depending on their academic background. They can also choose specialisations courses from the first year of the programme.

1

Core Courses

Comparative Constitutional Systems (072CCSYM3) 4 credits
Democracy and Human Rights in the MENA (072DOHRM3) 4 credits
Democratisation and Liberalisation (072DELIM3) 4 credits
Political Parties and Pressure Groups in MENA (072PPGM3) 4 credits
Transition Processes in MENA (072TRPRM3) 4 credits
International Human Rights Law and Protection Mechanisms in MENA (072IHRLM4) 3 credits
Vulnerable Persons and Groups Human Rights (072VPHRM1) 3 credits
Arab Political Thought (072APTHM3) 2 credits
Legacy of Colonialism (072LECOM3) 2 credits
Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights –  Field Research (072ARDHM4) 5 credits
Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights – Project (072ARDHM4) 5 credits
Thesis (072MRM2M8) 20 credits

Foundational Courses

Geopolitics of the Middle East and North Africa (072GMEAM1) 5 credits
Political Sociology of the Arab World (072PSAWM1) 5 credits
International Law and Human Rights (072ILHRM1) 5 credits
Human Rights in Armed Conflict (072HRACM1) 5 credits

Specialisation Courses

Gender Policies and Women’s Rights (072GPWRM2) 5 credits
Public Policy and Human Rights (072PHRCM2) 5 credits
International Criminal Prosecution and Transitional Justice (072ICTJM2) 5 credits
Refugees, Migration and Mobility Rights (072RMMRM2) 4 credits
Peace and Conflict (072MOPCM2) 4 credits
Human Rights Laboratory – War Memory (07HRLBM1) 3 credits
Human Rights Laboratory – The Forcibly Disappeared (072HRLBM2) 2 credits
 

Two-Years Track (120 European Credits)

This track offers a full comprehensive human rights programme aimed at providing students with solid theoretical basis, multidisciplinary knowledge and skills, and an informed and critical understanding of the field of human rights and democratic governance. It includes field visits, a field research, regional mobility, and an internship geared at developing the student’s practical and professional skills.

4

First Year

Autumn Semester (September to December)

Geopolitics of the Middle East and North Africa (072GMEAM1) 5 credits
Human Rights in Armed Conflict (072HRACM1) 5 credits
International Law and Human Rights (072ILHRM1) 5 credits
Political Sociology of the Arab World (072PSAWM1) 5 credits
Human Rights Laboratory 1 (07HRLBM1) 3 credits
Tutoring (072TUTOM1) 2 credits

Winter Period (January)

Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights – Field Research (072ARDHM4) 5 credits

Spring Semester (February to May)

Gender Policies and Women’s Rights (072GPWRM2) 5 credits
International Criminal Prosecution and Transitional Justice (072ICTJM2) 5 credits
Public Policy and Human Rights (072PHRCM2) 5 credits
Politics of Globalisation (072PGOIM2) 5 credits
Peace and Conflict (072MOPCM2) 4 credits
Refugees, Migration and Mobility Rights (072RMMRM2) 4 credits
Human Rights Laboratory 2 (072HRLBM2) 2 credits

Summer Period (June to July)

Short Internship (072INS4M3) 4 credits
Medium Internship (072INS6M2) 6 credits
Long Internship 10 credits

Second Year

Autumn Semester (September to December)

Democracy and Human Rights in the MENA (072DOHRM3)

4 credits

Political Parties and Pressure Groups in MENA (072PPGM3)

4 credits

International Human Rights Law and Protection Mechanisms in the MENA (072IHRLM4)

3 credits

Democratisation and Liberalisation (072DELIM3)

5 credits

Comparative Constitutional Systems (072CCSYM3)

4 credits

Transition Processes in MENA (072TRPRM3)

4 credits

Arab Political Thought (072APTHM3)

2 credits

 

Spring Semester (February to May)

Thesis (072MRM2M8) 20 credits
Legacy of Colonialism (072LECOM3)  2 credits

Summer Period (June to September)

Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights – Projects (072ARHRM1) 5 credits
Vulnerable Persons and Groups Human Rights – Children Rights (072VPHRM1) 3 credits
Vulnerable Persons and Groups Human Rights – Minority Groups (072VPHRM1) 3 credits
 

Courses

Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights - 2072ARHRM1

5 credits

Human rights research requires specific research methodology taking into account legal sources, identifying duty bearers and rights holders, and allowing to measure observance and violations....Read more

Human rights research requires specific research methodology taking into account legal sources, identifying duty bearers and rights holders, and allowing to measure observance and violations. …requires specific research methodology taking into account legal sources, identifying duty bearers and rights holders, and allowing to measure observance and violationsrequires specific research methodology taking into account legal sources, identifying duty bearers and rights holders, and allowing to measure observance and violations

Read less

Applied Research in Democracy and Human Rights II - 072ARHRM1

5 credits

This course is an applied course in effective Project Management (PM) in the field of human rights based on the best international practices published by The Project Management Institute (PMI)....Read more

This course is an applied course in effective Project Management (PM) in the field of human rights based on the best international practices published by The Project Management Institute (PMI). The course is designed to respond to the increasing importance of projects in the advancement of human rights and democratic governance in today’s globalized world. It follow the principle of “learning by doing”. It focuses on understanding project lifecycle: Initiating; Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing in addition to key project processes.   

Within this course students develop in small groups several projects related to the programmes mains themes of Democratic Governance and Human Rights. They not only implement the project, but have to report on it and assess its Human Rights impact.

Read less

Arab Political Thought - 072APTHM3

2 credits

Understanding contemporary ideological debates across the Arab World through the analysis of the thought of prominent thinkers and intellectuals who have inspired political currents …Understanding...Read more

Understanding contemporary ideological debates across the Arab World through the analysis of the thought of prominent thinkers and intellectuals who have inspired political currents …Understanding contemporary ideological debates across the Arab World through the analysis of the thought of prominent thinkers and intellectuals who have inspired political currentsUnderstanding contemporary ideological debates across the Arab World through the analysis of the thought of prominent thinkers and intellectuals who have inspired political currents

Read less

Comparative Constitutional Systems - 72CCSYM3

4 credits

This course looks into how constitutions and courts frame freedoms and rights....Read more

This course looks into how constitutions and courts frame freedoms and rights. It highlights the role of domestic jurisdiction in the implementation of human rights through a comparative inquiry across the Arab World and beyond. A specific seminar is dedicated to the framing and interpretation of shari’a by constitutions and high courts, exploring the relationships between religion and law in the context of contemporary Muslim-majority countries.

Read less

Democracy and Human Rights in the MENA - 072DOHRM3

4 credits

A parallel analysis of the foundation of Democracy and Human Rights, discussing their fundamental principles, and their evolution both globally and regionally....Read more

A parallel analysis of the foundation of Democracy and Human Rights, discussing their fundamental principles, and their evolution both globally and regionally. Democracy is approached …A parallel analysis of the foundation of Democracy and Human Rights, discussing their fundamental principles, and their evolution both globally and regionally. Democracy is approached …

Read less

Democratisation and Liberalisation - 072DELIM3

4 credits

This course examines the factors and processes that hinder the development of effective democracies in the Arab World....Read more

This course examines the factors and processes that hinder the development of effective democracies in the Arab World. It looks into the political effects of liberalisation and how economical structures (rent, interests and corruption) and security agencies can slow or reverse democratic change. The course looks into issues pertaining to good governance within the security sector and explores good practices concerning the fight against corruption while examining the dynamics of de-democratisation at work in the post-Arab Spring Middle East.

Read less

Gender Policies and Women’s Rights - 072GPWRM2

5 credits

In this course, students will examine the notions of gender and sex, and how they have translated in public policies....Read more

In this course, students will examine the notions of gender and sex, and how they have translated in public policies. It examines the question of women’s rights as human rights, while taking into account an interdisciplinary and comparative approach. Students taking the course will learn how critically assess gender policies and how they affect women's rights issues. They will also learn to construct and conduct an independent research project on these themes. There are no pre-requisites for the course

Read less

Geopolitics of the Middle East and North Africa  - 072GMEAM1

5 credits

The aim of the course is to provide students with the tools to understand territorial conficts, regional and international rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)....Read more

The aim of the course is to provide students with the tools to understand territorial conficts, regional and international rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It includes a general introduction to Geopolitics, a geopolitical analysis of the MENA and a focus on the role of non-Arab regional states in the region. Students will be able to comprehend and identify power factors, while visualysing and analysing regional dynamics.

Read less

Human Rights in Armed Conflict - 072HRACM1
 

5 credits

This course examines International Humanitarian Law (IHL). It looks into the laws that govern armed conflict as they developped customarily  and through treaties....Read more

This course examines International Humanitarian Law (IHL). It looks into the laws that govern armed conflict as they developped customarily  and through treaties. The aim of IHL is to protect wounded soldiers, the civilian population and prisoners of war. It will also look into the role that the International Red Cross and other NGOs have played in the development of humanitarian norms. The course will also look into Human Rights issues in different conflict ridden countries with a focus on the Arab region (Yemen, Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Libya). 

Read less

Human Rights Laboratory 1 - 072HRLBM1

3 credits

Each year, the Human Rights Laboratory course looks into one or two themes, that students explore first theoretically and critically during the first semester, then through the eyes of...Read more

Each year, the Human Rights Laboratory course looks into one or two themes, that students explore first theoretically and critically during the first semester, then through the eyes of practitioners during the second semester. Currently, the course looks into the question of Dealing with Past Violences through the lens of War Memory, and more specifically through the example of Lebanon. How does memory work? What are its different types? What can block it? And what are the consequences of this blockage? 
Students use the tools they learn in class to look into key events in the history of the Lebanese war and to exhibit their work in the learning process of a flipped classroom.
 

Read less

Human Rights Laboratory 2 - 072HRLBM2

2 credits

During the second semester, the Human Rights Laboratory centers around the multiple and sometimes conflicting perspectives of actors working on a specific theme related to Human Rights....Read more

During the second semester, the Human Rights Laboratory centers around the multiple and sometimes conflicting perspectives of actors working on a specific theme related to Human Rights. During the past three years, the Laboratory's theme is "The Missing and the Forcibly Disappeared", and many social and political actors are invited to share with students their perspective, their work and the way they have advanced the issue.

Read less

International Criminal Prosecution and Transitional Justice - 072ICTJM2

5 credits

The course looks into the issue of justice in a post-conflict context or following the fall of an authoritarian regime by looking into two approaches, that of international criminal law and that of...Read more

The course looks into the issue of justice in a post-conflict context or following the fall of an authoritarian regime by looking into two approaches, that of international criminal law and that of transitional justice. The seminar on International Criminal Prosecution looks into the concept of international crime and its different categories. In the light of case studies before international tribunals, the course dissects the problems of defining core international crimes and the intricate question of attributing responsibility for international crimes before international criminal courts and tribunals. The seminar on transitional justice introduces the concept and its mechanisms that aim to address past human rights violations and ways to move forward. It will focus on institutional reform, reparation and truth-seeking measures with an emphasis on truth commissions from a comparative perspective. The students will be able to analyze problems related to past abuse of human rights in post-conflict societies and will apply what they have learned by organizing and participating in an exercise simulating a truth commission.

Read less

International Human Rights Law, and Mechanisms of Protection - 072IHRLM4

3 credits

The purpose of the course is to give the students an overview of the human rights machinery that exists both at international and domestic level as well as an understanding of how institutions work...Read more

The purpose of the course is to give the students an overview of the human rights machinery that exists both at international and domestic level as well as an understanding of how institutions work at both levels and how the domestic system interacts with international human rights mechanisms. Moreover, the threats to human rights defenders and civil society organisations have escalated over the last years. New tactics are being employed, that are creating fundamental changes and severely limiting the space for civil society across the global. This seminar series will explore and analyse these changes. It will look at the factors driving the clampdown, the legal frameworks and the ways in which organisations are responding. The case study will illustrate current developments and the final session will include a practical exercise. 

Read less

International Law and Human Rights - 072ILHRM1

5 credits

The course aims to present a detailed-panorama of Public International Law (IL) which covers rules, customary rules and principles that govern relations between Sates and between States other...Read more

The course aims to present a detailed-panorama of Public International Law (IL) which covers rules, customary rules and principles that govern relations between Sates and between States other actors in the international community.
The course will also will also give a global understanding of the subjects - actors - and sources of IL as well as the connected disciplines.
It will also address the issue of the effectiveness of International Law (its enforcement) through cases studies. 
Then it will look into the place of Human Rights within International Law and its development. 

Read less

Internship - 072INS6M2, 072INS4M3

4, 6 or 10 credits

Students do an internship in leading national and international human rights organisations across the region....Read more

Students do an internship in leading national and international human rights organisations across the region. It can take place in Lebanon throughout the academic year or in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine or Tunisia, during the student's period of mobility (second semester of the academic year).

Internships provide a hands-on experience to students on the theme of human rights and democratic governance, allowing them to develop professional skills and explore the practical dimensions of Human Rights work.

There are three types of internships: Short (160 hours), Medium (240 hours) and Long (400 hours).

Read less

Legacy of Colonialism - 072LECOM3

2 credits

This course will look into an historical and geopolitical overview of the Middle East and North Africa from the dismantlement of the Ottoman Empire till today; highlighting the challenges of...Read more

This course will look into an historical and geopolitical overview of the Middle East and North Africa from the dismantlement of the Ottoman Empire till today; highlighting the challenges of colonialism, state-building, the neo-liberal order and the impact of the continuously changing world order. A specific seminar is devoted to the region’s new strategic landscape five years after the beginning of the “Arab Spring”.

Read less

Peace and Conflict - 072MOPCM2

4 credits

The course aims to show the complexity of conflicts and conflict analysis, deconstructing some prevalent approaches while examining tools used for conflict management and resolution....Read more

The course aims to show the complexity of conflicts and conflict analysis, deconstructing some prevalent approaches while examining tools used for conflict management and resolution. During the course students examine and analyse specific conflicts, identifying different factors (demographic, geographic, military, economic, geopolitical, and historical) and highlighting the complicated interaction of external and internal factors in violence and wars using a multifactorial approach rooted in political science.

Read less

Political Parties and Pressure Groups - 072PPPGM3

4 credits

The course questions analytical and conceptual tools used to understand and explain political movements and parties in the Arab world....Read more

The course questions analytical and conceptual tools used to understand and explain political movements and parties in the Arab world. Concepts such as class, kin and tribe, sect, civil society, and informal politics are critically examined and assessed. Students deal with theoretical and empirical questions that are central to understanding political movements and groups in the Arab world. They will also look into the different examples of mobilisation (tactics, methods and tools) with practical exercises related to campaigning strategies. 

Read less

Political Sociology of the Arab World - 072PSAWM1

5 credits

The course looks into interrelations and interactions between socio-cultural factors and the political sphere....Read more

The course looks into interrelations and interactions between socio-cultural factors and the political sphere. It highlights the importance of empirical research and a value neutral approach to studying society and groups. While examining the question of state formation in the Arab Wold, students will question the notion of  "importation', and look into different features of the state in the region, such as "rentierism" and "authoritarianism". They will also look into the utility of certain notions such as "asabya" developed in the 14th century, and look into specific topics relevant to the discipline and the region.  

Read less

Politics of Globalisation - 072PGOIM2

5 credits

Globalisation is often equated with internationalisation and liberalisation, and sometimes even with westernisation....Read more

Globalisation is often equated with internationalisation and liberalisation, and sometimes even with westernisation. When the notion is linked to international trade, the phenomenon acquires a long history, stretching several millennia and taking several forms depending on the type of transportation and communication technology that underpinned it. It is often defined as a process or a set of processes of increased interactions that amplifies the interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples, countries, corporations and organisations economically, politically and culturally. This course will look into the contemporary dynamics that are affecting international organisations and also how global and regional social movements are evolving in the region. It will also look a specific area of globalisation, that of Global health that has been put to test with the current pandemic.

Read less

Public Policy and Human Rights - 072PHRCM2

5 credits

"The State is a central actor that influences a society’s socioeconomic trajectory, determines the conformity of local laws with international and regional treaties, and the deepening of peace and...Read more

"The State is a central actor that influences a society’s socioeconomic trajectory, determines the conformity of local laws with international and regional treaties, and the deepening of peace and stability. One of the main reasons behind the State's failure to acheive peace, stability and prosperity in the Arab region are the shorcomings of public policy, particularly since policymaking itself was seldom treated as an academic discipline across the region.
This course will therefore seek to initiate graduate students to the philosophy and practice of public policymaking, thereby highlighting the structural and managerial particularities of the Arab State before delving into policy planning and design, policy execution and implementation, as well as policy analysis. By the end of the course, students are expected to tap into the potential of evidence-based public policymaking for the achievement of human rights and socioeconomic development, all while remaining attuned to the structural, political, and socioeconomic particularities of a fragile and conflict-ridden region. "

Read less

Refugees, Migration and Mobility Rights - 072RMMRM2

4 credits

The course aims to show the current trends of international migration while examining the issue of mobility rights and how it translates in different laws and policies....Read more

The course aims to show the current trends of international migration while examining the issue of mobility rights and how it translates in different laws and policies. A specific focus will be given to forced migration and the status of refugees, identifying and exploring underlying factors such as persecution, armed conflict and natural disasters. The course will also examine responses to massive movements of forced migration and the impact of specific policies on both refugee and host populations.

Read less

Transition Processes in MENA - 072TRPRM3

4 credits

The course explores the notion of political change against the backdrop of the “Arab Spring”, looking into the series of events and comparing them to transition processes in other contexts....Read more

The course explores the notion of political change against the backdrop of the “Arab Spring”, looking into the series of events and comparing them to transition processes in other contexts. Within this course, specific seminars are devoted to internal processes such as transitional justice, and external ones such as military interventions, international tribunals or diplomacy (with a focus on EU foreign policy of democratisation and Human Rights the Middle East and North Africa).

Read less

Vulnerable Persons and Groups Human Rights - 072VPHRM1

3 credits

Vulnerable persons and groups require special protection mechanisms under national and international law....Read more

Vulnerable persons and groups require special protection mechanisms under national and international law. The course will look into the specific legal frameworks that aim to curb or reverse discrimination and ensure equal access to rights. Specific seminars will look into the issue of Women’s Rights, Children’s rights, and minority rights across the region and its contrasting contexts.

Read less