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Human Rights in the Global World: Agents, Indicators, and Institutions

Course • Master's level • 15 credits

Are you interested in exploring the dynamic field of human rights historiography? This course offers a critical analysis of political and philosophical perspectives on human rights in modern times.

Application dates

Start

Autumn 2026

Level

Master's

Language

English

Place of study

Lund

Course code

MRSM12

Application dates

The historiography of human rights is a dynamic field with ongoing ideological and conceptual debates. In this course, you critically analyse the political and philosophical history of human rights in modern times. The focus is on current trends in philosophy and historiography, examining how the understanding and language of human rights have evolved over time and how this affects our current use and understanding of them. You will study the formation of concepts and ideas about the role of human rights in political and philosophical history. You will also debate various methods of legitimisation, authorisation, and critique of human rights and study original texts of central importance. In addition, you will analyse how human rights have been legitimised and justified throughout history and explore how both the understanding and language of human rights have changed over time. 

Course syllabus

The syllabus contains the formal and legal details of the entire course. It’s a legal document outlining the course structure and requirements, intended mainly for administrative use.

Syllabus (PDF, New window)

Course literature

The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.

Course literature MRSM12 (PDF, New tab)

Teaching methods include lectures and seminars where you engage with current trends in philosophy and historiography.

The course can normally be included in a first or second cycle degree. If you want to continue studying human rights, you can take stand-alone courses in Human Rights Studies up to 60 credits. 

Autumn Semester 2026

Closed for applications.

Start

31 August 2026

31 Aug 2026

End

1 November 2026

1 Nov 2026

Form

Normal learning

Pace

Full time

Language

English

City

Lund

When and how to apply

There are different application rounds depending on the type of studies you are applying to, and whether you are an EU/EEA citizen or non-EU/EEA citizen. Before applying, make sure to carefully review the entry requirements and read the how to apply guide, including document instructions.

Prerequisites

A first-cycle exam in the humanities or social sciences, with a bachelor thesis oriented towards human rights studies. English 6/English B.

Selection criteria

Seats are allocated according to: ECTS (HPAV): 100 %.

Specific documents

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

  • The European Union (EU)
  • The European Economic Area (EEA) and
  • Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 33,750
First payment: SEK 33,750

Convert currency – xe.com

Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.

Contact us

Programme coordinator

Kristina Robertsson

Email: kristina.robertsson@mrs.lu.se