437.01 International Human Rights Clinic

The International Human Rights Clinic provides students with an opportunity to critically engage with human rights issues, strategies, tactics, institutions, and law in both domestic and international settings. Through the weekly seminar and fieldwork, students will develop practical tools for human rights advocacy—such as fact-finding, litigation, indicators, reporting, and messaging—that integrate inter-disciplinary methods and maximize the use of new technologies. Students will also develop core competencies related to managing trauma in human rights work, as well as the ethical and accountability challenges in human rights lawyering. Types of clinic projects include those that: apply a human rights framework to domestic issues; involve human rights advocacy abroad; engage with international institutions to advance human rights; and/or address human rights in U.S. foreign policy. Students work closely with local organizations, international NGOs, and U.N. human rights experts and bodies. Some travel will likely be involved. Student project teams will also meet at least once a week with the clinic instructors. Students work on clinic projects approximately 10-12 hours a week, for a minimum of 125 hours of clinical work during the semester.  This course may not be dropped after the first class meeting.

For the Fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year, the seminar component of the Clinic will be taught in an online-only format.  To the greatest extent possible, we will endeavor to provide in-person experiences, including in our work with each other (such as through supervision meetings). For students who are not participating on an in-person basis in the Clinic, you will still be able to participate fully in the Clinic on a remote basis.  Any potential Clinic travel will be consistent with university and Law School policies; if Clinic travel is not possible or is otherwise limited in the Fall, efforts will be made to ensure students have such opportunities at a later time, consistent with university and Law School policies.

Special Notes:

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Enrollment Pre-/Co- Requisite Information

J.D. students are required to have taken Human Rights Advocacy (offered only in the Fall) as either a pre-requisite or co-requisite. LL.M. students are eligible for enrollment in the Clinic in the Spring semester with instructor permission and should contact Prof. Huckerby to discuss eligibility requirements.

Fall 2020

Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor
437.01
Course Credits
Group project(s)
Practical exercises
Class participation
Jayne Huckerby, Aya Fujimura-Fanselow
Sakai site: https://sakai.duke.edu/portal/site/LAW.437.01.F20
Email list: LAW.437.01.F20@sakai.duke.edu
Course
Degree Requirements
Course Requirements - JD
Course Requirements - LLM
Course Requirements - LLM-ICL
Course Requirements - Public Interest
Course Areas of Practice