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Earn your Master of Studies in Law in Human Rights at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder, Colorado.
Applications for our 2019-2020 MSL-Human Rights will be available on October 1st. The priority deadline for admission consideration is March 15th, 2019.
Colorado Law’s Master of Studies in Law (MSL) in Human Rights is an advanced degree program that offers training in international human rights law and policy for professionals from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. During this one-year degree program, MSL students will take 28-credits of courses, including core and elective courses on a range of topics related to the international human rights system. The program of study includes a special topics course that features a series of speakers who are well-known academics from other universities or practitioners in human rights NGOs or international institutions.
We welcome applicants who are interested in obtaining legal training and a comprehensive understanding of human rights law and policy. The MSL in Human Rights is open to those holding a bachelor's degree, or equivalent, and/or a graduate degree in any discipline from an accredited university. Neither a first degree in law nor a LSAT score is required for admission consideration.
We look forward to welcoming you to our vibrant community in Boulder, Colorado. Colorado Law is one of the best public law schools in the United States, with students and faculty from diverse backgrounds and pursuing diverse interests. In addition, MSL students have the opportunity to engage with the broader University of Colorado-Boulder campus, which is recognized internationally as the #44 Best Global University (U.S. News and World Report, 2017) and ranks #43 internationally by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, 2017. With over 3,000 international students from over 91 countries, we welcome students from around the world.
S. James Anaya-Dean and Charles Inglis Thomson Professor
Dean Anaya spearheaded the creation of the MSL in Human Rights program after his appointment as Dean of Colorado Law. The creation of the MSL in Human Rights aligns with his professional experience as a human rights scholar and practitioner. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, Dean Anaya has litigated major cases involving the human rights of indigenous peoples in domestic and international tribunals including the Supreme Court of the United States, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the Caribbean Court of Justice. Among his noteworthy activities, Dean Anaya participated in the drafting of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and was lead counsel for the indigenous parties in the case of Awas Tingni v. Nicaragua. The case represents the first time the Inter-American Court of Human Rights upheld indigenous land rights as a matter of international law. Dean Anaya joined the University of Arizona in 1999 after serving for 11 years on the faculty at the University of Iowa. He also has been a visiting professor at Harvard University, the University of Toronto and the University of Tulsa, and an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Students benefit directly from Dean Anaya's expertise and will have the opportunity to enroll in his Human Rights Colloquium Seminar, which will feature human rights experts from around the world.
Anna Spain Bradley-Faculty Director
Professor Spain Bradley is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School and is the Faculty Director of the MSL Program in Human Rights. She also serves as the Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Professor Spain is an elected member of the American Society of International Law’s Executive Council and a former Council on Foreign Relations Term Member. She previously served as an Attorney-Adviser at the U.S. Department of State Office of the Legal Adviser where she received two Meritorious Honor Awards for her work representing the U.S. before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague and as a delegate to the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva. She also has policy experience at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and at the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Professor Spain has published numerous law review articles, book chapters and other works on international law, the United Nations, peace and security and neuroscience and decision making. Her forthcoming book will be published by Cambridge University Press. At Colorado Law, Professor Spain teaches international human rights in addition to other international law courses and enjoys mentoring students.
Email: Anna.Spain@Colorado.EDU
James Cavallaro-Visiting Professor
Professor Cavallaro will be a visiting professor at Colorado Law during the fall 2018 semester. The founding director of Stanford Law School's International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic, he has dedicated his career to human rights-in both his scholarly research and his legal practice. His extensive expertise is derived from active involvement in the defense of rights, in the development of international human rights law and the human rights movement, particularly in the Americas and in international human rights litigation. A prolific scholar and sought-after voice on international human rights issues, he is frequently called upon to offer his expertise by the media and civil society. In 1994, Professor Cavallaro opened a joint office for Human Rights Watch and the Center for Justice and International Law in Rio de Janeiro serving as director, overseeing research, reporting and litigation before the Inter-American system's human rights bodies. In 1999, he founded the Global Justice Center, a leading Brazilian human rights NGO. He has held positions at Harvard Law School as a clinical professor of law and executive director of the Harvard Law School Human Rights Program. He joined Stanford Law School's faculty in 2011. In June 2013, Professor Cavallaro was elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and served as the Commission's President (2014-2018). In December 2017, he helped to facilitate Colorado Law's partnership with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and will serve as a visiting professor for 2018-2019 MSL-Human Rights students.
Jimmy J. Ilseng is the Director of International Programs at Colorado Law, serves as the Program Director of the MSL in Human Rights, and assists MSL applicants and students with holistic admissions and program advising. He possesses over a decade of experience working with international students, scholars and professionals, including service as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Romania, the coordination of Fulbright and Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship programs at Vanderbilt University, the management of study abroad and exchange programs at Baylor University, and the management of international programs at the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Ilseng enjoys working with international students and professionals to enable them to achieve their professional and personal goals, introducing international students to Colorado culture, and can normally be found either playing or watching football (aka soccer) or basketball.
Email: jimmy.ilseng@colorado.edu