Major Concentration Law with Major International Human Rights and Development (B.C.L./J.D.) (123 credits)
Offered by: Law (Faculty of Law)
Degree: BCLJD
Program credit weight: 123
Program Description
The B.C.L. and J.D. with a major concentration is open to all students enrolled in the Faculty of Law.
The Major Concentration in International Human Rights and Development is articulated around a synthetic skill-set driven by the transversal theme "International Human Rights and Development" and inspired by an interdisciplinary approach.
Law and non-law courses are combined with the practical experience acquired during an internship. The required writing of an independent essay allows students to integrate the various academic and clinical strands of the major program, and, more broadly, of legal learning.
The Major concentration is a 36-credit program. Students are permitted to include within their 105 credits for the B.C.L. and J.D. 18 credits toward their Major concentration. The remaining 18 credits needed for the Major concentration are added on top of the 105 credits for the Law degrees for a total of 123 credits.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (6 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| WRIT 300D1 | Major Internship. | 3 |
Major Internship. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Internship in law. | ||
| WRIT 300D2 | Major Internship. | 3 |
Major Internship. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See WRIT 300D1 for course description. | ||
Complementary Courses (30 credits)
Essay Course (3 credits)
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| WRIT 491 | Term Essay 1A. | 3 |
Term Essay 1A. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Students who have completed two terms of legal studies may elect with the permission of the Dean or the Dean's delegate to write an essay for 3 credits under the supervision of an instructor in the Faculty. | ||
| WRIT 492 | Term Essay 2. | 3 |
Term Essay 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Students who have completed two terms of legal studies may elect with the permission of the Dean or the Dean's delegate to write an essay for 3 credits under the supervision of an instructor in the Faculty. | ||
| WRIT 493 | Term Essay 3. | 3 |
Term Essay 3. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Students who have completed two terms of legal studies may elect with the permission of the Dean or the Dean's delegate to write an essay for 3 credits under the supervision of an instructor in the Faculty. | ||
| WRIT 494 | Term Essay 1B. | 3 |
Term Essay 1B. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Students who have completed two terms of legal studies may elect with the permission of the Dean or the Dean's delegate to write an essay for 3 credits under the supervision of an instructor in the Faculty. | ||
| WRIT 495 | Term Essay 1C. | 3 |
Term Essay 1C. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Students who have completed two terms of legal studies may elect with the permission of the Dean or the Dean's delegate to write an essay for 3 credits under the supervision of an instructor in the Faculty. | ||
The essay must be written on a subject related to International Human Rights and Development. The essay is to be written in the fourth year of the program, in order to allow the student to integrate the various academic and clinical strands of the program. The topic must be approved by the Associate Dean (Academic).
Law and Non-Law Courses (27 credits)
27 credits from the following lists of law and non-law courses of which at least 6 credits must be from non-law courses.
Law Courses
15-21 credits of law courses selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMPL 516 | International Development Law. | 3 |
International Development Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The law and economics of development, including the role of agencies of the United Nations in development, the role of UNCTAD in formulating uniform rules of international trade, and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and their role in financing development. | ||
| CMPL 518 | Policies, Politics and Legislative Process. | 3 |
Policies, Politics and Legislative Process. Terms offered: Summer 2025 How law and politics shape public policy-making and implementation. The focus will be on how policy preferences and political decisions get ‘translated’ into legal instruments. The interaction of politics and law in the making of various public policies may be explored within a single jurisdiction or a particular policy may be examined across multiple jurisdictions. | ||
| CMPL 533 | Resolution of International Disputes. | 3 |
Resolution of International Disputes. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Conflict of jurisdictions and recognition of foreign judgments, as well as arbitration between parties to international contracts, with particular reference to international conventions. | ||
| CMPL 543 | Law and Practice of International Trade. | 3 |
Law and Practice of International Trade. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The fundamental aspects of international law governing international trade, and governmental regulation of international trade in Canada and Canada's major trading partners. | ||
| CMPL 546 | International Environmental Law and Politics. | 3 |
International Environmental Law and Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of institutions and processes for global environmental protection. Consideration of means for advancing international cooperation for environmental protection, focusing on international law. Analysis of obstacles to applying international law to environmental problems. Examination of a range of governance structures for environmental protection and the way in which they operate. | ||
| CMPL 565 | International Humanitarian Law. | 3 |
International Humanitarian Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Rules governing international and internal armed conflicts; historical and philosophical foundations; constraints on means to wage war; treatment of protected individuals, including prisoners of war, civilians and peacekeepers; enforcement, including belligerent reprisals and criminal prosecution; links with norms protecting human rights, the environment and cultural property; impact of cultural diversity. | ||
| CMPL 571 | International Law of Human Rights. | 3 |
International Law of Human Rights. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. International protection of human rights, particularly by the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and the Council of Europe. | ||
| LAWG 503 | Inter-American Human Rights. | 3 |
Inter-American Human Rights. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. History and development of the Inter-American System, with a focus on the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Examination of their constitutive statutes. Survey of the mechanisms for redress provided by the Commission and the Court. | ||
| LAWG 505 | Critical Engagements with Human Rights. | 3 |
Critical Engagements with Human Rights. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This seminar examines the connections between the theory and practice of human rights. It explores theoretical, ethical and strategic issues related to human rights discourse, advocacy and activism, and critically examines fact finding, monitoring and reporting, litigation, grass roots mobilization and media engagement in advancing human rights. | ||
| LAWG 511 | Specialized Topics in Law 1. | 1 |
Specialized Topics in Law 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 512 | Specialized Topics in Law 2. | 1 |
Specialized Topics in Law 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 513 | Specialized Topics in Law 3. | 2 |
Specialized Topics in Law 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 514 | Specialized Topics in Law 4. | 2 |
Specialized Topics in Law 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 515 | Specialized Topics in Law 5. | 3 |
Specialized Topics in Law 5. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 516 | Specialized Topics in Law 6. | 3 |
Specialized Topics in Law 6. Terms offered: Summer 2025 An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 517 | Specialized Topics in Law 7. | 3 |
Specialized Topics in Law 7. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 518 | Specialized Topics in Law 8. | 3 |
Specialized Topics in Law 8. Terms offered: Summer 2025 An intensive study of a particular topic in public or private law. | ||
| LAWG 521 | Student-Initiated Seminar 1. | 3 |
Student-Initiated Seminar 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised student-initiated seminar. | ||
| LAWG 522 | Student-Initiated Seminar 2. | 3 |
Student-Initiated Seminar 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised student-initiated seminar. | ||
| PUB2 105 | Public International Law. | 3 |
Public International Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The traditional fields of International Law including nature and sources; recognition, territory and acquisition of territory; jurisdiction on the high seas; nationality; diplomatic and consular privileges and immunities; responsibility of states; interpretation of treaties; legal control of force and aspects of the U.N. Charter, special Canadian problems of international law. | ||
| PUB2 502 | International Criminal Law. | 3 |
International Criminal Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Crimes against the law of nations, war crimes (the Nuremberg trials, the Eichmann case), genocide and the way in which states co-operate to fight organized crime, terrorism, hijacking, etc. Topics include: jurisdiction (crimes committed in foreign countries, at sea, in aircraft, extradition, international judicial assistance) and the recognition and enforcement of foreign criminal sentences. | ||
| PUB2 503 | Comparative Federalism. | 3 |
Comparative Federalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Institutional design of federal states, or of supra-national arrangements, in comparative perspective. Rationale for federal constitutions; confederal vs. federal organization; symmetric vs. asymmetric federations; allocation of powers; the subsidiarity principle; accession to and secession from the federation; the place of popular sovereignty; federalism within central legislative or executive institutions. | ||
| PUB2 551 | Immigration and Refugee Law. | 3 |
Immigration and Refugee Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of Canadian and Quebec immigration and refugee law, practice and policy, with particular exploration of the historical development-and contemporary paradox-of border regulation; interface with national security, employment policy and trade theory; admissions categories and the construction of illegality; impact of Charter and international human rights law. | ||
Non-Law Courses
Students may take 6-12 credits of non-law courses. Students who take 6 non-law credits as part of their Major concentration may count an additional 6 non-law credits toward their B.C.L. and J.D. program. Students who take 9 non-law credits as part of their Major concentration may count an additional 3 credits toward their B.C.L. and J.D.. Students who take 12 non-law credits as part of their major concentration may not count additional non-law credits towards their B.C.L. and J.D.
Other non-law courses related to International Human Rights and Development not included in these lists may be taken with the approval of the Program Adviser.
Non-Law Courses - Anthropology
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 212 | Anthropology of Development. | 3 |
Anthropology of Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Processes of developmental change, as they affect small communities in the Third World and in unindustrialized parts of developed countries. Problems of technological change, political integration, population growth, industrialization, urban growth, social services, infrastructure and economic dependency. | ||
| ANTH 418 | Environment and Development. | 3 |
Environment and Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced study of the environmental crisis in developing and advanced industrial nations, with emphasis on the social and cultural dimensions of natural resource management and environmental change. Each year, the seminar will focus on a particular set of issues, delineated by type of resource, geographic region, or analytical problem. | ||
Non-Law Courses - Economics
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 223 | Political Economy of Trade Policy. | 3 |
Political Economy of Trade Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course introduces students to the economics of international trade, what constitutes good trade policy, and how trade policy is decided. The course examines Canadian trade policy since 1945, including the GATT, Auto Pact, the FTA and NAFTA, and concludes with special topics in trade policy. | ||
| ECON 313 | Economic Development 1. | 3 |
Economic Development 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Microeconomic theories of economic development and empirical evidence on population, labour, firms, poverty. Inequality and environment. | ||
| ECON 314 | Economic Development 2. | 3 |
Economic Development 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Macroeconomic development issues, including theories of growth, public finance, debt, currency crises, corruption, structural adjustment, democracy and global economic organization. | ||
| ECON 316 | The Underground Economy. | 3 |
The Underground Economy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The origins, structure and operation of the "underground" sectors of modern economies around the world. Topics include the causes of black marketeering in Western economies; international contraband trade in guns and drugs; money laundering through the world financial system. | ||
| ECON 426 | Labour Economics. | 3 |
Labour Economics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The determinants of labour supply, demand and the structure of earnings are considered. The economic effects of government policies, such as minimum wage laws, unemployment insurance, welfare and training programs and subsidies to higher education are analyzed. A rigorous theoretical and "hands on'' empirical approach is emphasized. | ||
Non-Law Courses - Geography
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 200 | Geographical Perspectives: World Environmental Problems. | 3 |
Geographical Perspectives: World Environmental Problems. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to geography as the study of nature and human beings in a spatial context. An integrated approach to environmental systems and the human organization of them from the viewpoint of spatial relationships and processes. Special attention to environmental problems as a constraint upon Third World development. | ||
| GEOG 210 | Global Places and Peoples. | 3 |
Global Places and Peoples. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to key themes in human geography. Maps and the making, interpretation and contestation of landscapes, 'place', and territory. Investigation of globalization and the spatial organization of human geo-politics, and urban and rural environments. | ||
| GEOG 216 | Geography of the World Economy. | 3 |
Geography of the World Economy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course introduces the geography of the world economic system. It describes the spatial distribution of economic activities and examines the factors which influence their changing location. Case studies from both "developed" and "developing" countries will test the different geographical theories presented in lectures. | ||
| GEOG 408 | Geography of Development. | 3 |
Geography of Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines the geographical dimensions of development policy, specifically the relationships between the process of development and human-induced environmental change. Focuses on environmental sustainability, struggles over resource control, population and poverty, and levels of governance (the role of the state, non-governmental organizations, and local communities). | ||
| GEOG 410 | Geography of Underdevelopment: Current Problems. | 3 |
Geography of Underdevelopment: Current Problems. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the cultural, political, and economic mechanisms and manifestations of contemporary underdevelopment and the response to it from different regional and national peripheral societies within the dominant world economic system. | ||
Non-Law Courses - International Development
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INTD 200 | Introduction to International Development. | 3 |
Introduction to International Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An interdisciplinary introduction to the field of International Development Studies focusing on the theory and practice of development. It examines various approaches to international development, including past and present relationships between developed and underdeveloped societies, and pays particular attention to power and resource distribution globally and within nations. | ||
Non-Law Courses - Management
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MGPO 469 | Managing Globalization. | 3 |
Managing Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course explores economic and social consequences of globalization, focusing on the most pertinent issues at the time. Topics include the existing global imbalances; the opportunities and risks presented by large cross border capital flows; and the role of institutions, and organizational and policy responses in crisis hit countries. | ||
| MGPO 475 | Strategies for Developing Countries. | 3 |
Strategies for Developing Countries. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Strategic management challenges in developing and emerging economies. Focus on strategies that foster both firm competitiveness and economic development, including: technological capabilities, new forms of organization, small and large firms, global production, social impact, global standards and governance. | ||
| ORGB 380 | Cross Cultural Management. | 3 |
Cross Cultural Management. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Addresses dilemmas and opportunities that managers experience in international, multicultural environments. Development of conceptual knowledge and behavioural skills (e.g. bridging skills, communication, tolerance of ambiguity, cognitive complexity) relevant to the interaction of different cultures in business and organizational settings, using several methods including research, case studies and experiential learning. | ||
Non-Law Courses - Political Science
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI 227 | Introduction to Comparative Politics - Global South. | 3 |
Introduction to Comparative Politics - Global South. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to politics across the Global South. A comparative examination of the legacies of colonialism, the achievement of independence, and political and socio-economic development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Topics include modernization, dependency, state-building, political violence, revolution, the role of the military, authoritarianism, and democratization. | ||
| POLI 243 | International Politics of Economic Relations. | 3 |
International Politics of Economic Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to international relations, through examples drawn from international political economy. The emphasis will be on the politics of trade and international monetary relations. | ||
| POLI 324 | Comparative Politics of Africa. | 3 |
Comparative Politics of Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The government and politics of African states south of the Sahara with reference to the ideological and institutional setting as influenced by the forces of tradition and the impact of Western colonialism. | ||
| POLI 340 | Comparative Politics of the Middle East. | 3 |
Comparative Politics of the Middle East. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the societies, political forces and regimes of selected countries of the Eastern Arab world (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia). | ||
| POLI 345 | International Organizations. | 3 |
International Organizations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The politics and processes of global governance in the 21st century, with a special emphasis on the United Nations system. | ||
| POLI 354 | Approaches to International Political Economy. | 3 |
Approaches to International Political Economy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course presents theoretical approaches to understanding change in the international political economy. | ||
| POLI 362 | Political Theory and International Relations. | 3 |
Political Theory and International Relations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Key contributions of political theory to the study and practice of international relations. Three prevailing theoretical traditions will be examined: realism, 'international society', and cosmopolitanism. Key practical issues to be explored from these perspectives include war, humanitarian intervention, economic globalization, environment, and gender. | ||
| POLI 474 | Inequality and Development. | 3 |
Inequality and Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The political structures and social forces underlying poverty and inequality in the world; the historical roots of inequality in different regions, varying manifestations of inequality (class, region, ethnicity, gender), and selected contemporary problems. | ||
| POLI 522 | Seminar: Comparative Politics 1 . | 3 |
Seminar: Comparative Politics 1 . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar on comparative politics. | ||
Non-Law Courses - Sociology
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOCI 254 | Development and Underdevelopment. | 3 |
Development and Underdevelopment. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Competing theories about the causes of underdevelopment in the poor countries. Topics include the impact of geography, the population explosion, culture and national character, economic and sexual inequalities, democracy and dictatorship. Western imperialism and multi-national corporations, reliance on the market, and development through local participation, cooperation, and appropriate technology. | ||
| SOCI 265 | War, States and Social Change. | 3 |
War, States and Social Change. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The impact of war on society in agrarian and industrial epochs. Particular attention is given to the relationship between war and economic development, social classes, nationalism, and democratization. | ||
| SOCI 370 | Sociology: Gender and Development. | 3 |
Sociology: Gender and Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of the main development theories and discussion of how gender is placed within them, analysis of the practical application of development projects and discussion of how they affect gender dynamics, and examination of power relations between development agencies and developing countries. Examples from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America are used. | ||
| SOCI 484 | Emerging Democratic States. | 3 |
Emerging Democratic States. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focus on the sociological aspects of recent transitions to democracy within developing countries - particularly within Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Exploration of why democratization has taken place, to what extent it has been successful and the implications of democratization. | ||
| SOCI 519 | Gender and Globalization. | 3 |
Gender and Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focus on the diverse forces of globalization that impact the lives of men and women. Critical analysis of key theories and concepts implicated in the intersection of globalization processes with gender dynamisms. | ||
| SOCI 550 | Developing Societies. | 3 |
Developing Societies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comparison of alternative explanations of underdevelopment: the impact of social stratification, relations of domination and subordination between countries, state interference with the market. Alternative strategies of change: revolution, structural adjustment, community development and cooperatives. Students will write and present a research paper, and participate extensively in class discussion. | ||