Law: International Human Rights
Will be offered in 2024 Summer
Thank you for your interest in Catholic University’s International Human Rights Summer Law Program in Rome. The Program was last offered May 15 to June 5, 2022, at Catholic University’s beautiful Rome campus on the Janiculum Hill above Trastevere, close to the historic center of Rome as well as Vatican City. We invite you to peruse the
Rome Summer Law Program website for detailed information about the 2022 Program. For planning purposes, the Program is offered in even years. Questions concerning the 2024 Program may be directed to me at italy@cua.edu.
We believe strongly in the importance of educating students and encouraging discourse about the vital importance of human rights in promoting justice, ensuring the satisfaction of basic human needs, and protecting the vulnerable against exploitation and abuse. Rooted in the fundamental value of human dignity, global human rights instruments and institutions dedicated to the protection of human rights have vastly increased in number since World War II. But unfortunately human rights violations continue to occur across the globe. We hope that students on our program will dedicate their talents to protecting human rights, no matter where their professional lives may take them.
Our three-week program was founded in 2010 and offered for the first time in 2011. Professor Lucia Silecchia ably directed our program from its beginning until 2019. Having taught previously on the program in 2018, I am honored and excited to serve as the director of the program.
Rome is an amazing location to explore human rights issues. Human rights were of vital interest to many ancient Roman thinkers and jurists, including Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus and Justinian. The Roman Catholic Church has played a significant role in the development of human rights. Many international organizations dedicated to human rights protection are headquartered in Rome. Students can gain hands-on experience in human rights protection and/or other aspects of legal practice relating to international law by participating in legal externships in Rome after the conclusion of their studies on the program.
We also seek to foster a community of human rights scholars and so we offer you a variety of speakers, field trips, dinners, and other social events where you will have the opportunity to engage with Italian professionals and students with an interest in human rights.
We welcome students of all backgrounds and with a variety of interests. All of our courses are taught in English.
We hope that you can join us in Rome!
Professor Susanna F. Fischer
Director, International Human Rights Summer Law Program in Rome
fischer@law.edu
