The first semester curriculum consists of:

• A core programme (the first stream) aimed at the plenary group of students and assessed for the purposes of the degree
• A series of second stream activities consisting of specialised units devised for smaller groups
• A field trip

First stream courses are organised in five Thematic Sections (subject to modification):

• TS1: Human Rights Institutions, Mechanisms and Standards (United Nations; Council of Europe; EU; OSCE; Organisation of American States; African System; perspectives on Asia) --- 8 ECTS
• TS2: Human Rights in Context (Historical, Philosophical, Religious and Anthropological perspectives) --- 4 ECTS
• TS3: Democratisation (Transition and Transformation Processes; Political Participation; Electoral Processes) --- 4 ECTS
• TS4: Human Rights and Globalisation (Stakeholders in Economic Globalisation: States, International Economic Organisations, Companies, NGOs; Human Rights and Development; Business and Human Rights; Corporate Social Responsibility) --- 4 ECTS
• TS5: Human Rights and Security (Humanitarian Law; International Criminal Law; Human Security, Vulnerability and Human Rights; Field Missions; Fact-finding in the field) --- 7 ECTS

Some distinctive features of the first stream include:

• Focused lectures on EU legislation and policies regarding human rights and democratisation
• Special classes on human rights and democratisation in specific countries or regions (China, Russia, MENA Region)
• Mock elections: the whole cohort of students is involved in simulating the preparation, running, monitoring and evaluation of an election in a country in transition to democracy
• Project week: students work in groups and learn how to manage a project aimed at researching, analysing and reporting, both in writing and orally, on the human rights situation of a specific country

Second stream courses consist of different components tailored to students’ academic background, capabilities and interests:

• Advanced Cluster classes that foster specialised knowledge of specific human rights issues --- 2 ECTS
• Rolling seminars aimed at reinforcing the foundations of law, philosophy, international relations and research methods --- 1 ECTS
• Workshops and skill classes aimed at deepening some aspects of the first stream courses
• Semester-long special projects involving students in the production of a collective event

Highlights of the second stream include:

• The Moot Court: small groups of interested students are divided in two teams and act as the State and the defendant simulating a case in front of the European Court of Human Rights
• The E.MA Human Rights Film Festival: organized every year by a group of students together with the Municipality of Venice and local organisations on the occasion of Human Rights Day
• Workshops and skill classes where students learn about UN human rights mandates, develop their skills to write a funding proposal or practice how to conduct interviews in the field