Human Rights and Diplomacy projects

If you have a specific business challenge that you don’t have the time or resource to tackle, hosting a Stirling student for a placement may offer the perfect solution.

Read on for more information about how student placements can benefit your business, or contact us to ask a question. 

student with book

Student placements and projects

Our students are looking for work experience related to their studies throughout the year. By welcoming a Stirling student into your business, you’ll be gaining a valuable asset to help you tackle a specific project or need, as well as building relationships with the next generation of leaders.

What skills can our Human Rights and Diplomacy students offer your business?

This is the only Human Rights and Diplomacy MSc programme in the world taught in partnership with the leading training body of the United Nations: the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). We have also partnered with UN Women, The East African Centre for Human Rights (EACRights) and the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA).

Students can complete a substantial project for your organisation on a wide range of human rights issues. We suggest providing a starting project, but as the project progresses there may be other duties or projects that students are asked to complete as well. We are open to a work/project/internship that is either academic, campaigning, or more operational. Project topic examples that students can complete may include, but are not limited to: assisting with case; work; conducting qualitative or quantitative research on a specific human rights issue; briefing papers, reports and research papers; public affairs and public policy (non-profit, government, private sector, public sector consulting) as it relates to human rights; researching and identifying cases of human rights violations; collecting and analysing data regarding the human rights situation on specific issues and/or location; writing memoranda on International human rights law (legal sources, international organizations, human rights).

Examples of previous projects

  • Developing a Poverty Sensitive Training Course (for Stirling Council)
  • Anti-Racism Policy Project undertaken (for Central Scotland Regional Equality Council)
  • Overcoming gaps after a Corporate Wide Human Rights Assessment
  • Dignity and a human rights-based approach to food insecurity (with Nourish Scotland)
  • Watoto Wetu project on enhancing access to education in the pastoralist counties and reducing harmful cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) & Child Marriage (with the East African Centre for Human Rights)
  • Investigating Levels of Assistance for Victims of Explosive Violence (with the Revive Campaign)
  • Policing drugs and serious organised crime in Scottish prisons (with Howard League Scotland)
  • The Impact of Concessionary Bus Travel on the Asylum Seeking Community (with Refuweegee)
  • The Merits of Establishing a Specialist Environmental Court in Scotland (with the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland)

When do students undertake their project?

From August/September to November/December. Project scopes need to be submitted by the end of July.

Submit a project proposal

Complete our scoping form to let us know the kind of support you're looking for and what you'd like students to work on within your business.

Get in touch

If you have any questions please contact Dr Damian Etone.