Monday, December 10, 2018

End of Term Update!

Today marks the beginning of the last week of classes for this term! Afterwords, I will have one month to write my final essays (and maybe celebrate the holidays if I can find some time...) and the next term will kick off in January. It oddly feels like the time has passed far too quickly but also that it has taken a lot out of me. The past few months have been so full of new knowledge, experiences, and people that it is difficult to come to terms with how much has happened since I arrived in Colchester back in September. I am looking forward to a break from it all, despite my looming assignments, and the opportunity to regain some energy before the start of my second and final term.

My course has been going quite well on the whole. I am still very much enjoying the material we are studying, which varies significantly from week to week given the structure of our core module. Each week we learn from a different professor about an area of human rights law that is their expertise. They teach us the theory and legal foundations of a particular right, but then they also draw on their practical experience in the field to illuminate the challenges of translating a particular area of law into something with useful application in the world. I am very pleased with my decision to undertake a master's degree in law, as it really complements my liberal arts education from my undergraduate studies. The law provides a different form of logic and analysis, but the critical thinking aspect and interdisciplinary nature of my undergraduate degree allow me to approach this course in a distinct way compared to my colleagues from a law background. While I do not have the same experiences as a litigator or practicing attorney that some of them do, what I can bring to the discussion is proving to be a valuable counterbalance.

Outside of weekly classes, I am managing to keep myself plenty busy and often find myself wondering where the day has gone (particularly given that the sun goes down by 4 pm!!!). I am continuing to work on open source investigations through the Essex Digital Verification Unit (DVU) and Amnesty International, and have begun work on a very interesting side project with a few other colleagues through the Unit. The work perfectly blends my interests in armed conflict, technology, and human rights and will only continue to grow in importance as more and more people learn these skills. I realize that it may not be clear to the reader what open source investigations are, so rather than explain it myself, I am just going to recommend you watch this video about the Essex DVU: https://vimeo.com/275239257

DVU team at work (from the video linked above)


Additionally, I have been working on the Human Rights Centre blog and am getting ready to launch the first episode of our new podcast next week. The podcast will largely be a platform for publishing presentations and interviews with human rights practitioners and academics who we invite to give guest lectures as part of the Human Rights Centre Speaker Series. Each week, all students are invited to hear a presentation on a particular topic within the field from someone engaged in current research or practice. It is both a very informative event, but also one that is great for networking and for getting a sense of what sorts of careers and positions are out there. In my next post, I will be sure to include a link to the podcast so you can see what I have been working on!

Having had a chance to settle into my classes and life in Colchester/Wivenhoe, I have recently been able to engage more with Rotary both here in Colchester and around the area. A few months ago, I attended the international students reception hosted by the Rotary Club of Colchester at the historic Town Hall, where I was introduced to many Rotarians and had a terrific time getting the know them. Afterwords, I received a number of invitations to speak at various clubs and attend upcoming events. Tomorrow, I will be attending the Colchester Club's Christmas Lunch and I will be presenting to the Club on January 8th.

International Students Reception hosted by the Rotary Club of Colchester (can you spot me in the photo!?)


While in some ways, it would be accurate to summarize my first term by the ridiculous number of pages that I have read and the number of times I have walked between the lecture hall and the library, this is not the whole story. The beautiful thing about my time in Essex so far is how much I have been able to take part in over such a short period of time. I am really making an effort to get everything out of this experience that I possibly can, and while sometimes that can be exhausting, it has been so rewarding so far, both in the experiences that I have had and the connections that I have made.

Be sure to check back later this week for another post, this time dedicated to my recent road trip to the Lake District! It will be worth it, even if just for the photos. They are stunning.

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