Roehampton University is currently home to Crucible – the only government-recognised centre of excellence in teaching and learning in the field of human rights in the country, students from across Europe and the UK come to the University to study on the popular undergraduate programme which explores the concepts of freedom and equality, crimes against humanity and the International Criminal Court. The programme is supported by organisations such as Amnesty International and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and was the first of its kind. The HUman Rights degree will enrol its last students next year.
The axing of the Human Rights Degree is the first in a planned series of cuts that the university is rumoured to be making many of which are thought to impact upon humanitites subjects.
Staff and students are embarking upon a large campaign to save their Human Rights department which not only educates those directly enrolled on the course but which creates a general sense of community and awareness amongst the university staging events and talks relating to Fair trade,current affairs and the environment.
Students are rumoured to be staging a large protest to make their voices of discontent heard on Thursday 11th November during an international symposium for human rights which is to be held at the university.There is also to be a meeting held on campus to discuss action on Tuesday 9th November.
Updates and more information can be found on the 'Save Human Rights at Roehampton' Facebook page.
http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/undergraduate-courses/human-rights/
http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/news/events/november-2010/Contested_Boundaries.html