Dr Elaine Webster joined Strathclyde in 2008 and is a Reader in the Law School, who recently launched a new programme LLM Human Right Law with a Specialisation in Medical Law. She tells us about the connections she makes with her students and some of the exciting research happening in The Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training in Human Rights-Based Decision Making.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I teach and research in human rights law. I was always drawn to social and environmental justice-related issues, and the international human rights law framework, on which the Sustainable Development Goals are built, is a hard-won, internationally agreed, and ever developing framework for promoting and protecting human dignity. Human rights law became an anchor for my interests across different academic disciplines, including politics and philosophy, just as it is an anchor for policy and advocacy across a whole range of different fields, internationally and locally. I feel very lucky to work in this area and always enjoy teaching and supervising students. Glasgow is my home town so I also love working in the heart of this wonderful city.
What's your Strathclyde story?
I joined Strathclyde in 2008. It was my first academic role and have been here ever since! I’m a Reader in the Law School. I lead our Taught Postgraduate programme in Human Rights Law and am Senior Academic Mentor for the Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training in Human Rights-Based Decision Making. I am also currently Chair of the University’s Race Equality Steering Group
What do you enjoy most about being the programme leader on the LLM Human Rights Law programme?
The thing I enjoy most is acting as Personal Development Advisor for all students on the programme. This allows me to get to know the students’ interests, experiences, and ambitions. I often keep in touch with students after they complete their course – I love seeing what they go on to do.
What advice would you give to prospective students interested in studying on your programme?
I would urge students to reflect on their personal career goals and to engage in conversations with me as their Personal Development Advisor. I’ve seen many, many students come through the programme and everyone has different aims. For example, a part-time student who is looking to make a career pivot, and who may be working in a demanding legal or other professional role, needs to carefully prioritise time and perhaps hone one area of expertise. A full-time student with a law background might want to focus at an early stage on scoping out deadlines for human rights law internships, in order to avoid missing out on competitive opportunities. A full-time student who hasn’t studied law before would benefit from some directed, introductory reading to get a grasp of how legal systems operate at a basic level as this will be important underpinning knowledge for a future career, for example in policy work or in international organisations. So my advice would be to really consider what you hope to get out of the opportunity of doing a postgraduate degree.
I would also urge prospective students to think about how they could manage their time to enable them to play an active part in our community. Students get the most of study when they support each other and have an active group, and when they participate as fully as possible in what the Law School and our networks have to offer in addition to being in seminars.
What has been your highlight working with Masters students?
That’s a difficult question because there have been many highlights! I do love seeing students taking part in extra-curricular activities. For example, I remember going on a trip across the city to a discussion on human rights defenders as part of the Glasgow Human Rights Network; students volunteering to help at conferences; inviting former students to speak at events; bringing together current students with the previous year’s dissertation prizewinner – there have been lots of highlights. A favourite one was organising a masterclass with a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures, who was Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, to discuss a landmark decision on climate change. Maybe my absolute highlight was at an event that we hosted to celebrate international human rights day, which many LLM students and alumni attended. One student read beautiful poetry that he had written and was later followed by current and former LLM students playing traditional music while the Scottish First Minister at the time sat watching - that was a first and a very memorable day!
What current trends do you see influencing your field?
In the academic human rights field, the ebb and flow of trends worries me. New themes and buzzwords become dominant and then disappear as they are obscured by something new that grips the imagination. In my research areas, on the prohibition of torture, environmental protection, and human rights law implementation, there are very deep challenges that will continue to require steady, persistent effort and attention over a significant time horizon. For that reason, I try not to get drawn into trends. However, in reality, tragic events, large-scale societal changes, and shifts in political landscapes must elicit responses from human rights law, so the field needs to be constantly agile, just as human rights law needs to be constantly reinforced.
Tell us about any initiatives or projects you are currently involved in
The Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training in Human Rights-Based Decision Making is currently very exciting. It was launched in 2023 and we have developed a new and diverse community of practice. Three former LLM students are now doing PhDs affiliated with the Centre and we’ve also been delighted to welcome new students. My hope is that, across a wide range of PhD projects related to human rights-based decision making by a whole range of actors, we will gradually gather insights that can inform the challenging task of making human rights law real for greater numbers of people in everyday contexts.
