The idea that every human being has universal, inalienable, and indivisible rights has deep historic roots but developed internationally only after World War II. With the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as its foundation ― drafted under the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 ― human rights have gradually turned into a multi-layered domain of international law consisting of several legal instruments, specialized courts and other monitoring bodies and case law. The responsibility of States to respect, promote and fulfil human rights has been laid down in a variety of binding treaties, whilst there is also more and more attention for the role of non-governmental organizations and other actors in this field. At the same time, persistent marginalization, discrimination and warfare in today’s world illustrate that human rights guaranteed on paper often do not correspond to reality, and that bridging this gap requires intensive commitment. In addition, vehement and often rightful contestation of human rights norms have forced their proponents to confront their own blind spots and the unintended consequences of their actions. This course aims to provide students with a broad but solid understanding of both the historical and normative foundations of human rights law and capita selecta related to their politics, practice, and realization. The assignments include reading assignments, a book review, a moot court exercise and a final research paper.

This second-year course offered a look into the matrix of institutions, instruments, and laws of the European Union, revealing to students a selection of important areas of EU law and equipping them with the tools to approach and understand this continuously evolving field. To this end, it first explored the institutional framework of the EU including the most important principles guiding the legal order. The second part of the course was devoted to an examination of core areas of substantive law, notably the single market, as well as a wider range of relevant topics.

This course served as a general introduction to international and European law, which is one of the three areas of specialization offered by the LLB. It examined the characteristics, principles, and the evolution of both legal orders as well as their similarities, differences, and interconnections. The mandatory course, which was divided into eight lectures and eight seminars, was attended by over 350 1st year students.

I was the course coordinator and a seminar tutor. Specifically, I instructed 3 out of 7 seminar groups (each consisting of about 25-40 students) for eight sessions. I also managed and gave assistance to four doctoral students in charge of the other groups.

The creation of a single market has been a main objective of the EU for most of its history. To this end, the EU has engaged in far-reaching harmonization to replace national legislation with EU-wide laws. But what is the basis for the claim that the laws of two or more jurisdictions should be the same? This course tackled this question both theoretically and by examining various substantive areas of EU law.

This course was a part of the LLB programme at Tilburg and was attended by 23 students, mostly in their 3rd semester. As the course coordinator, I designed the course and marked assignments and the final exam. I taught 4 of the 9 classes, including the two initial sessions introducing the theoretical framework of legal harmonization, and thematic sessions on the regulation of legal qualifications and asylum laws.

Do states comply with their international obligations, and if so, why? This 3rd year undergraduate course, mandatory for students in the LLB programme, tackled this question by combining conceptual debates with experiences in specific areas of international law.

As the course coordinator, I oversaw the design of the course and the marking of the mid-term exam, as well as the final presentations. I also taught 7 out of the 12 sessions of the course, including the first four on the theoretical framework, a thematic session on compliance with international refugee law, and two final sessions in which the students prepared and presented during a simulation exercise.

The European Court of Justice has played a vital role in shaping the legal architecture of the EU as well as Europe as a whole. This course offered a broad yet critical overview of the Court’s role in holding the EU and Member States accountable for breaches of EU law. It also focused on the interaction and dialogue between the European Court of Justice, domestic courts, and the European Court of Human Rights.

This course was a part of the LLM programme in European Law and was attended by approximately 20 students. As the coordinator, I was in charge of designing the course and marking assignments, including the final exam. I also taught 4 out of 10 sessions, covering a range of subjects such as legitimacy, the preliminary reference procedure, and fundamental rights protection in the EU.

My very first course, taught way back during my time as a young and overconfident LLM student (“I know legal sources!”). Attended by more than 20 students, I was in charge of all sessions during the 15-week period, excluding a two-week interlude when another lecturer took over to cover truth commissions. I graded all assignments, exams, and final papers. A great experience overall!