Lowenstein Project

The Lowenstein Human Rights Project is the law school's extracurricular human rights group. Through the Lowenstein Project, small teams of students work on specific human rights issues, usually on behalf of, and with guidance from, a human rights or other public interest NGO. Teams conduct research, write memoranda, engage in advocacy activities, and organize events at the law school. The Lowenstein Project was founded in 1981 and named in honor of Allard K. Lowenstein, a U.S. Congressman and pioneering human rights activist. Aileen Nowlan and Megan Corrarino are the 2010-11 Student Directors of the Lowenstein Project, and Jim Silk is the Project's faculty adviser. The Lowenstein Project regularly works with leading U.S.-based human rights organizations as well as smaller organizations headquartered in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Although the Lowenstein Project is an extracurricular group, student participants may receive one ungraded credit per semester for their participation after their first semester of law school. Many students find summer internships through their involvement in the Lowenstein Project.

In 2009-2010, more than 35 students participated in the Lowenstein Project, joining a community of students committed to using the law to promote human rights abroad and at home. These students are working on a diverse range of human rights projects, including:  

• A memo analyzing the sanctions imposed on China by the U.S. government following the Tiananmen Square incident, the political and economic costs of these sanctions, and the legal mechanisms for the removal of these sanctions;
•  A research memo that assesses the legal basis for and potential human rights challenges to an EU border-control agency’s operation, particularly in the context of its prevention of illegal immigration;
• Research on whether victims’ participation in cases heard before the International Criminal Court has been in keeping with the legal framework envisioned by the framers of the Court, and recommendations on how to ensure that both defendants’ and victims rights are fully realized;
•  Assessment of the relationship between U.S. trade policy and conflict minerals, which are mined and taxed by armed groups in eastern Congo and then used in the production of electronic products consumed in the United States, as well as recommendations for developing an international certification system for conflict minerals; and
• Research on women’s legal status in Muslim-majority countries and analysis of the following factors’ impact on women’s rights in these countries: domestic legislation, international law, and effective legal advocacy strategies.

While almost all of these projects were developed in cooperation with outside organizations, students are also encouraged to initiate their own projects and solicit volunteers through the Lowenstein Project. The Lowenstein Project holds an organizational meeting each fall to recruit new members and discuss possible projects.

If your organization is interested in working with the Lowenstein Project, please click here to learn more about our project development process.