The three-day workshop for early career scholars included methods masterclasses and presentations from participants.
From June 10-12, 2024, the Centre for Fundamental Rights at the Hertie School hosted its fifth annual workshop on research methods in fundamental rights. Hosted by the Hertie School within the framework of CIVICA, The European University of Social Sciences, the workshop brought together doctoral and early-career researchers to collectively reflect on diverse methods in human rights research. 21 researchers at different stages of doctoral and postdoctoral research from 17 different universities participated in the workshop.
The workshop featured eight masterclasses by leading scholars, each focusing on a different research method, demonstrating how it can be applied in human rights research, and illustrating how they have applied it in their own work. A standout aspect of the workshop were the interactive feedback sessions, where participants presented their own research projects and methodologies and received detailed feedback from both faculty and peers.
A highlight of the 2024 edition of the methods workshop was a keynote lecture by Prof. Joseph Weiler, Joseph Straus Professor of Law and European Union Jean Monnet Chaired Professor at NYU School of Law and Radbruch-Kantorowicz Visiting Professor at the Hertie School. He offered valuable advice on how to design and approach a research project to ensure that it is significant and meaningful. Prof. Weiler also reflected on the importance of methods training for legal scholars, indicating that “a methodological deficit restricts the creative imagination of doctoral students.”
The 2024 workshop was supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).