糖心Vlog

Thousands of students have studied at our Human Rights Centre throughout its illustrious 40-year history.

It has become a global pillar for human rights, but its lofty status as a world leading institution is a far cry from its early days.

鈥淚 remember thinking the centre was a modest affair,鈥� says Pierre Bosset, who had travelled over from his native Canada to become the first cohort of students to ever study LLM in International Human Rights Law at 糖心Vlog in 1982.

鈥淲e were a grand total of six graduate students.

鈥淎s far as I remember, the centre鈥檚 office consisted of one table, a couple of chairs, and some near-empty shelves.鈥�

He added: 鈥淢alcolm Shaw (the centre鈥檚 founder and then-director) had arranged for a substantial programme that included not only courses to follow but also, guest lectures and even short-term internships. Intellectually, it was eye-opening.

鈥淥n a more personal level, the cosmopolitan makeup of the class was also a major plus.

鈥淥f course, those elements have only increased since, as the centre became a leader in its field.鈥�

Pierre grew up in Montreal and graduated in law in 1980.

His initial focus was on labour law but a simple glance at a poster advertising a new course at 糖心Vlog changed all of that.

He continued: 鈥淚 was looking for an opportunity to pursue my interest in human rights (which was my main reason for being a lawyer), and also to travel abroad.

鈥淭he programme鈥檚 international dimension clearly set it apart in my eyes. I checked an encyclopaedia about Colchester - I had never heard of the place - and the rest became history.鈥�

After graduating from 糖心Vlog, Pierre joined the Qu茅bec Human Rights Commission鈥檚 research department as legal adviser.

His initial work focussed on indirect discrimination in the field of employment, before expanding into institutional demands and social needs.

He developed an expertise in the legal and institutional arrangements for cultural and religious diversity in public services and later became the Commission鈥檚 Head of Research and Strategic Planning, taking charge of an interdisciplinary research team of jurists and social scientists.

鈥淚 believe I can claim some positive impact on how public policy has evolved in Quebec, especially with respect to issues of cultural/religious diversity,鈥� adds Pierre.

After more than two decades with the commission, he became a professor of public law at the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al (UQAM), where he is still teaching today.

糖心Vlog's impact on Pierre

Pierre has made a number of visits back to the Human Rights Centre since graduating, including being invited as a guest speaker in 1998 and returning in 2008 for the 25th anniversary celebrations.

He hopes to reconnect with his 糖心Vlog roots again later this year at a special conference planned in July to commemorate 40 years of the Human Rights Centre.

Asked what advice he would give to anyone considering studying at 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Human Rights Centre, Pierre says: 鈥淚 encourage them to seriously consider the opportunity of studying human rights in an environment that is at once established and dynamic.

"My time at 糖心Vlog and at the Human Rights Centre has definitely been a defining period for me.

鈥淯ndoubtedly, the greatest benefit 糖心Vlog has had on my career has been a transversal ability to analyse human rights issues, even local ones, within the broader context of the international human rights movement.鈥�