Why Promise?
Global Experts in a Dynamic University
Capitalizing on the cultural and international prowess of Los Angeles, we bring together leading experts in international law and human rights.
From our rich curriculum to our broad array of focus areas and projects, we empower the next generation of human rights lawyers and leaders. Join us!
Key Focus Areas
Our work centers on the intersection of human rights law and five thematic areas: the environment, technology, accountability, migration, and race/Indigeneity.
Impactful Projects
Defending human rights doesn’t just involve understanding the law — it means engaging in meaningful partnership with peers, global organizations, community groups and impacted individuals. It means centering the dialogue on those with lived experience, to ensure their wisdom helps shape the next generation of human rights policy. And it requires a host of innovations to keep pace with our rapidly changing world.
In the Headlines
Whether featured as expert guests, providing context for headlines or doing deep-dives into groundbreaking decisions, the Promise team has helped bring human rights considerations to today’s major news stories.
The Promise Film: Our Origin Story
We are a namesake organization of The Promise, a groundbreaking film about the Armenian Genocide.
Innovative Courses
Beyond strong foundational human rights and international law classes, our course offerings expand notions of what is possible through the law. From collaborations with the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor to courses blending design thinking and organizational psychology; digital investigations training; on-site clinics (including those that have taken students to Geneva, New York and Honduras); engaging with critical appraisals of legal doctrine — and more — our curriculum is at the vanguard of legal training.
Explore Our CoursesRemarkable Speakers
We’ve been privileged to host some of the world’s foremost human rights advocates at events, symposia and awards.
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Career Resources
We provide group and one-on-one counseling to students pursuing a career in human rights, including events that give students the opportunity to connect with speakers and discuss career paths.
We also offer up to two post-graduate fellowship positions each year. These fellowships provide students with funding to work on human rights for twelve months following graduation.
Previous Promise Institute Fellows have worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Human Rights Watch, the National Youth Law Center, the Center for Justice and Accountability, Reprieve, Dejusticia, the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, and the Global Litigation Action Network.
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