Kylian van Wel

In March 2019 I completed the LL.M programme Legal Theory and Socio-Legal Studies. This LL.M. programme pays attention to fundamental topics of contemporary legal theoretical debate, as well as the knowledge needed for taking your own (critical) stance within these debates. The programme stands out by its special notice for interdisciplinarity in which philosophical, sociological, anthropological and legal (doctrinal) approaches complement and reinforce each other. Also, the LL.M. programme offers plenty possibilities to incorporate your own interests and insights into your curriculum. I followed several courses with a philosophical, anthropological and international legal perspective, as well as courses that enhanced my methodological skills. Because of the the wide range of elective courses, I have been able to place an accent on (the philosophy of) international human rights during the programmme. In the end, all of this came together in my master thesis, in which I conducted a critical legal-theoretical analysis of the legitimate authority of the international human rights regime.

Right after my graduation I was able to get a job as a (peak) lecturer in legal theory at Utrecht University. I was alerted to this job opportunity by one of the professors from our section. As a peak lecturer you fulfill a short nomination as a teacher, usually for the duration of a block or semester. In Utrecht I was mainly concerned with giving lectures, supervising students in writing legal-theoretical annotations and checking exams. Although it initially felt like a pretty big step (from the position of a student to a position of a lecturer), but this real life “aptitude test" demonstrated that I was well prepared due to the LL.M. programme Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies on such a position. The latter is fortunately also confirmed by a positive assessment in the student evaluations at the end of the course.

At this moment I have decided to prolong my time as a student for a little longer by embarking on a second master programme on moral and political philosophy.

Altogether I’ve had positive experiences with the LL.M programme Legal Theory & Socio-Legal Studies. I can recommend it to all law students who are interested in legal-theoretical approaches that go beyond the pure application of law, and students who like to formulate their own critical view on law or the legal system.