Michigan State University College of Law adds a new course at the Talsky Center for Human Rights for students to gain real-world experience in international law and learn from global experts.
The new course, International Criminal Law Colloquium, follows the International Children’s Rights Lab.
Michelle Oliel, the center’s deputy director, teaches the course remotely. She is an international human rights lawyer and child protection expert based in The Hague.
“The Talsky Center is all about impact and experiential learning,” Oliel said. “Students work with the world’s leading international experts and organizations to address real and emerging challenges which affect the enjoyment human rights.”
In addition to taking for-credit courses, MSU Law students can apply for a Talsky Center fellowship, join the Talsky Center Student Network or join the human rights research team.
The Talsky Center for Human Rights was founded in 2012 by Lori E. Talsky, ’96, and her husband Alan S. Zekelman.
MSU Law students enrolled in the 2023 course, International Children’s Rights Lab, began work on developing technical guidance in three areas of child rights law, globally: access to justice for children with disabilities, child-friendly policing and addressing complex legal and political issues in cases in which children have committed serious crimes.
Throughout the years, the Talsky Center has placed more than 30 student fellows at intergovernmental organizations and NGOs in Geneva, London, Cario, Arusha (Tanzania), London, New York, Washington D.C. and The Hague.
Students also have opportunities to volunteer and work with the human rights team at the Talsky Center. This year, students have tackled issues of child trafficking and other forms of exploitation. They also supported governmental institutions, including the Government of Kenya to transform the child care system to one that ends the reliance on residential institutions (sometimes called orphanages).
