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Home  /   Staff  /   Researcher Profiles  /  Dr Amy Maguire

Dr Amy Maguire

Work Phone (02) 4921 5374
Email
Position Lecturer
Newcastle Law School
The University of Newcastle, Australia
Office MC163, McMullin Building

Biography

I graduated from Newcastle Law School in 2004, and my PhD was awarded in December 2011. I have taught in the Law School since 2006, as course coordinator, lecturer or tutor in a range of courses. My main teaching engagements are in Public International Law and Legal Theory. I have been an active researcher since 2005. My area of specialisation is the collective human right of self-determination. I am also interested in research in the fields of public international law, human rights, law and society, Indigenous legal issues, women's rights and legal theory. In 2010, I received the Faculty of Business and Law Research Higher Degree Best Publication Award. I have published in relation to self-determination, Indigenous land rights, and women's security.

Qualifications

  • PhD (Law), University of Newcastle, 2011
  • Bachelor of Laws (Honours), University of Newcastle, 2004
  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Newcastle, 2002

Research

Research keywords

  • Human rights
  • Indigenisation
  • Indigenous legal issues
  • Law
  • Legal theory
  • Public international law

Research expertise

My doctoral research relates to the collective human right of self-determination in international law. I have taken a novel approach to self-determination, exploring the right in the context of contemporary, anti-colonial claims. Contemporary claimant groups able to demonstrate a colonial experience include Indigenous peoples in Australia and Irish nationalists in the North of Ireland. I argue that this colonial experience must be addressed in order that contemporary self-determination claims may be dealt with honestly and fairly. Further, a new approach to self-determination claims, based on the human rights framework as a whole, is required.

I am also currently collaborating with colleagues on two other research projects. One involves the Indigenisation of University teaching curricula. Another relates to the use of novel assessment methods in teaching international law.

I have been previously involved in a number of other collaborative research projects. One project analysed the effectiveness of Indigenous Land Use Agreements as a means of promoting the realisation of land rights for Indigenous peoples. Another focused on the role of international law in protecting and promoting women's security in post-conflict societies.

In 2008, I supervised a student in the successful completion of her Honours dissertation in law:

Ruth Hudson, 'Trafficked, Traded, Turned Away: A Critical Evaluation of Australian Law in Relation to Trafficked Women'

In 2011, I am supervising another student in her Honours program in law:

Charlotte Buckton, 'Evading the Rising Tide: Development of an International Instrument to Protect Peoples Displaced by Climate Change'

Collaboration

I am engaged in a number of collaborative projects, with colleagues from the University of Newcastle and around the world. Current active projects relate to the Indigenisation of University curricula, the use of novel assessment methods in teaching international law, and the effectiveness of Indigenous Land Use Agreements. I also maintain an international Collaborative Research Network on collective human rights.

Fields of Research

Code Description Percentage
180114 Human Rights Law 50
160299 Criminology Not Elsewhere Classified 25
160599 Policy And Administration Not Elsewhere Classified 25

Memberships

Committee/Associations (relevant to research).

  • Member - Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law
  • Member - International Law Association, Australian branch
  • Member - Law and Society Association of Australian and New Zealand
  • Collaborative Research Network on collective human rights

Appointments

Co-Chair
Faculty of Business and Law Academic Women's Network (Australia)
01/06/2011

Awards

Research Award.

2010 Faculty of Business and Law Research Higher Degree Best Publication Award
University of Newcastle (Australia)
Amy Maguire, ‘The Role of International Law in the Protection of Women’s Security’ in Brett Bowden, Hilary Charlesworth and Jeremy Farrall (Eds.), Great Expectations: The Role of International Law in Restructuring Societies after Conflict, Cambridge University Press, 2009, pp.218-243.

Administrative

Administrative expertise

Founding convenor of the Newcastle Law School Staff Research Network

Co-chair of the Faculty of Business and Law Women's Network

Founder and convenor of an international Collaborative Research Network on collective human rights

Coordinator of the Newcastle Law School submissions project to the National Human Rights Consultation

Organisation of the Newcastle Bill of Rights Symposium (2008)


Teaching

Teaching keywords

  • Legal Theory
  • Public International Law
  • Torts

Teaching expertise

Public International Law

Legal Theory

Torts

Teaching interests

  • Public International Law
  • Indigenous Peoples and the Law
  • Socio-Legal Studies
  • Human Rights
  • Torts

Programs

Courses