The Postgraduate Program in Law (PPGD) at Unesc brings to the academic legal field of the South of the country a proposal that offers a theoretical/practical knowledge closely connected to the concrete and plural reality of the growing interests of the community.
Our mission is to study, analyze and develop, in a critical and interdisciplinary manner, the concept of human rights that dialogues with society as a process and instrument for recognizing the value of human life.
+ Objective
Our objective is to study, analyze and develop, in a critical and interdisciplinary manner, the concept of human rights as a process and instrument for recognizing the value of human life and for social and political transformation.
Area of concentration
The present area of concentration aims, from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective, to conduct scientific research on human rights and the legal and political relationships within society and their dialogue with the State, both in the national and Latin American contexts.
Research Lines
Discover our research lines
Law, Society, and State
This line of research deals with the study of the processes of social transformation that Brazil and Latin America have experienced (from the political and legal organization of society) and which have reflected in the constitutionalization of human rights. The materialization of these rights is part of a permanent and democratic dialogue involving state institutions and society. Furthermore, this investigative context presupposes the participation of society in the processes of formulating, implementing and evaluating public policies, especially social policies, and the reflection of these actions in the development of legal knowledge.
Specific objectives
The specific objectives of this line of research are:
- to enable analysis of the processes of constitutionalization of human rights in Brazil and Latin America.
- to investigate the relationship between State and society in the context of the materialization of human rights.
- to analyze the process of formulating, implementing and evaluating public policies, with reference to the participation of society in all these phases.
- to study the implementation of social policies in the context of the political and legal transformations that Brazil and Latin America have experienced.
Human Rights, Citizenship, and New Rights
This line of research aims to examine the social dynamics of human rights in terms of their historical formation, their foundations, their central problems and their transformative function from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective. From this perspective, it aims to gain a complex understanding of the close relationships and intersections of human rights with plural representative forms of citizenship and the emergence of new rights. And to develop theoretical and practical knowledge, establishing pedagogical proposals for the formation of a culture of rights that favors protection against violation and citizen promotion for the spread of dignity.
The specific objectives of this line of research are:
- to analyze the historical process and the foundations of human rights theory, based on a critical and interdisciplinary reading.
- to understand the plural relations of citizenship and their intersections with human rights.
- to investigate the emergence of new rights in the context of social, political, economic and cultural complexity in Brazil and Latin America.
- to develop, based on theoretical and practical knowledge, pedagogical proposals that contribute to the formation of a culture of human rights protection.
Curricular structure
Check the details of each subject you will study in this program
Here you will find information about credits, workload and subject syllabi.
El Programa de Postgrado en Derecho ofrece a los interesados la posibilidad de cursar una materia aislada. El proceso de inscripción como estudiante especial deberá ser directamente en la Secretaría del PPGD, Bloque P – Salón 8, durante un período específico que determine la Coordinación de cada período académico.
Interested parties should pay attention to the registration period, which will be informed by the PPG Secretariat at the beginning of each semester.
* duly completed registration form (download here);
* photocopy of ID;
* photocopy of CPF;
* photocopy of the Graduate Diploma;
* Lattes Curriculum, from CNPq, obtained on the lattes platform at http://lattes.cnpq.br/
* Other information can be obtained by calling (48) 3431.2673, or by email at ppgd@unesc.net.
Faculty and Students
Faculty/Supervisors
See who the faculty and supervisors in our program are:
Antônio Carlos Wolkmer
Human Rights, Citizenship and New Rights
Graduated in Law from Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS, 1977). Specialist in Higher Education Methodology from UNISINOS (1980). Master’s degree in Political Science from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, 1983) and Ph.D. in Law from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC, 1992).
Ph.D. in Law - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC (2019). Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences - Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense - UNESC (2013). Specialist (Lato Sensu) in Civil Law and Methodology of Higher Education and Research - UNESC (2007). Graduated in Law from UNESC (2003).
Ph.D. in Political Sociology from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) in 2009. Post-doctoral internship at the Centro de Investigação em Sociologia Económica e das Organizações (SOCIUS) linked to the Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (ISEG) da Universidade Lisboa (ULisboa) em 2017. Master’s degree in Business Administration and Bachelor's in Economics from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Socioeconomic Development (PPGDS/Unesc) and professor at PPGDS and the Graduate Program in Law (PPGD/Unesc).
Professor in the Graduate Program in Law at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (PPGD/UNESC). Ph.D. in Law (2019) from Universidade Federal do Paraná. Master’s degree in Theory, Philosophy and History of Law (2015) from Graduate Program in Law at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Graduated in Law (2011) from Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB). Lawyer. Researcher at the Human Rights and Citizenship Research Center (NUPEC). Post-doctorate in Law from Universidade LaSalle.
Professor of the Graduate Program in Law at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (PPGD-UNESC), Ph.D. in Law from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Professor of Criminology (UNESC), coordinator of the Latin American Critical Criminology Group (UNESC), and co-leader of the Latin American Critical Legal Thinking Group (UNESC), member of the research network Grupo Brasileiro de Criminologia Crítica; He develops research and projects at both Undergraduate and Graduate levels on the criminal issue with a focus on the Latin American reality, moving through areas such as Human Rights at the interface with the Criminal issue.
Ph.D. in Law from the Graduate Program in Law (PPGD) of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (2018). Master's degree in Law from Universidade Presidente Antônio Carlos - PPGD - UNIPAC (2010), an undergraduate degree (2004) and a lato sensu postgraduate degree in Procedural Law from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (IEC, 2004). Professor in the Graduate Program in Law at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (PPGD/UNESC).
Graduated in Law from Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (1995), Master's Degree in Law from the PPGD of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (2002). Ph.D. in Law from the PPGD of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (2013). Professor at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense in the Undergraduate Program. Professor, researcher and Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Law (PPGD/UNESC). Professor and researcher in the Graduate Program in Socioeconomic Development (PPGDS/UNESC).
Post-Doctorate in Law from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (CAPES 6). Ph.D. in Law from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - 2008 (CAPES 6). Master’s Degree in Law from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - 2001 (CAPES 6). Specialist in Civil Law from Universidade de Passo Fundo - 1998. Graduated in Law from Universidade de Passo Fundo -1993. Professor in the Undergraduate and Graduate Law Programs at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense - UNESC. Researcher at PPGD/UNESC. Coordinator of the Law, Society and State research line at PPGD/UNESC.
Professor in the Undergraduate and Graduate programs in Law at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense. Visiting Professor at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique). Guest Speaker at the University of Saint Joseph, Macau, China. Ph.D. (2007), Master’s degree (2003) and Bachelor in Law (2000) from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Coordinator of the research group Law and Economic Society (DISE) and of the international research network Law and Development.
The operating rules of the Stricto Sensu Graduate Program, Master's Degree, are set out in the Program Regulations. Applicants will be selected in accordance with the criteria previously established in the Public Notice. In any case, the selection process will comprise the following phases: a) Written test; b) Analysis of the Lattes Curriculum; c) Analysis of the research proposal; d) Interview.
Scholarships
The program offers the following types of scholarships, funding, and discounts: a) Prosuc/Capes Scholarships – awarded according to specific regulations and calls for proposals, with two types: I – The student receives a scholarship to pursue a Master's degree based on criteria established in a specific call. In this modality, the student cannot receive any type of income and must dedicate themselves fully to research, publication, and other activities of the Program. The student also receives an amount (fee) from Capes, which should be passed on to the university to pay the tuition fees. II – The student receives a fee (amount) from Capes to pursue a Master's degree according to criteria established in a specific call. The student may work or have income, as long as it does not come from any other type of government scholarship. A partial dedication to the program is required: 20 hours. b) Fapesc Scholarships – awarded according to specific regulations and calls for proposals, these scholarships cover tuition fees and provide a stipend for the student, requiring full-time dedication; c) Uniedu Scholarships – awarded according to the specific regulations and calls of the State Government of Santa Catarina, providing funds to cover the student's tuition fees; d) Discount for Former Students of Unesc: a 5% discount.
Master's Degree
Selection Process: Master's in Law - PPGD (Law)
Applications - September 30 to November 18, 2026 Learn more about the deadlines, announcements, and documents required for this Selection Process.
Application Deadline - September 30 to November 18, 2026 Learn more about the deadlines, announcements, and documents required for this Selection Process.
The essence and purpose of the Graduate Program are grounded in the intellectual creation generated by the Program. Through the active participation of its faculty and students, the program contributes to disseminating and applying academic knowledge in society.
Since its inception, the PPGD/UNESC has been contributing to the academic legal field in the south of the country by offering a proposal that integrates theoretical and practical knowledge, closely connected with the concrete and diverse realities of the collective’s growing interests. The aim is to contribute to the formation of graduates with skills to manage their professional activities and ensure and implement rights, fostering reflection and improvement of skills, and incorporating and creating new knowledge that stimulates spaces for social transformation.
