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Summer Abroad 2015 Class Descriptions

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Comparative Law - Paris (LWYP528)

Instructor(s): Staff

2 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): International Law (JD), Study Abroad (JD), International Law (LLMUS), LLM in International Law (LLMI)

Most courses in law school are about U.S. law. This course is different as it focuses on foreign law. Obviously, foreign law matters to all U.S. lawyers operating on the international scene, for example in international business or in international arbitration. And just as evidently, foreign law is very important within national law. Indeed, a huge quantity of legal situations in the U.S. involve foreign law (whether it be a contract entered into in New York governed by German law or a deceased person from San Francisco bequeathing real estate in France or the victims of a massive chemical explosion in India suing in U.S. courts). More controversially, there are those (including a number of U.S. Supreme Court Justices) who claim that, in an age of globalization when the U.S. is more interconnected with the rest of the world than ever before, U.S. law ought to derive inspiration from foreign law, for instance in constitutional litigation involving the death penalty or the rights of sexual minorities. This course will apply itself to this debate and discuss to what extent foreign law can or must act as persuasive authority. It will also consider two primordial questions. First, how could a U.S. lawyer get to know foreign law despite all the cultural differences arising across laws? Secondly, to what extent is meaningful understanding of foreign law possible? As regards these issues, various theoretical topics will be raised from an interdisciplinary perspective and some case-studies pertaining to human rights will be considered. The final exam will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2015 at 9:00 am.

Note: Class meets M,T,W, TH & F from 11:30 am – 1:10 pm

International Business Transactions - London (LWYL539)

Instructor(s): Staff

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): International Law (JD), Study Abroad (JD), International Law (LLMUS), LLM in International Law (LLMI)

National and international laws that apply to international business transactions, like international sales law, letters of credit, international litigation and commercial arbitration, import and export controls, intellectual property licensing and distributorships, and foreign direct investment. The final exam will be held on Friday, July 24, 2015 at 9:00 am.

Note: Class meets M,T,W, TH & F from 9:00 am – 11:15 am. This class may count as a required course for the International Law Concentration (JD)

International Commercial Negotiations - London (LWYF554)

Instructor(s): Allen Snyder

2 credit(s), Letter Graded
Requirement(s): Skills
Concentration(s): International Law (JD), Study Abroad (JD)

Skills and theory of both competitive and cooperative international commercial negotiating will be taught with simulations and discussions based on readings and current commercial disputes.  The final exam will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 9:00 am.

Note: Class meets M, T, W, Th & F from 11:25 am – 12:55 pm.

International Human Rights - Paris (LWYP550)

Instructor(s): Dustin Sharp

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): International Law (JD), Study Abroad (JD)

In the brief span of 60 years, the idea of human rights has grown tremendously. What began as a marginal utopian discourse has today arguably become “the dominant moral narrative for thinking about world affairs.” At the same time, rights remain controversial and contested, and gaps in enforcement of human rights norms are conspicuous. This course examines the actors, organizations and ideas behind these developments, as well as the vast challenges we face today in attempting to enforce human rights norms globally. The course begins by examining the philosophical and political bases for the international human rights idea, probing the ongoing debate over universality, culture, and human rights. As part of this inquiry, we also examine the normative pillars of international human rights law. In the second part of the course, we will analyze various dimensions and challenges of human rights enforcement, including the main United Nations and regional human rights systems, prosecutions and transitional justice, the advocacy work of NGOs and human rights activists, and the new concept of the “responsibility to protect,” or R2P. In the final part of the semester, we will engage in a more in-depth examination of several distinct human rights issues, including torture and women’s rights. In all this, the course aims to provide students with knowledge of human rights at the level of intellectual theory and discourse, as well as a realm of concrete, “real world” action, controversy, and struggle.  The final exam will be held on Friday, June 26, 2015 at 9:00 am.

Note: Class meets M, T, W, TH & F from 9:00 am – 11:15 am