Students may choose from a wide range of international law elective courses, including courses on foreign and comparative law, human rights, immigration law, international business and cross-border transactions, international criminal law, as well as public international law topics.
For ease of reference, international law elective courses are grouped below into three broad sub-categories covering various topics within each area. Click on any category to jump directly to that section on the page:
Public International Law Topics
Admiral
A study of legal issues arising in the maritime and recreational boating industry, including admiralty jurisdiction, maritime liens, salvage, cargo, carriage of goods by sea, charter parties, general average, the rights of seamen and maritime workers, collision and limitation of liability.
Advanced Immigration Law
This seminar will address issues concerning business immigration law, asylum, citizenship, and removal proceedings in substantial depth. The class will focus on grounds of inadmissibility, waivers and defenses to deportation and removal. It will also focus on non-immigrant business visas such as H-1B, E, L, P, and O visas. It will focus on employment based permanent residency such as EB-1, national interest waivers, labor certifications and investors. On family based permanent residency, the course will focus on such topics as priority dates, abandonment of residency, rescission, adjustment of status, and immigrant visa processing. On issues concerning asylum, the course will address questions concerning the definition of persecution, social group, credibility, and special acts of Congress such as the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act. The discussion on citizenship will address issues concerning the Child Citizenship Act, loss of nationality, dual citizenship and revocation of naturalization. Removal proceeding will also address closed hearings, mandatory detention and issues related to terrorism and foreign policy
Advanced Topics in International Law
The United Nations International Law Commission (ILC) is the only subsidiary organ within the United Nations system that was mandated by member states “to initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of … encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification”. This advanced seminar, which offers students a unique opportunity to learn how international law is made from a faculty member who serves on the ILC and to prepare a major paper, will first explore the historical origins, mandate, and contributions of the ILC towards the establishment of a rule-based international legal order. The seminar, which prepares students for a summer externship with the United Nations in Geneva, will then critically evaluate the latest topics and reports under study by the ILC, their present status, and future direction. These may include general principles of law; immunity of state officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction; sea level rise in relation to international law; subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law; settlement of disputes to which international organizations are parties; prevention and repression of piracy and armed robbery at sea; and non-legally binding international agreements.
Advanced Topics: Inter-American Human Rights System
Over the past 75 years, the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS) -- composed of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights -- has been the site some of the most significant developments in international human rights law. The IAHRS is a core part of the world's oldest international organization, the Organization of American States (OAS), and it has played a pivotal role in reacting to the human rights challenges resulting from colonialism, slavery and racism, political strife and abuse, armed conflict, and structural discrimination and inequality. Civil society groups across the Western Hemisphere regularly turn to the Inter-American human rights system to hold governments accountable for corruption, abuse, negligence, and violence committed by both state actors and private individuals. The system’s prominence in the international legal community is evident in the frequent citations it enjoys from other international human rights bodies. The system has also played a role in civil society efforts to bring the human rights debate home, including in the United States. This seminar will provide an in-depth introduction to the history, doctrine, and practice of the IAHRS, and will examine the obstacles and opportunities the system offers for civil society, victims, governments, and society generally.
Business, Entertainment, and Sports Immigration Law
This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of business immigration laws and procedure in the United States. The course will cover statutory and regulatory requirements, along with agency policies and procedures relating to professionals, artists, athletes, investors, entrepreneurs, and workers seeking to do business, and/or work in the United States. Students will learn to analyze statutes, regulations, legal decisions, policy memoranda, government manuals, and liaison minutes. This course will also present guest speakers in several visa categories, and may include mock consultations, government agency, and/or consulate interviews. Particular attention will be paid to the practical aspects of business immigration law with the goal of preparing students to effectively navigate through the government’s procedural labyrinth.
Climate Change Law and Policy
This two-credit course examines cutting-edge issues relating to the regulation of the "wicked" problem of climate change. It is also a useful course for students interested in modern multilateral Treaty practice and in International Organizations. The course will approach climate change primarily from an international policy and law perspective. The course will begin with an overview of climate change science, the architecture of the complex international legal and institutional regime that has emerged since 1992 to address climate change, and the innovative legal, policy and financial tools that have been adopted or proposed to address climate change and manage adverse impacts. The course will explore the connection between the Treaty action areas (1) mitigation of GHCs (sources & sinks), (2) adaptation to adverse impacts of climate change, and (3) loss& damage. We will also examine new approaches to implementation and enforcement of treaty obligations that have emerged in the context of the climate change regime, such as the use of NDCs (nationally determined contributions). Additional topics will reflect the interests of participants in the class and may include inter alia: Recent Advisory Opinions on climate change at ITLOS, the ICJ and the IACHR, international climate change litigation; displacement and relocation of populations as a result of climate change; the intersection of human rights and climate change; sustainable investment in natural resources; food security; the built environment, infrastructure and the insurance industry.
Human Rights Clinic I & II
The Human Rights Clinic (HRC) works for the promotion of social and economic justice globally and in the United States. Students gain firsthand experience in cutting-edge human rights litigation and advocacy at the local, national, regional, and international levels. This includes engaging with the Inter-American Court and Commission on Human Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the European Court of Human Rights, the United Nations, and other tribunals. Focus areas include gender and racial justice, immigrant and Indigenous women’s rights, and the rights to housing, health, and food. HRC draws on international human rights laws and norms, along with domestic law and policy. It engages in multidimensional advocacy strategies, which include documentation and report-writing, litigation, media engagement, work with legislative and administrative bodies, campaigning, community organizing, and global networking to develop practical solutions and promote accountability on the part of state and non-state actors. In the classroom, students have the opportunity to bridge theory and practice. They critically engage with human rights law and contemporary social problems while sharpening key lawyering skills. Students examine the evolution and tools of the human rights movement, as well as ethical challenges and critiques. Application required.
Immigration Clinic I & II
Established in the fall of 2009, Miami Law’s Immigration Clinic provides a challenging opportunity for students to advocate on behalf of immigrants in a wide variety of complex immigration proceedings. In addition to helping individual clients, students collaborate with other immigrant rights groups on projects that reform the law and advance the cause of social justice for immigrants. The clinic is dedicated to being an integral part of the wider immigrant and human rights advocacy community in South Florida and the nation and works on a variety of Cases, Projects and Resources including its Haiti Report, Stopping Deportations To Haiti and Resources for Detainees in Immigration Proceedings. Application required.
Immigration Law
This course offers an introduction to immigration law, procedure and policy. Topics covered include the foundation of immigration power, roles of different federal agencies, statutes governing admission and deportation, types of immigration status, asylum and refugee protection, judicial review, and citizenship.
Immigration, Ethnicity and Public Policy
This course exposes students to the recent literature on immigration and immigrant and ethnic minorities in order to explore the linkages through which "immigrants" become "ethnics" and the contrasting social and economic results of the process. In keeping with a focus on public policy, the course will examine the ways in which state action affects the adaptation process of immigrant groups and the opportunities for economic mobility and social integration of racial and ethnic minorities. The timing of the seminar coincides with a confrontation of historical proportions concerning future immigration policy in the United States. Through readings and class discussions, the course will examine what lies behind public declarations and legislative proposals of advocates and opponents of continuing immigration and of immigration reform. The unique role of Miami as both a gateway city and an immigrant enclave will receive close attention.
International Environmental Law
One of the primary vectors for the globalization of law and policy in our world has been the environment. Indeed, the dictum “Think globally, act locally!” emerged out of the realization that many environmental challenges had both a local and a global dimension. Problems such as the degradation of the ozone layer, climate change, the collapse of fisheries, the loss of biodiversity, deforestation, the international trade in hazardous wastes, etc. could not be solved by any State acting alone or even in concert with a few like-minded jurisdictions. New political commitments were needed, and these had to be supported by innovative international law and policy tools. Early attempts to address global environmental problems highlighted the complex interconnection between the environment, the economy and equity (social justice) and the need to attend to a temporal dimension not typically addressed in legal instruments. This course is designed to introduce students to the basic issues and concepts particular to international and global environmental law. The course will focus on a few case studies to explore the role law and policy can play in addressing different types of global environmental problems. The course will focus on the international institutional legal frameworks that have been developed to protect the global commons and explore the integral role of domestic law and institutions. This course, which studies one of the most dynamic fields of international law, will be of interest to students interested in international law, those interested in environmental issues, climate change, social justice, sustainability, comparative law and South-North relations.
International Human Rights Law
This course will examine the substantial body of human rights law that has emerged in the last seventy years, following the foundational 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It will cover international and regional human rights treaties, organizations, and bodies, including courts and tribunals. It will also look at implementation in practice and domestic application of international law. The format of the course is lectures with seminar style components and class exercises to facilitate analysis of human rights issues
International Investment Law
This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental legal principles, rules and laws that govern foreign direct investments (FDI). The objective is to provide a comprehensive and solid foundation for interested students to follow a potential career in the practice of International Investment Law and develop a basis for further specialization in discrete areas of International Investment Law. The course is divided into two main parts. The first part will address legal principles that govern the promotion and protection of foreign direct investments (FDI) through the review of selected: national investment laws, bilateral investment treaties, trilateral free trade agreements such as NAFTA, US-MCA (replacing NAFTA); and multilateral agreements such as the Convention Establishing the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). The second part reviews the legal principles that have evolved through dispute resolution in Investor-State disputes, principally, through resort to arbitration. The concentration here will be on the core legal principles that have evolved through cases and decisions of international judicial forums such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arbitral tribunals such as the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID); and decisions of other arbitral tribunals having jurisdiction over Investor-State Dispute Resolution (ISDR). In both parts, fundamental legal principles that relate to FDI, inter alia, determining nationality of investor/investment, state responsibility, nationalization/expropriation, breaches of contractual obligations and compensation standards will be reviewed.
International Law of State Responsibility
For the international community to consider that it has a system of law, its subjects must somehow be held responsible for breaches of legal obligations. One can hardly claim to advise on any aspect of international law -- whether the law of war, human rights, trade and investment, environmental protection -- without knowing how breaches of its supposed rules might result in liability on the part of the most relevant actors: States. International law developed as a set of rules defined by treaties or proposed by scholars and leaders interested in building an international community. But what if the treaty was breached, or the proposals ignored? For many generations, sovereigns were accountable only to God. In the 20th century, pronouncements of various international tribunals set out rules of liability and reparation in a piecemeal manner. At the dawn of the 21st Century, draft Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts finally emerged from the UN's International Law Commission, purporting to codify international law. This course will explore where we are today.
International Moot Court I & II
This course is designed to equip students with the critical hard and soft skills required for effective legal practice in an international and multicultural environment. Through a combination of rigorous training in written and oral advocacy, students will develop the ability to persuasively argue complex issues in both public and private international law. Emphasis will be placed on advanced legal research techniques, cross-cultural communication, adaptability, and strategic thinking—skills indispensable for attorneys navigating diverse legal systems and global client bases. Students will hone their ability to present arguments clearly and confidently before international tribunals, while also refining their capacity for collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and professional resilience. The course is tailored to support members of the International Moot Court Board, with individual sections and meeting times assigned by the program director to provide personalized guidance. Application required.
International Trade Law
U.S. International Trade Law is an advanced course focusing on the U.S. laws that govern international commerce, their foundations in economic theory and international trade agreements, and current disputes that stress those foundations. The course will concentrate on the substance of U.S. laws that regulate imports and the constitutional and multilateral/bilateral framework for such laws. These include border measures, tariffs, trade remedies (antidumping and countervailing duties), safeguard measures, import quotas, and other import restrictions such as exclusion orders based on the infringement of intellectual property rights and the use of forced labor. The course will also examine the legal basis and scope of recent U.S. executive actions against imports premised on national security concerns, as well as the linkage between U.S. international trade laws and human rights, labor standards, and the environment. Finally, the course will review the U.S. administrative agency structure for enforcing U.S. trade laws and handling trade disputes, and will examine the jurisdiction and role of the U.S. federal courts in reviewing such actions.
Law of the Sea
The sea covers two-thirds of our planet. The survival of life as we know it depends on the sea. Who may use it? Who may extract its resources? Who controls it? Who has the duty to protect it? What is the impact of global warming and rising sea levels? This course examines the history and content of the law of the sea, one of the original and most important branches of international law. With our principal focus on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and related treaties, including a new treaty on biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, we will consider the use of the sea for security, economic, and other purposes, including navigation, overflight, telecommunications, fishing, oil and gas extraction, hard mineral mining, recreation, research, intelligence, treasure hunting, migration, smuggling, piracy, terrorism, and law enforcement.
The Law of International Treaties
“International Law perhaps has not achieved much but it is good that it is there” – is one of the catch phrases in international law. Today’s geopolitical turmoil has led many thought leaders to change this – from “international law dies in darkness” to “international law is utterly useless”. Faith in international law ought to be restored along with its institutions upholding it such as the ICC. Treaties form the building blocks of multilateralism post WW-II allowing for peaceful commerce and protection of fundamental human rights. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties governs this framework of treaties. It provides the tools for the interpretation of treaty provisions and compliance with obligations under international law. One can only apply and understand conventions with the proper use of treaty interpretation.
International Business & Cross-Border Transactions Topics
Business and Human Rights
Human rights advocates and governments have increasingly focused on corporate accountability for human rights impacts. Corporations that have touted excellent corporate social responsibility records have been accused of complicity with corrupt governments by engaging in a wide range of misdeeds including infringing upon free speech rights; utilizing child and forced labor; limiting freedom of association; destroying the environment; ignoring the will of indigenous peoples; and perpetuating unreasonably dangerous conditions for workers. In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed a corporate responsibility to respect human rights and the American Bar Association has informed members, particularly corporate lawyers, that they must be aware of and counsel clients on these issues. Nations are discussing a potential treaty, regulators and institutional investors are asking more questions about business and human rights, and the world is focusing on environmental, social, and governance factors (ESG). Nonetheless, there are currently no binding international laws or treaties related to business and human rights. In the absence of legal obligations, what is the role of the corporation vis a vis the state regarding human rights? This course analyzes the issues faced by human rights advocates, nongovernmental organizations, governments, stakeholders, institutional investors, and transnational corporations as they attempt to balance the needs of business with those of the larger community around them. We will look at human rights issues in supply chains, mega-sporting events, fast fashion, technology, the extractive industries, and financial institutions.
Cross-border Transactions
The class will introduce students to and review cross-border transactions and their process generally. Specific issues arising in the context of transaction documentation customarily encountered will be examined including issues related to due diligence, legal opinions, remedies, pre-merger notification and corruption and bribery, as well as other issues that the practitioner managing a cross-border transaction may encounter. Cross border transactions will be approached and discussed in the context of the preparation and review of documentation for such transactions in a hands-on practical approach through scrutiny and examination of actual deal agreements and related documents. Students will review and discuss specific transaction documents provided by the instructor. Students may be asked to present to the class on topics under discussion from the perspective of the legal system with which they have experience and to prepare or comment on documentation.
Cultural Property and Antiquities Trafficking: Importation Law and Border Enforcement
This course will identify and analyze the laws applicable to the importation of cultural artifacts, art and antiquities into the United States, and the international treaties and conventions the U.S. employs to prevent illicit trafficking. The students will learn the importance of a nation’s cultural patrimony, and how the looting of archaeological sites and theft of cultural artifacts by criminal trafficking organizations has led the U.S. to establish a protective legal framework. The students will learn U.S. border law enforcement authorities; import laws, declarations and tariffs; and the complex U.S. laws and regulations applicable to the importation of cultural merchandise.
Drafting Complex Arbitration Clauses
This course will provide students with an overview on the drafting of complex arbitration clauses in an international context and has important practical applications. Large multi-national corporations and the international business community as a whole are turning with increasing frequency towards international arbitration to resolve their cross-border disputes. The international arbitration process often begins long before a dispute ever arises – with the parties’ decision to include an arbitration provision into their contract. This first strategic decision by the parties as to the resolution of potential future disputes is crucial. Parties should take control of the arbitration provision when drafting agreements, as carelessly-worded clauses drafted at the eleventh hour of the contractual negotiations will lead to lengthy and costly delays in the adjudication of the parties’ rights and obligations. This is an intensive course designed for students who are generally interested in international business transactions and would like to deepen their knowledge of international arbitration – the most frequently used method of international dispute resolution, as well as for students who intend to specialize in the field of international arbitration. Students will learn to read, draft and negotiate arbitration clauses for complex international agreements, and advise clients accordingly. One of the objectives of this course is to enable students to anticipate and recognize issues in the formation and enforcement of arbitration agreements that are typical or particularly prevalent in complex international business transactions, and to develop important approaches to minimizing the risks associated with them. It is the goal of this course to better prepare students to meet the demands of the global business community.
Globalization & Arbitration
This course focuses on the interrelationship between globalization and arbitration – a critical issue for the future of this dynamic field. It examines the evolution of international arbitration in context of the globalization era that emerged after the Cold War. It further considers the impact of disruptions to the globalization era - from Brexit to corruption scandals to the global pandemic - and corresponding impacts on arbitration. It also looks forward to the relationship between the growing public and private sector focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and the future of international arbitration, as reflected in changes to treaties such as the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). There is a focus on strategic economic sectors and the role of the public and private sectors. The course utilizes investment arbitration decisions as case studies for analyzing investment and development, and relies on secondary sources as well.
International Anti-Corruption Law and Practice
This course will focus on the United States’ enforcement of anti-corruption laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), to combat foreign corruption and bribery committed by domestic and foreign companies and individuals. Because many FCPA and other corruption cases are resolved without trial, this course will focus on critical, unresolved issues, such as the FCPA’s definitions of a foreign “instrumentality” and “foreign official,” as well as the scope of U.S. extra-territorial jurisdiction. We will focus on recent high-profile FCPA cases and the precedent set by the few appellate decisions relating the FCPA. This course will also discuss foreign and international laws and conventions against corruption, including the OECD Convention on Combatting Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Business Transactions and the UK’s Anti-Bribery Act. We will explore the critical issues that arise from the growing trend in trans-national investigations and prosecutions, including extradition issues that arise in FCPA prosecutions, and Interpol implications.
International Arbitration & ESG
This course focuses on the relationship between Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues and international arbitration. The course considers the legal and policy framework related to ESG, a concept which gives structure to a range of issues that are relevant to investment and development. It reviews how international arbitration has had a pioneering role related to ESG issues and examines current “battleground” issues through investment arbitration case studies. The course also addresses flashpoint issues related to globalization and treaties, such as the status of the multilateral Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).
International Arbitration in Latin America & the Caribbean
This course covers various issues related to international arbitration in Latin America and the Caribbean. The course will also examine legal frameworks and practicalities of conducting commercial arbitration proceedings in Latin America, the current developments of handling disputes, and the application of the New York Convention in Latin America.
International Bankruptcy
Corporate insolvency today is rarely contained within a single nation’s bankruptcy jurisdiction. Most large corporations have assets and operations in multiple countries and are often part of a “corporate group” that includes affiliated entities operating in numerous countries, many of which will file their own insolvency proceedings in their countries of incorporation. In these instances, the bankruptcy practitioner needs to know something about foreign insolvency laws as well as the U.S. laws that facilitate coordination among the U.S. and foreign bankruptcy courts.
International Distribution and Franchise Agreements
In an ever-increasing global marketplace, businesspeople seek a variety of ways to place their services and products overseas via direct investment or through a net of local players in the targeted markets. The course will address the issues that are commonly embedded in international distribution and franchise relationships, including pre-contractual negotiation, performance, and non-performance.
International Sales
The course will provide the students an overview of the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts and CISG (Convention on International Sales of Goods) as main bodies of law in international commercial transactions. Starting from the differences between the two instruments and then focusing on the elements of contract formation, rights & obligations, and remedies & damages under both regimes. Both UNIDROIT and CISG depart from a compromise between common law and civil law to promote commerce and transit of capital around the globe. However, the differences on contract law make the application of these two challenging on every jurisdiction. Through the course, the students will evaluate the UNIDROIT and CISG not only from the International law perspective but also from different jurisdictions and legal regimes.
U.S. Customs Law
This course will cover the legal authorities of U.S. customs officials to regulate entry and assess admissibility of merchandise. Topics include the customs laws regarding the detention, search, and seizure of merchandise, as well as the people, baggage, parcels, containers, and conveyances that transport merchandise into the country. Topics also include the customs laws regarding the importation process, encompassing the declarations, tariffs, and restrictions applicable to entry of various types of merchandise, cargo, and personal possessions.
Foreign & Comparative Law Topics
Ancient Greek and Roman Law
This course provides a broad, historical overview of the legal systems of both ancient Greece and Rome. The focus of the course falls upon articulating the chief attributes of two very different legal frameworks from the ancient Mediterranean world: Greek law was primarily ‘procedural’ in nature, that is, concentrated above all on questions of process, jurisdiction, and the like, whereas Roman law was ‘substantive,’ considering inter alia rights, obligations, and offenses. In considering these differences, the course treats some of the most famous figures in the ancient canon—including Lysias, Demosthenes, and Cicero—as well as a range of legal topics from criminal law to family law, contracts, and delicts.
Comparative Criminal Justice: Key Issues and Recent Trends
The course focuses on the diversity of Criminal Justice systems, including key issues and recent trends. Topics will comprise the analysis of fundamental principles, such as legality and culpability, as well of specific areas of criminality such as crimes against the person, sex offenses and organized crime. The analysis of substantive law will always be connected with its enforcement, making reference to prosecutorial discretion and to the different models of procedure.
Doing Business in Latin America
This course aims to prepare students to work in a cross-border and transnational legal and business context in Latin America. The course will cover the legal aspects of doing business in Latin America through the analysis of the business practices in major industries present in every Latin America country, regardless of different political and economic approaches, levels of development and social and educational contexts. The course is designed primarily for students who plan to serve as legal liaisons between the U.S. legal system and the most relevant legal systems in Latin America. Students in the course will be exposed to a variety of different aspects of doing business in Latin America, including doing business through a sales representative or distributor, the use of different forms of business associations (in the form of local subsidiaries or branches), and the regulations related to direct investments. The course will also cover aspects of exchange control regulations, import/exports restrictions, repatriation of investments, labor law and unions and special local laws for the protection of the local market and investors. Finally, the course will focus on litigation, arbitration (both national and international), treaties for the protection on foreign investments and international enforcement of judgments and awards.
Doing Business in Latin America Workshop
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a practical view of the legal aspects of business transactions taking place in Latin America. Companies doing business or investing in Latin American jurisdictions need to be familiar with the issues that arise when activities cross borders, as well as understand the legal framework and the legal culture of the countries in which their clients operate. Understanding the differences in law in different jurisdictions, the culture in which the law is based and the thought processes of the local lawyers are key aspects in advising clients on Latin American transactions. The course structure is as follows: 1) Selecting a topic of interest: Students will select a question or problem of their choice from industries covered in the class in a specific Latin American country. 2) Assignment of a Mentor: Students will be matched with a mentor from the Miami in-house counsel community that has experience with the student’s topic of interest.
Entertainment Law in Latin America
This course will cover the legal aspects of television show production in Latin America, oriented to attorneys willing to practice in the field of entertainment for either U.S. or foreign TV networks and production companies doing business in Latin America. Forms of contracts and other legal documents will be brought to analysis, including the discussion of generally accepted clauses and resolution of situations generally encountered in the TV business based on real cases taken from practice and case law. The course will aim to provide students with basic knowledge to understand and develop a practice in Entertainment law oriented to the Latin American market. The course will cover the legal steps of the TV business, from the acquisition of rights over a format to the final distribution of the series or program.
Introduction to Maritime Law in Latin America
This course will start with a general review of the main international maritime conventions and the status of their ratification in Latin America. The course will follow with the general overview of the maritime laws and regimes in the following five Latin American countries: México, Panamá, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina. This review will cover the main features of the maritime law of these countries, including the existence of maritime acts and laws, the sources of maritime law, the existence of special maritime jurisdictions, maritime arbitration, the carriage of goods by sea laws and other special maritime institutions such as the arrest of vessels and the limitation of liability of the shipowner
Islamic Legal Systems
This course is an introduction to the Islamic legal system in both its historical and contemporary forms. The course will cover substantive areas of Islamic law such as constitutional, business law and property, commercial transactions, criminal and family law. The course will focus on the sources of law, the theory and application of law within the Islamic state, the application of Islamic law in modern state systems, and a view of the conflict between Islamic and Western law. This course will offer a comparative study that illustrates the contrasts with modern legal, secular and constitutional principles.
Roman Law: Jurists, Corporations, and Empire from Antiquity to Today
This course investigates the history of Roman law from the time of Justinian (6th century CE) to the present. The course will examine the early medieval law codes of western Europe, the development of canon law in the medieval Church, the use of Roman law by early modern empires, the laws governing corporations of all sorts, and the emergence of national law codes in modern nations across the world, among many other topics. Throughout the semester, we will pay attention not only to the details of important legal ideas, but especially to questions of how such ideas emerged, how they were put in place, and how later societies maintained, changed, or replaced them.
Spanish for Lawyers I & II
The main objective of this program is to polish the students’ communicative skills, as well as develop the profession-specific vocabulary, for oral and written interaction with colleagues and clients in a formal and professional legal setting in Spanish. Within the framework of applied sociolinguistics, the course begins with a comparative study of the legal system in the U.S. and that/those in the Spanish-speaking countries, focusing on language choices and expressions of ideology. This course provides a historical backdrop of Latin America to better understand its population, the subtleties in regional differences in language use, and their view of the world and the law. We will look at key events that shaped society and government, and how those events also marked politics and international affairs. Aimed for legal practice in the U.S., the future lawyer will gain a socio-historical appreciation and a cultural sensibility when interact. The second course in the Spanish for Lawyers Program builds upon the content and skills developed in the first one. Students will explore more technical aspects of the legal text, such as contracts, banking and finance, arbitration, and legal briefs. Placement test required.
*** As we continuously develop and update our international law curriculum, course offerings may change in the future, and all courses may not be offered every semester/academic year.***
