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A summer program offered by the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the NationalUniversity of Ireland and the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education, Inc.

New England Law | Boston is honored to announce that Chief Justice of the United States, John G. Roberts, Jr., will be teaching in this summer’s program.

Six Weeks in Ireland

New England Law | Boston—along with California Western School of Law, South Texas College of Law, and William Mitchell College of Law—offers an exciting opportunity to study law during the summer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland in Galway.

Taught by experts in the field from Ireland and the United States, the six-week program focuses on courses related to international and comparative human rights law and accountability for human rights violations. This summer’s program will include a course taught by Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. Approved by the American Bar Association, the program is open to students in good standing at ABA-accredited United States law schools and at Canadian and European university law programs. Participants may take courses for credit (which requires successful performance on final examinations) or as auditors (final examinations are not required). Course instruction is in English.

Enrollment

Each student must enroll for the full six-week session and may take three of the six courses offered during the program. A student may earn a total of six credits, transferable to most law schools. Students should check with the registrar’s office at their school to determine the transferability of grades and credits earned in this program.

It is unlikely that participation in a summer program will accelerate graduation for a full-time student. The program is limited to about 50 students, which permits relatively intimate seminars in which students get a better opportunity to work and interact with each other and the faculty. Limiting the enrollment also allows the program to guarantee reasonably priced housing for all students. Last year 51attendees came from 19 American or Canadian law schools; about half of the students were from the four sponsoring American law schools. 

Location

Galway is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland on the western coast, a short ride from the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, the Aran Islands, and Connemara National Park. The National University of Ireland’s campus, modeled on Christ Church College at Oxford University, is located on the banks of the River Corrib within a few minutes’ walk of the heart of Galway, the vibrant cultural center of the west of Ireland. 

For additional information, please contact Professor Philip K. Hamilton, program director.

Galway Courses

Session 1: June 14 – July 3

Legal History: The Development of Human Rights Law

Professor Philip Hamilton
9:00-10:50 AM

“Human rights” is an ideal that includes far more than the political rights that were articulated in the 17th and 18th centuries in such documents as the English Bill of Rights and the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. How was that limited concept of “rights” extended beyond the borders of individual countries and expanded to include such notions as economic rights and group rights? How were states persuaded to commit themselves to honor that expanded and universalized view of rights? How do we evaluate that commitment in light of recent and continuing abuses of human rights? This course attempts to address those questions by examining some of the events and ideas that contributed most significantly to the development of our current understanding of human rights and to its codification in the documents that form the basis of modern human rights law. Readings include both historical and legal materials.

International Law and International Humanitarian Law

Professor Ray Murphy
11:00 AM-12:50 PM

This course explores contemporary issues of international law and IHL or the law of armed conflict. It involves a brief introduction to the sources of international law, an examination of the United Nations Charter provisions governing the use of force, and an examination of the concept of humanitarian intervention and UN-authorized or UN-mandated peacekeeping operations. The course explores the concept, purpose, and contemporary sources of IHL; the concept of armed conflict; and the protection of civilians and the conduct of hostilities. The Convention dealing with the protection of prisoners of war is also examined. The course refers to contemporary situations such as Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, as well as drawing on a number of historical examples, and includes a review of the implementation of IHL and the role of international tribunals.

International Human Rights Law Professor

Kathleen Cavanaugh
1:00-2:50 PM

This course surveys the major universal and regional systems of human rights law, their relationships to each other, and the legal value and authority of declarations, decisions, judgments, and other materials generated by them. It also addresses some of the normative and other debates, old and new, that accompany the human rights discourse and, especially, how the war on terror discourse has affected the application, development, and implementation of human rights law. By the end of the course, the student should be able to carry out effective research in the field of international human rights law.

Session 2: July 6 – July 24

How the U.S. Supreme Court Works: An Introduction

Professor Lawrence Friedman

The United States Supreme Court in Historical Perspective*

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Professor Richard Lazarus
9:00-10:50 AM

The United States Supreme Court in Historical Perspective, taught by Chief Justice Roberts and Professor Lazarus, examines how the role and operation of the Supreme Court have changed since the nation’s founding, with particular emphasis on the role of the Chief Justice and the ways that several of the Chief Justices, from John Marshall to William Rehnquist, have influenced the Court’s role. The course also reviews how advocacy before the Court has changed over time, with particular emphasis on some of the most effective advocates. This two-week course is preceded by a one-week, pass-fail, prerequisite, How the U.S. Supreme Court Works: An Introduction, taught by Professor Friedman. It focuses on the work of the modern Supreme Court and such issues as judicial appointment and confirmation, jurisdiction, and the process of deciding cases. Successful completion of this course is required of all students enrolling in The United States Supreme Court in Historical Perspective.

*Enrollment in this course will be limited. If you would like to enroll, please submit a short statement (no more than 250 words) explaining why you want to take this course and what you think you can add to the course.

Human Rights and the Environment

Professor Olga Moya
11:00 AM-12:50 PM

This course examines two converging fields of law. The course explores the growing recognition of the right to a safe and healthy environment as an enforceable human right. Its coverage includes review of environmental degradation cases in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and the human impact of the degradation on the affected communities. The cases interpret treaties, constitutions, and human rights legislation. No prior familiarity with environmental law or international law is presumed.

Comparative Health Law and Human Rights

Professor Susan Channick
1:00-2:50 PM

The fundamental right to health care is supported by international law and regional conventions. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), for example, provides that parties to the covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. The United States, which is not a signatory to the ICESCR, has not recognized that kind of “positive” right to health care. In this course, we will compare the health systems of the United States and several other countries to examine and evaluate the influence that the fundamental rights model has had on the evolution of health access, financing, distribution, and ethics.

Galway Dates and Tuition

The program opens Sunday, June 14, with an afternoon introductory meeting and welcoming reception for participants and faculty. First-session classes run from June 15 through July 3. The second session runs from July 6 through July 24. To give participants extra time to explore Ireland and Europe, there are no classes on the following Fridays: June 19, June 26, July 10, and July 17.

The fees for the program total $5,200 (including a nonrefundable $200 application fee). This charge covers tuition ($3,100 for up to six credit hours), accommodations, computer access, and activities.

Students are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and obtaining their assigned textbooks in their home countries before their departure for Galway. Passports are required for travel to Ireland and are the responsibility of each student. Visas are not required for United States citizens traveling to Ireland.

Participants should contact the Office of Financial Aidr at their own law school to determine eligibility for financial aid.

Cancellation Policy

New England Law | Boston and the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education, Inc., reserve the right to alter or cancel this program. Cancellation would occur in the event of program under-enrollment by April 25, 2009, or unforeseen international events that could substantially inhibit program operations or seriously compromise student safety. If the program is canceled, all tuition and fees will be returned.

To Apply

The application deadline is April 1, 2009, but because enrollment is limited to approximately 50 students, we recommend that you apply early to ensure admission. The application fee is $200. Admission is open to any law student at an ABAaccredited law school, as well as any student enrolled in a Canadian or European university law program, who is in good academic standing as determined by the student’s home school and who has completed the first year of full-time or part-time study. For prompt processing, please complete the online application form (PDF), print it out and submit it by mail. Notification of acceptance will begin on February 2, 2009. Within two weeks of notification of acceptance, the student is required to provide a $500 nonrefundable tuition deposit. The balance of the tuition and fees ($4,500) must be paid by May 18, 2009.

The application is complete when the following have been submitted: