Course Descriptions
Lectures are in English. Participants have access to the libraries of UNCITRAL in Vienna, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the University of Vienna School of Law, and the University of Strasbourg School of Law, all of which house fine collections of current English language legal documents and periodical literature.
Courses are 3 credits each. U.S. students may enroll for 6 credit hours. All courses are fully accredited and equivalent for credit purposes to those courses offered at Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law.
The curriculum is enhanced with special on-site seminars in the Hague at the International Court of Justice Peace Palace, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and the International Criminal Court; the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg; the headquarters of the Commission and Council of the European Union in Brussels; French and Austrian courts; the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law in Vienna; and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Course instruction is also supplemented with visits by distinguished guest lecturers.
Courses are scheduled to provide time for exploration of the cultural and artistic treasures of The Hague, Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Salzburg, Vienna, and their environs.
Comparative Law — 3 credits
Professor Louis F. Del Duca
This course emphasizes the present contrasts between
principal European systems and their American analogues
and trains young lawyers to deal with civil and
common law systems. It also covers the cultural
and historical evolution of the civil law system.
On-site seminars are scheduled with members of the
International Court of Justice and the United Nations
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
and the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg,
and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Distinguished members and staff of French and Austrian
courts; the Council and Commission of the European
Union; the Council of Europe; the Centre de Formation
(the Inns of Court) of Strasbourg, France; and our
faculty cooperatively present on-site
seminars that ensure students opportunities to
interact with personnel of these organizations.
The Future of International Criminal Justice
— 3 credits
Professors
Göran Sluiter and Helen Brady
This course traces the history of international
criminal law, from its earliest manifestations in
cultural texts to the first attempts to codify
the laws of war by Henri Dunant and Francis Lieber.
Before examining the most recent efforts to enforce
international criminal laws as embodied by the United
Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal
Court in The Hague, students will explore the legacy
of Nuremberg and its contribution to modern criminal
law. The course will include a detailed study of
the Geneva Conventions, crimes against humanity,
and genocide and explore not only the related jurisprudence,
but policy issues arising out of attempts to hold
senior political and military officials responsible
for the commission of international crimes.
International Law & The Arts — 3 credits
Professor Geoffrey Scott
This course considers select subjects of international and comparative law as they impact the cultivation and harvest of artistic effort and the protection of cultural properties. Specific topics include the transnational movement of art and ethnographic treasures and the various national and international limitations thereon; art theft; art as a victim of war; the art market, auctions, and the interests of collectors; museums and public support for the arts; the moral and economic rights of artists and their effect upon the art market; and the very important role played in the world art community by various international and comparative intellectual property regimes.
International Trade Law — 3 credits
Professor Ved P. Nanda
The emphasis will be on the law and the legal process
related to international trade. The discussion will
focus on the World Trade Organization/General
Agreement on Tariff and Trade (WTO/GATT) system and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), especially
their dispute-settlement mechanisms and selected
case law.
Photo on right shows inside
The Binnenhof, where the First & Second Chamber
of the States General are housed, The Hague, Netherlands.
