Course Descriptions
Lectures are in English. Participants have access to the libraries of UNCITRAL in Vienna, the Council of Europe and the University of Strrasbourg Law School in Strasbourg, and the University of Vienna School of Law, all of which house fine collections of current English language legal documents and periodical literature.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will be the Distinguished Guest Jurist in a course on Separation of Powers, which will be added to the Penn State Dickinson Hague • Brussels • Luxembourg • Strasbourg • Vienna 2009 Summer Program. Justice Scalia will present a one-credit course in collaboration with Professor Christine H. Kellett from Monday, July 6 through Friday, July 17.
Students may enroll for a minimum of five or maximum of six credit hours. All courses are fully accredited and equivalent for credit purposes to those courses offered at Penn State'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; and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law in Vienna. 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.
Separation of Powers — 1 credit
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
Professor Christine H. Kellett
This course will examine the federal doctrine of Separation of Powers, as applied in opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Subjects covered will include appointment and removal of federal officers, unconstitutional delegation of legislative powers, the legislative veto, standing to sue, and proper attributes of the judicial power. The assigned readings will include brief excerpts from The Federalist and from Tocqueville's Democracy in America. Throughout the course, comparisons will be made to the treatment of similar issues in foreign countries, particularly the countries of the European Union.
Comparative Counterterrorism Law — 2.5 credits
Professors Jeffrey Addicott and Geoffrey Corn
This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the legal challenges associated with combating domestic and transnational terrorism. Students will explore a variety of legal mechanisms states utilize to accomplish this national security objective, ranging from traditional criminal prosecutions to regulation of financial institutions to the use of military force both internally and externally. Through this process, students will analyze how the various legal mechanisms and legal frameworks adopted to address this threat impact both the scope of state authority and the rights of suspected terrorists.
Comparative Law — 2.5 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
— 2.5 credits
Professors Helen Brady, Andre Klip, Göran Sluiter, and Gentian Zyberi
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 and Comparative Environmental Law — 2.5 credits
Professor Ved Nanda
This course focuses on the study of the international norms, institutions, and processes which are instrumental in regulating activities aimed at preserving natural resources and preventing environmental degradation. The comparative aspect will focus on Indian and EU law.
Fundamental substantive principles such as sustainable development, common but differentiated responsibilities, and the polluter-pays principle, and fundamental procedural principles such as public participation and the precautionary principle, will be studied, as well as close links of international environmental law with human rights law and international trade.
Photo on right shows inside
The Binnenhof, where the First & Second Chamber
of the States General are housed, The Hague, Netherlands.
