Academics & Courses

Students in class at University of Utrecht.The Summer Study Abroad Program is an integral part of the Washburn University School of Law and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Other law schools have regularly approved transfer of credits. However, non-Washburn Law students should contact their present law school before registration to confirm transfer of credits. Upon completion of the program, a grade report will be emailed by Washburn Law to the student's email address. Washburn uses a letter grading system, including A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F. Washburn University School of Law assigns grades based on faculty-approved grading guidelines.

The Summer Study Abroad Program consists of two courses, each for 3 semester credit hours. Students must enroll in both courses. The courses are suitable for second or third year students. The class schedule shows the days classes meet, other tenatively planned activities and final exam dates.


"My summer turned out to be a treasure chest of first-in-my-lifetime and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Among the treasures was the opportunity I had to analyze American law in a comparative context. My experience was enhanced by the camaraderie I enjoyed with friendly Washburn students and professors, whose hearts and minds were no doubt enriched alongside my own. Being a part of Washburn Law's program is a decision I will never regret, and provided me with a summer I will never forget!"
Tina Bay
UCLA Law School Student
& 2001 Attendee

Courses

Courses for the 2008 program are:

Comparative U.S.-Dutch Legal Systems and Professions

This course will be co-taught by Aïda Alaka, Associate Professor of Law at Washburn University School of Law, and Jonathan E. Soeharno, Lecturer in the LL.M. Program at Utrecht University. In this course students will analyze the legal systems of the United States, the Netherlands, and the European Union, and examine the development of the common law and civil law systems from a number of different perspectives. They also will compare the sources and hierarchy of the law and the roles of judges and attorneys within these systems. In particular, students will examine some of the critical differences between U.S., Dutch, and European criminal and civil practice and procedure. In addition, students will explore the professional and ethical obligations of lawyers practicing law in the U.S. and the Netherlands. The goal of this course is for students to gain a deeper understanding of these different legal systems and their professional functions within them.

Comparative Judicial Enforcement of Constitutional and International Rights

This course will be co-taught by Bill Merkel, Associate Professor of Law at Washburn University School of Law; and Oda Essens, University Lecturer at the Europa Institute of Utrecht University School of Law. The course will focus on the process of constitutionalizing rights in the U.S. and Europe, comparing the slow rise of judicial enforcement of classical liberal rights in the U.S. to the rapid development of human rights law in Europe in the decades since World War II. It will concentrate on Dutch, French, German, U.K., U.S. and European examples. Major themes include the effects of theories of separation of powers, federalism and sovereignty on rights enforcement, the development of different models of constitutional review, and the acceptance of transnational enforcement of individual and group rights on the European and international planes. Substantive areas of law examined will include criminal defendants' rights, free expression and privacy, and social and economic rights. Special problems covered will include adjudication of conflicts involving the collision of rights asserted by multiple differently situated parties, the effects of rights claims on third parties, and realization of constitutional duties for positive implementation of rights outside the context of litigation.

Course Materials

U.S. books and materials for both courses will be available at Washburn University School of Law. European materials will be available in Utrecht.

Please Note: Participation in foreign summer programs is unlikely to accelerate graduation. Students interested in acceleration should check with their home schools to review this issue in light of Standard 304, Interpretation 4 (50 KB PDF; see p. 4) of the American Bar Association accreditation standards.