www.wmitchell.eduCourse sessions in Edinburgh and London will run Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. with an 8:30 check-in the first day of each class. Each course will end with an examination.
Edinburgh Session: May 26 - June 13, 2008
Comparative British and American Constitutional History
(2 credits)
Set in the renowned city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland and home to Scotland's newly created Parliament, this course traces the developments and underlying principles of the British and American constitutions and shows how the two systems have influenced and continue to influence one another. The contrasting Scottish system will also be examined in the classroom, in discussions with Scottish lawyers, and in visits to the Scottish law courts and Scotland's Parliament.
This course will cover areas such as:
- Development of the United Kingdom's doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty
- The influence of English constitutional developments on the American Revolution and the development of the U.S. Constitution
- Development of the modern system of parliamentary democracy in the United Kingdom
- The judicial system of the United Kingdom, the role of barristers and solicitors, and the contrasting Scottish system
- Constitutional changes occurring in the United Kingdom today, including Scottish devolution
Teachers
Professor Michael Steenson, William Mitchell College of Law; Professor J. David Prince, William Mitchell College of Law; Professors Kim Stevenson and Candida Harris, School of Sociology, Politics and Law, University of Plymouth
International and Comparative Family Law
(2 credits)
This course will examine selected transnational issues in modern family law, with particular emphasis on similarities and distinctions between American jurisdictions, England, Scotland, and the EU.
This course will cover such areas as:
- International adoption and child custody issues
- Marriage and divorce requirements
- Unmarried heterosexual and same-sex relationships
- Gender equality, abortion and property rights
- Parental rights and responsibilities, and concepts of child welfare
Teacher
Professor James W. Paulsen, South Texas College of Law
London Session: June 16 - July 4, 2008
Space Law: Exploration and Exploitation of the Ultimate Global Commons
(2 credits)
This course will cover such areas as:
- Questions that arise under a remarkable and interconnected body of international and domestic law governing the exploration and exploitation of space, including deployment of weapons in space, use of "remote sensing" satellites in oil exploration, and liability for the environmental consequences of space exploration
- Surveying the antecedents of space law in "global commons" legal regimes such as the law of the sea and the Antartic Treaty
- A study of epochal documents in space law such as the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, and the Liability Convention of 1972
- An examination of recent developments in domestic law addressing the private development of space
Teacher
Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, William Mitchell College of Law
Civil and Criminal Lawsuits From Start to Finish: A Comparison between the United Kingdom and the United States
(2 credits)
This course compares the litigation process of England with that of the United States. It also examines a number of ethical issues affecting practicing attorneys in England and Wales.
This course will cover such areas as:
- Civil and criminal litigation practices
- The regulatory framework for solicitors and barristers
- Topical ethical issues
Teacher
Professor Juliette Wagner, Barrister, Inns of Court School of Law, and others