Academics
Academics
Study Abroad
| Summer in France Program May 17 to June 29, 2010 (May 25 to June 29, 2010 in France) 2010 Schedule |
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Bonjour! Drake Law School's Summer in France Program gives students a chance to earn six credits in comparative and international law subjects, taught in English, at the University of Nantes. Nantes is located on the Loire River, only two hours by train to Paris. By the time you say "Au revoir," you'll have gained credits toward graduation and an understanding of other cultures.
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Program Calendar
Click here to download the Summer in France 2010 Schedule.
Nantes: Nantes is located just 35 miles from France’s Atlantic coast. The 6th largest city in France with one of the youngest demographics, Nantes is a major commercial center with a port on the Loire River. It was rated as one of the best cities in France for quality of life. A tapestry of vineyards surrounds Nantes, and many elegant chateaux are nearby and open to the public. Paris is two hours away by train, seaside resorts are half an hour away, and all of Europe is easily accessible by train or plane. A medieval castle, historic sites, outdoor cafes, and a lively nightlife offer students a unique international experience.
For more information, visit web sites on Nantes: www.nantes44.com/ (great photos, text in French) and www.reception.com/US/default.htm (English guide to various sites in Nantes and the surrounding area, lots of photos). A map of the city can be downloaded in PDF format. A live webcam of Nantes' Place du Commerce can be viewed here.
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Courses:
| Course Schedule | Grading Standards |
Change and Development in European Legal Systems (1 credit)
Andrew West, Lecturer, Catholic Institute of Higher Education, La Roche-sur-Yon. Solicitor, England & Wales
Derek Wilson, Lecturer, Catholic Institute of Higher Education, La Roche-sur-Yon. Solicitor, Scotland.
The legal systems of European countries have been subject to pressure to change and converge in the context of the European Union. In this course we will look at how certain issues are developing in the legal systems of Scotland (which is a mixed system, based partly on English law traditions, and partly on Continental law tradition) and France. For example, we will compare the written constitution of France with the largely non-written UK constitution, and will examine the devolution of legislative power in Scotland and regulation-making power in Wales, and the devolution of greater power to the Conseil Regionaux in France. We will also examine questions such as convergence within the criminal justice systems.
European Union Law (1 credit)
Andrew West, Lecturer, Catholic Institute of Higher Education, La Roche-sur-Yon. Solicitor, England & Wales
The European Union has become a formidable trading bloc, and the gross national product of the European Union countries will soon rival that of the United States. As international trade increases, it is imperative that U.S. lawyers understand how the community is organized. In this general introductory course, students explore the basic institutions and principles of the European Union as well as its procedures and provisions for the free movement of goods, services, and persons. The course looks also at the political reasons behind the creation of the European Union, the impact of expansion to the former Soviet bloc countries of Eastern Europe, and the attempts to put in place a constitution of the European Union.
Global Issues in Criminal Law (1 Credit)
Professor Ellen Yee, Drake Law School
This course will focus on international and transnational criminal law, including terrorism and genocide and the international tribunals’ treatment of genocide cases. The course will address issues of jurisdiction, and will also examine how other systems view issues such as criminal intent, actus reus and defenses.
The Holocaust and the Law (2 Credits)
In this course students will examine the legal and jurisprudential dimensions of the Nazi state and some of the post-war consequences of the Nazi era. Topics will include German history, the Nazi assumption and exercise of power through legislative and judicial means, the impact of international immigration restrictions on escape, the post-war trials of Nazi participants in the Holocaust, including deportation and denaturalization of American citizens, Holocaust denial, and, perhaps, some of the claims that have been the focus of post-war restitution litigation.
Separating Church and State: Comparing the French and American Experiences (1 Credit)
Professor Ian Bartrum, Drake Law School
This course will examine the historical and theoretical roots of religious disestablishment in both the United States and France, and will explore the ways that the differing national experiences have influenced modern cultural and legal perspectives on the separation of church and state. Particular attention will be given to the treatment of religious expression in the school context, with a focus on the recent controversy over Muslim headscarves in French classrooms.
Faculty:
Professor Ian Bartrum teaches in the areas of Constitutional Law, Constitutional Theory, and Law and Religion. He is a graduate of Hamilton College, Vermont Law School, and Yale Law School. Before coming to Drake, he was the Irving Ribicoff Fellow at Yale Law School, where he led a seminar on the history and theory of the Establishment Clause. His research is in the fields of Constitutional History and Theory, with a particular focus on issues involving religious freedom.
Professor Cathy Mansfield is a Professor of Law at Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. She teaches a variety of Consumer Law courses. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Americans for Fairness in Lending, has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and has worked as a consultant for the National Consumer Law Center. She lectures nationally about consumer law issues. Her publications include Literacy & Contract, 13.2 Stanford Law and Policy Review 233 (2002)(with Alan M. White) and The Road to Subprime “HEL” was Paved With Good Congressional Intentions: Usury Deregulation and the Subprime Home Equity Market, 51 S.C.L. REV. 473 (2000). Professor Mansfield is also a composer, librettist and Holocaust scholar. She was a Silberman Fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum during June, 2007, and her opera, The Sparks Fly Upward, enjoyed a successful world premiere in Des Moines, Iowa in November 2008. The Sparks Fly Upward follows three German families in Berlin, two Jewish and one Christian, through the Holocaust, beginning in the autumn of 1938. The story is told completely through music and is based on years of research in many Holocaust archives.
Professor Andrew West is a lecturer in law at the Catholic Institute of Higher Education, La Roche-sur-Yon. He formerly was a lecturer in law at the University of Wales Cardiff, the University of Wales Swansea and the University of Nantes. He has been an adjunct professor at Drake Law School. Prior to his teaching career, Professor West was a solicitor in Southampton, England. He is the editor and co-author of The French Legal System and has written numerous articles on French and English law.
Professor Derek Wilson is a lecturer in law at the Catholic Institute of Higher Education, La Roche-sur-Yon. He was admitted by Order of Scotland's Supreme Court in Edinburgh to the Law Society of Scotland's Roll of Solicitors and as a Notary Public in 1991. Mr. Wilson conducted both civil and criminal cases, from the highest to the lowest of Scotland's Courts, until he moved to France to take his current position. Mr. Wilson has participated in comparative legal research projects on British and European Law.
Professor Ellen L. Yee teaches in the areas of Criminal Law, Professional Responsibility, Psychiatry and the Law, and Trial Advocacy. She is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Minnesota Law School where she was an Associate Managing Editor for the Minnesota Law Review. Before coming to Drake, Professor Yee was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida State University College of Law and a Deputy District Attorney in Marin County, California. Her research addresses issues at the intersection of evidence and criminal procedure.
Andrea Charlow is a professor at Drake University Law School and currently the Director of the Summer in France Program. She has a J.D. from Albany Law School, and an LLM from Columbia University Law School. She practiced law with the firm of Hancock, Ryan, Shove, & Hust in Syracuse New York and has served as Associate Dean at Drake Law School and Director of the Middleton Children's Rights Center.
Accreditation: The American Bar Association has approved the 2010 Summer in France Program, and the program is offered as part of the fully accredited Drake Law School curriculum. The student's home school, however, must determine whether to accept any credit or grade for courses taken in the program.
Costs: The fee for the summer program will be $5,250. The fee covers six (6) law school credit hours and a studio apartment.
Program participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from Nantes, transportation while in and around Nantes, and food during the program. Students are encouraged to make airline reservations well in advance.
Students who plan to cover the program costs through loans must apply for those funds at the law school where they are currently enrolled.
Financial Requirements, Deadlines and Cancellation Policy:
Non-refundable Deposit. Seats in this program are limited. A student must pay a $250 deposit to hold a seat, which will be credited toward the combined tuition and housing costs, and a student may not withdraw from the Summer in France Law Program once his or her deposit is paid without permission of the Program Director, Andrea Charlow. The $250 deposit is refundable if a student is not accepted into the program. Otherwise the $250 deposit is not refundable unless the program is cancelled or substantially altered.
Combined Tuition Fees and Housing Rent/Costs. Tuition fees and housing costs total $5,250 and must be paid in full by May 24, 2010. Although remaining payment of the $5,000 (after the $250 deposit) program balance does not have to be paid until May 24, 2010, students are obligated for the entire $$5,250 amount if they make a deposit and are accepted into the program. Permission to withdraw from the program will only be granted for good cause and based on circumstances unforeseen by the applicant at the time of application. Drake University must make an irrevocable commitment on housing by March 15, 2010. As a result, a student who is permitted to withdraw after March 15 will only have his or her tuition fees waived; the student remains obligated in full for the housing costs incurred by Drake University. Drake University Law School reserves the right to cancel this program in the event of compelling circumstances. In such event, all monies including the $250 deposit would be returned. In the event of material alteration in the program, applicants will be notified promptly. Program costs will be refunded to any student who provides a written request for withdrawal within 10 days of notification of the alteration.
Requirements for non-Drake students: An applicant from a law school other than Drake University must submit a written statement from the Dean or other appropriate official of his or her law school, certifying that the applicant is in good academic standing and is not on probation for disciplinary or other reasons. The statement should also indicate that the applicant's law school will accept the credit earned from the 2010 Summer in France Law Program at Nantes, France. The application will not be processed until this statement is received. The applicant is responsible for arranging to receive academic credit from his or her law school for successful completion of the program.
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Grade Point Requirement: To be accepted into the Summer in France program, a first-year student must have achieved a 2.0 grade point average after the first semester, and a second-year student must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0. Anyone who is accepted but later falls below these requirements will be withdrawn from the program, even if the program has already started. Tuition money will be refunded, but the school will not be responsible for any other costs that might be incurred by the student.
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Scholarship: The Donald Craib Scholarship will be awarded to a student with need who demonstrates that the summer program will have a significant impact on his or her career. The scholarship will cover part of the cost of the program. The deadline for receipt of the scholarship application is March 1, 2010. It should be submitted to Kara Blanchard, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. Questions should be directed to Kara Blanchard at 800-443-7253, ext. 2953, E-mail: kara.blanchard@drake.edu or to Andrea Charlow at 800-443-7253, ext.2066 E-mail: andrea.charlow@drake.edu
To obtain a scholarship application click here.
Apply: The program is limited to 25 students. Any student in good standing attending an ABA-accredited law school who has completed one year of full or part time law study is eligible to enroll. Students who do not attend Drake Law School must submit a letter of good standing from the appropriate official at the school where they are currently enrolled. There are no prerequisites for any of the courses in this program. Qualified students will be admitted on a first come, first served basis. Applicants are subject to the Financial Requirements stated above.
To obtain a program application click here.
Application and fees should be sent to:
Drake Law School
Summer in France Program
ATTN: Krista Magill
2507 University Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50311-4505
E-mail: krista.magill@drake.edu
Students with further questions may contact:
Director Professor Andrea Charlow
Telephone: 800-443-7253, ext.2066
E-mail: andrea.charlow@drake.edu
Assistant Director Erin Lain
Telephone: 800-443-7253, ext.2040
E-mail: erin.lain@drake.edu
Drake Law School is accredited by the ABA and is a member of the American Association of Law Schools.
