|
Home » Search Programs » Short Term/Summer Programs » UA Faculty Led Short Term Programs » Russia: St. Petersburg Law Institute
Presented by: The University of Arkansas School of Law
St. Petersburg Summer Law Institute
Program Dates: June 29* - July 25, 2009 (*participants need to arrive into St. Petersburg on Monday, June 29)
To find out more about the trip from a student's perspective, check out what particpant, Paula DeWitte, had to say about summer '08!
The St. Petersburg Summer Law Institute presents English-speaking law students with the rare opportunity to study international and comparative law in the historic cities of Novgorod and St. Petersburg, Russia. Russian law students will also attend the Summer Law Institute, many of whom will reside with their American counterparts. Participating students will earn a total of 5 credit hours toward their law degrees (subject to any policies adopted by their particular law schools). The program will begin in Novgorod, a historic center of international trade located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, with arrivals expected Monday, June 29 and classes Tuesday, June 30. On Saturday, July 4 students will head to St. Petersburg for the remainder of the program. During the four weeks, lectures will provide an introduction into Russian law and focus on diverse areas of comparative and international law (see proposed course content areas). The St. Petersburg Summer Law Institute is sponsored by the University of Arkansas School of Law, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. The Summer Law Institute represents a continuing educational relationship between the U.S. schools, the St. Petersburg State University Law Faculty and the Novgorod State University Law Facultythat has endured since 1993, through some of the most momentous times in Russia's ongoing transformation. The University of Arkansas School of Law, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law are accredited by the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools. The St. Petersburg Summer Law Institute has been approved by the Accreditation Committee of the American Bar Association and has been operating continuously since the summer of 1995.
Introduction to Russian Law taught by Valentina Grohotova from Novgorod State University. This unit will be an examination of the sources of law, the court system, the legal profession, criminal and civil procedures in Russia, and will also provide an overview of constitutional law and the protection of civil rigts in Russia. International Arbitration taught by Valeri Musin from St. Petersburg State University. This unit will examine methods and procedures of resolving international commercial disputes in non-judicial proceedings. Issues to be discussed include: United Nations and national laws; arbitration clauses; place and language of hearings; documentary evidence and expert witnesses at hearings; enforcement of awards. International Banking Issues taught by Professor Sharon Foster from the University of Arkansas. The focus of this course will be international organizations such as the Bank for International Settlements, the International Monetary Fund and the Group of Ten. What is the purpose and function of these organizations; what have they done that contributed to or helped rectify the current economic crisis; should we look to these organizations for a global solution to the economic problems we face today; and if a global solution is desirable what should it include? International Environmental Law taught by Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson from Cleveland State University. This course will provide a basic introduction to international law as it applies in an environmental law context. It will consider threats to the local, regional, and national environments, and to the global environment, with a particular focus on the role of international law in protecting the global commons. It will explore two main themes in
Law of Armed Conflict Since 9/11 taught by Professor Paul Paton from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. This course provides an introduction to key issues in international law as a foundation for discussing the international law of armed conflict. Particular attention will be paid to post-9/11 perspectives and concerns about international terrorist threats. Legal and policy considerations, justifications for intervention, the role of the United Nations and the UN Charter, international treaties, humanitarian intervention, individual and collective self-defense, and peacekeeping will all be considered. Given the nature of the course and the brief time permitted, the course should be considered an introduction and survey of these materials and in no way a substitute for a foundation course in public international law.
Sharon Foster (Univ. of Arkansas)joined the School of Law faculty in 2000 and became a tenure-track assistant professor in fall 2006. Prior to her arrival, she was an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles from 1998 to 2000. She taught in the Legal Research & Writing Program and has offered courses in international legal research and international finance. She has also coached the Jessup International Law Moot Court team. Professor Foster earned her bachelor's from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1983, her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1987, and her LL.M. in 1997 from the University of Edinburgh, and a Ph.D. in law in 2007 from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Between 1987 and 2000, she was in private practice in Los Angeles, focusing on construction and international law. Her recent writings have been in the area of international law. She will serve as the On-Site Director for the St. Petersburg Summer Law Institute in 2009. Valentina Grohotova, Associate Professor, Novgorod State University Law School, where she teaches International Law and Human Rights. She has a Ph.D., focusing on the Foreign Policy of the Labor Government of Great Britain in the 1930s. Prof. Grohotova has been an exchange professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She has done research and presented programs in Budapest, Strasbourg, Washington and Honolulu. Since 2001 she has served as the associate on-site director for the St. Petersburg Summer Law Program.
Valeriy Musin, Professor of Law, St. Petersburg State University. Professor Musin is one of Russia 's leading international business law experts who has frequently lectured in Russia and abroad on legal issues affecting international business transactions and foreign economic activity in Russia. He has served as chief legal expert to the St. Petersburg Mayor's Office Foreign Affairs Department, is a partner in Musin and Partners, a UK-Russian legal firm and has served as an Arbitrator of the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Russian Chamber for Trade and Industry. Professor Musin is also Chairman of the St. Petersburg State University Civil Procedure Department. He holds his law and graduate law degrees from Leningrad State University (now St. Petersburg State University). Paul Paton(McGeorge School of Law) teaches legal ethics, business associations, torts and public international law. Before joining McGeorge, he was on the faculty at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. In addition to his academic career, Professor Paton was a Senior Manager and Legal Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP from 1998 to 2004, Justice & Social Policy Advisor, Office of the Premier of Ontario from 1997 to 1998, Associate and Partner at Davies, Ward & Beck in Toronto from 1994 to 1997, and served as Instructor and Adjunct Professor, and Associate and Acting Director of the Canadian Studies Program for the University of Toronto , Faculty of Arts & Science from 1994 to 2001. In 2005, Professor Paton was appointed Vice-Chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Ethics & Professional Issues Committee, and in the same year was named a Fellow of the U.S. National Institute on the Teaching of Ethics & Professionalism. Paton also clerked for Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal for Ontario between 1992-1993. He has degrees from the University of Toronto, University of Cambridge, and Stanford Law.
Heidi Gorovitz Robertson (Cleveland State) teaches Property, Environmental Law and Environmental Policy. She has degrees from Tufts University, University of Wisconsin, and Columbia University. Prior to joining the law faculty in 1995, Professor Robertson practiced environmental law at Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Professor Robertson's research focuses on urban environmental issues. In particular, she has written about the demographic distribution of environmental risk and about legislative and other efforts to redevelop urban brownfields land. Most recently, Professor Robertson has written about the development of the fields of environmental ethics and bioethics. Professor Robertson has served as a Risk Analysis Fellow in CSU's Program of Excellence in Risk Analysis. She was a member of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Balanced Growth. In addition to her appointment to the law faculty, Professor Robertson is a member of the Environmental Studies faculty at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.
Program Administration The 2009 Law Institute will be administered by the University of Arkansas in consultation with the other sponsoring institutions and the Institute’s co-founders and initial directors, Professors Emeriti Jane M. Picker and Sidney Picker, Jr. Sharon Foster will serve as the On-Site Director for the St. Petersburg Summer Law Institute in 2009.
For the first two weeks of the program, classes will meet from Tuesday, June 30 - Friday July 3; and Monday, July 6 - Thursday, July 9; Final Exams on Friday, July 10. Students will attend 2 out of 3 lecture series. For the second two weeks of the program, classes will meet from Monday, July 13 - Thursday, July 16; and Monday, July 20 - Thursday, July 23; Final Exams on Friday, July 24. Students will attend 2 out of 3 lecture series. With 4 units combined, students will earn 5 credit hours. The Institute will also plan weekend and periodic afternoon excursions to legal and cultural institutions in and around St. Petersburg and Novgorod. Additionally, the program has usually included guest lecturers and officials from such organizations as the IMF, World Bank, the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg and other relevant international organizations.
Written examinations will be given in all classes. Students will receive a single grade for the program, based on the University of Arkansas grading system. Students are advised to consult their home school policies concerning receiving credit for course work. Academic credit will be awarded by the University of Arkansas School of Law. A student's home school will decide whether the credits earned in St. Petersburg are transferable. Grades will be determined by written examination. Note: Credits earned in the Summer Institute cannot ordinarily be used to accelerate graduation. Students should check with their own law schools regarding this matter.
Accommodations Novgorod: The Institute will operate in the Sadko Hotel, a 30 minute walk from the center of the city. Students are provided twin-bedded rooms each with private bath. Classes will also be held in the hotel. The hotel provides dining facilities. St. Petersburg: The Institute will operate in the St. Petersburg State Education Centre, an all-in conference facility which includes twin-bedded rooms (each with private bath and small refrigerator), classrooms, and dining facilities in a choice of cafeteria and cafe. The Centre is located near a Metro stop in St. Petersburg’s inner suburbs. It is 4 Metro stops (total 10 minutes) to the center of St. Petersburg.
The State Education Center has an elevator, but is not completely accessible to individuals with disabilities. St. Petersburg and Russia are not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Further information will be provided upon request.
Estimated Program Fee: $4,700 The program fee includes: tuition, reading materials, lodging (double occupancy), group excursions within Russia, overseas health insurance and emergency travel assistance; airport pickups at St. Petersburg International Airport on arrival (the closest airport to both St. Petersburg and Novgorod), and, for those electing the Novgorod option, bus transportation from St. Petersburg to Novgorod and back.
Not included in the program fee: air transportation to and from Russia, Russian visas, meals (except for breakfasts in Novgorod), and personal expenses. Inexpensive meals may be purchased at the Institute and nearby locations; students are free to eat where they wish, and in St. Petersburg in-room fridges are provided. Single rooms are available for a single-room surcharge of $900 for the full program.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis but must be received no later than March 15, 2009.
Admission Admission is open to students who have completed one year of full or part-time law study, and who are in good standing at an ABA-approved or state accredited law school. Applicants must present an official letter of good standing from their deans or registrar or an official transcript from their most recently attended institution. The application at the top of the page should be printed out, completed, and returned to the University of Arkansas Study Abroad Office along with the transcript or letter of good standing and a non-refundable application fee of $300. Checks should be made payable to the "University of Arkansas". The application fee is non-refundable but will be applied against the balance of the program fee.
Financial Aid As an ABA accredited law school program, the Summer Law Institute qualifies for financial assistance in the same or similar manner as semester financial assistance at most ABA accredited U.S. law schools. Students receiving financial aid will need to send award verification from their financial aid officer if payments will be received after the due dates on the forth-coming payment agreement.
Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to Russia. Students should not purchase flights until the program has been confirmed, expected mid-March. All participants will be met upon arrival in St. Petersburg, on June 29, for bus transfer to Novgorod that evening. Students may schedule their departure from St. Petersburg anytime on July 25.
Passports and Visas Every non-Russian participant (students, faculty andadministrators) must have a valid passport, good for at least six months beyond the expected date of departure from Russia. In addition to having a valid passport, all participants must obtain a Russian visa prior to departure from the U.S. While it is the responsibility of each person to obtain his/her own visa, the Institute has negotiated a reduced rate for the provision of visas and will provide all necessary information and instructions for the acquisition of visas.Note: A Russian tourist visa is valid for only 30 days. Students wishing to extend their stay in Russia beyond 30 days will need to apply for a business visa which may require a higher fee and more documentation.
Further Information
For assistance with applications, costs, travel arrangements, etc., contact:
UA Faculty Led Short Term Programs Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange lmoix@uark.edu 479-575-7582 |
