Academics & Courses

Photograph: Jennifer Danenberg
"I had such an amazing time exploring the island with my classmates, meeting new people, trying new cuisine, getting to know my professors on a personal level and lounging in the sun on a clean, sandy white beach! I feel so lucky to have an international law experience on my resume; it’s opened the door to new opportunities in my job search."
Jennifer Danenberg

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 e-mailed by Washburn Law to the student's e-mail 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.

Courses

Courses for the 2012 program are:

Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Law

This course will be taught by Patricia L. Judd, Associate Professor of Law at Washburn University School of Law and Dr. Eddy D. Ventose , Lecturer & Deputy Dean, Graduate Studies and Research, University of West Indies Faculty of Law. This course explores current legal and policy debates in global intellectual property (IP) enforcement. While substantive norm-making in the field has come to a near standstill, standards for enforcement have continued to evolve at breakneck pace. Students will examine the reasons behind the migration to an enforcement focus, exploring the pros and cons of harmonizing enforcement standards and grappling with the challenges that institutions and negotiators face in attempts to harmonize. After a brief introduction to intellectual property genres, the course will focus on the mechanisms behind enforcement at the international level, examining how these mechanisms interact with substantive IP law debates. The pertinent mechanisms include agreements administered by international organizations; regional, plurilateral, bilateral and unilateral measures; and the arbitration system currently used to resolve domain name disputes. The class will discuss the interaction of largely state-centered enforcement mechanisms with a marketplace characterized by porous borders and driven by the Internet. In all of this, discussions will center around comparative perspectives from divergent IP constituencies, including states in different stages of development, indigenous groups, IP rights holder representatives, and civil society groups. Students will be graded on the quality of their participation in class sessions (including in-class writing assignments, presentations, and group exercises) as well as a written final examination.

Comparative & International Taxation Law

See DRAFT syllabus for this course (114 KB PDF).

This course, co-taught by Lori A. McMillan, Associate Professor of Law, Washburn University School of Law, Dr. Trevor A. Carmichael, Principal, Chancery Chambers (Bridgetown, Barbados), and Mrs. Angela Robinson, Associate, Chancery Chambers, will take a multi-country approach to examine the basic underpinnings of taxation law. While tax systems vary from country to country, the elements that comprise each system are the same, and we will examine the similarities and differences to see how each country achieves their goals. Concepts such as the tax base, deductions, income attribution, timing, source and residence will be explored. Nonresidents who engage in domestic and international transactions from a US perspective have special rules apply to them, and we will also examine these. The tax systems in a number of common law and civil law jurisdictions, including the U.S, U.K., France, Canada and others, will be explored to learn the basic tax concepts. Taxation concerns facing the EU will also be examined. Taxation issues will be explored from the perspective of both individuals and business organizations. The method of evaluation will be based on a final exam and class participation.

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.