Educational Opportunities
Costa Rica Study Abroad Program
The Human Rights Law in the Americas Summer Program combines an intensive study of international human rights law with an immersion in Costa Rican culture. The program provides an overview of the basic principles of international law, in-depth discussion of the Inter-American Human Rights System, and consideration of how human rights ideas, advocacy and activist strategies have transformed Latin American law, society, politics and economics. The program is composed of two comprehensive courses, guest lectures by prominent academics and human rights leaders, and site visits to key institutions within the Inter-American Human Rights System.
Program Dates:
July 21 - August 15, 2008
The deadline for applications is April 30, 2008. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis prior to the deadline. Due to limited space and the popularity of the program, early submission of applications is recommended.
The application must be accompanied by a $250 deposit that is nonrefundable unless the applicant is not accepted or the program is cancelled. The full tuition balance is due by June 4, 2008.
Program Costs:
| Tuition (6 credits) | ...................... | $2,900 |
| Housing with a host family | ...................... | $450 |
| Site visits, local fees and activities | ...................... | $300 |
| Site visits, local fees and activities | ...................... | $250 |
| _______________________________________________________________ | ||
| Total | ...................... | $3,900 |
DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION
DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE
Mail to:
Ajitha Reddy, Deputy Executive Director
Human Rights Law in the Americas Summer Program
International Human Rights Law Institute
DePaul University College of Law
25 E. Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604
Email to:
areddy6@depaul.edu
Educational Program
The program offers two courses on the theory and practice of international human rights law in Latin America.
Protecting Rights in the Americas: Critical Reflections on the Inter- American Human Rights System presents an overview of the development, structure and operation of the Inter-American Human Rights System, Latin America’s regional mechanism for defining and protecting fundamental rights. It reviews regional conventions, major cases and jurisprudence, as well as the impact of the Inter-American Commission and Court on improving state and regional responses to key issues such as torture, disappearances and indigenous rights (3 credit hours; Professor Victor Rodriguez).
Post-Conflict Justice in the Americas provides students with an introduction to the field of post-conflict or transitional justice by examining how different nations in Latin America have used specific strategies to address the legacy of past atrocities. The course reviews general principles of international law, human rights and post-conflict justice and focuses on four areas: criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, amnesty laws, and memorialization and reparation. Students study the experiences of four countries: Argentina, Chile, El Salvador and Guatemala. Detailed case studies include the trials of military officials in Argentina, Chile’s former dictator General Augusto Pinochet, the U.N. truth commission in El Salvador and Guatemala’s Law of National Reconciliation (3 credit hours; Instructor Daniel Rothenberg and guest lecturers, Professors M. Cherif Bassiouni and Bruce Ottley).
ABA-Approved Credits: The program provides participants with six credit hours upon successful completion of the two courses. Student evaluation is based on course attendance and written examinations. Acceptance of credits or grades for any courses taken in the program is subject to determination by each student’s home school.
Enrollment: The program is limited to 40 students: 35 students from ABA approved law schools and five students from Latin America.
Admission: Admission to the program is open to students who have completed at least one year of full- or part-time law study at an accredited law school. A letter of good standing from each student’s dean is required following acceptance to the program.
Language: All classes and lectures are conducted in English.
Campus: Classes meet on the campus of Universidad Nacional in Heredia, 13 miles outside the capital city of San Jose. Students have library privileges and Internet access at the university.
Site Visits
The program includes site visits to institutions
within the Inter-American Human Rights System
and nongovernmental organizations working on
human rights and governance in the Americas.
Proposed organizations and institutions to be
visited include:
Guest Lecturers
The Human Rights Law in the Americas Summer Program routinely hosts international human rights law experts as guest lecturers.
Proposed guest lecturers for 2008 include:
Housing:
Students participating in the program have the opportunity to live with Costa Rican families in homes near Universidad Nacional. This arrangement allows program participants to combine an intensive study of international human rights in the Americas with direct experience of family life in Costa Rica. Participating families are experienced at hosting foreign students and are carefully chosen based on prior experiences with similar exchange programs. Host families receive students at the airport when they first arrive and provide participants with their own room, three meals per day, and basic services such as laundry. Students may also opt to live in self-arranged housing. IHRLI can offer suggestions regarding hotels and apartments, but takes no responsibility for the housing conditions. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the quality, location, and price of alternative accommodations.
Financial Aid:
Students may be eligible for financial aid through the appropriate office at their home schools.
Travel to Costa Rica
Airfare:
Airfare is not included in the cost of the program.
International flights are available to San Jose, Costa Rica, with average
roundtrip airfare between $500 and $900. Discounts may be available
from some student travel associations.
Visas:
There is no visa requirement for U.S. citizens staying in Costa
Rica less than 90 days.
Insurance and Liability:
DePaul University is not responsible for
personal injury or illness or for the loss or damage of property that
may occur during the program. Participants must have health
insurance policies in effect for the duration of the program.
Medical Checkup:
Program participants should visit their physician
before departure to ensure appropriate immunizations.
Persons With Disabilities:
Costa Rica’s disability access laws differ
from those in the United States. Disabled students interested in
participating in the program should contact the program coordinator
to discuss accessibility and related issues.
Program Faculty
M. Cherif Bassiouni is a distinguished research professor of law at DePaul University and president of the College of Law’s International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI). He also is president of the International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences in Siracusa, Italy, the honorary president of the International Association of Penal Law in Paris, France, and has served the United Nations in a number of capacities. He is the author of 27 and editor of 48 books on international criminal law, comparative criminal law, human rights and U.S. criminal law, as well as the author of 239 articles published in law journals and books in the United States and abroad. In 1999, Bassiouni was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the field of international criminal justice and for his contribution to the creation of the International Criminal Court. He has received honorary degrees from universities in France, Ireland, Italy and the United States, and he has received medals from Austria, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy and the United States. He also has received numerous academic and civic awards, including the Hague Prize for International Law, the Special Award of the Council of Europe, the Defender of Democracy Award, Parliamentarians for Global Action and The Adlai Stevenson Award of the United Nations Association.
Bruce Ottley is a professor of law at DePaul University, director of the College of Law’s cooperative program with University College Dublin, and served as associate dean of the College of Law for nine years. Previously, he taught law at the University of Papua New Guinea from 1972 to 1977, where he also practiced law and served for one year as a judge of the National Capitol District Court. He has conducted extensive research in the South Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand. Ottley also is a fellow of the American Anthropological Association and works with the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts in conducting seminars on tort law for Illinois judges.
Victor Rodriguez, director of the Center for Human Rights in the Americas, is a lawyer, professor and consultant with 15 years experience working in international law and human rights. He worked at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for over a decade, most recently as deputy secretary of the court. He has extensive experience in international litigation and implementation of human rights and governance projects, including training judges, advocates, students and nongovernmental personnel in Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia and Central America. Rodriguez’s areas of specialization include international human rights law, administration of justice, indigenous rights and comparative constitutional law. He is the author of numerous articles on these topics and has contributed to a number of important books published by the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights. Rodriguez was recently nominated to serve on the U.N. Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture.
Daniel Rothenberg is the managing director of international projects at IHRLI. Previously, he was a fellow at the Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School, an assistant professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Michigan, a visiting professor at the University of Michigan Law School and a fellow in the Michigan Society of Fellows. He works on transitional justice issues, particularly related to truth commissions, amnesty laws, tribunals and reparations. He is the author of WITH THESE HANDS and editor of the forthcoming GUATEMALA: MEMORY OF SILENCE, a one-volume critical version of the Guatemalan Truth Commission report. Rothenberg has conducted extensive fieldwork in Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, and has worked widely throughout the region.
* Cancellation
DePaul University reserves the right to
cancel the program if enrollment is insufficient or because
of extraordinary circumstances such as a natural disaster,
war or political unrest, or similar emergency. If the program
is cancelled, participants will receive a full refund within 20
days of the cancellation date.
The International Human Rights Law Institute gratefully acknowledges the permission of Josh Rosenblum and Demian Saborio to use their photographs on this Web site and in the program's printed promotional materials. ©All rights reserved.
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