Summer in Oxford Program

Academic Program

Course Offerings

Five different courses are offered, each with a class size of approximately 35 students. Students enrolled in the program may choose any combination of the following five courses and earn up to six semester hours of credit:

Comparative Legal Professions (3 semester hours)
This course examines the legal professions in England and the United States. It examines the ways in which services are delivered to clients in the two countries and will challenge commonly held assumptions about lawyers and the legal profession. Reference also will be made to the comparative ethical requirements imposed upon lawyers in the United States and England. The course will be taught by Christopher Whelan who has taught legal profession courses in both Great Britain and the United States and serves as associate director of International Law Programmes at the University of Oxford. This course may satisfy state bar or law school requirements in professional responsibility. Students are advised, however, to check their local requirements.

Comparative Sentencing and Punishment (1 semester hour)
This course explores some of the major issues surrounding the administration of criminal justice in England and the United States. The course focuses on generic questions and deals with broad principles and general problems in an effort to get students thinking about how law works as a means of social control. It takes a socio-legal view, focusing on the key institutions of the criminal justice system in both countries. The course will be taught by Keith Hawkins, professor emeritus of law and society at the University of Oxford.

European Union Law (3 semester hours)
This course introduces the institutional and constitutional framework of the European law in its political, economic, and international context. It also examines the economic objectives of the European Union, the role of law in achieving those objectives, and the feasibility of law-based market integration. The course will be taught by Whelan.

Comparative Election Law (2 semester hours)
This course will use a comparative perspective to explore the fundamental characteristics of democratic elections, focusing on the similarities and differences of the election processes in the United States, the U.K., and a few other countries. The course will examine how different countries approach such topics as: protection and regulation of political speech; campaign finance regulation; the mechanics of voting; the role of courts and other institutions in administering elections; and systems of representation. Participants will come away with a deeper appreciation of the various ways that the processes of representative government can be structured and of the trade-offs embedded in many of these alternatives. The course will be taught by Steven F. Huefner, professor of law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

International and Comparative Climate Change Law (3 semester hours)
Global climate change has quickly become one of the most pressing social, environmental, and economic challenges confronting the international community. This course will explore the social, legal, political, and scientific challenges involved in addressing and responding to climate change. The first part of the class will explore the underlying issue of climate change and the concepts of mitigation and adaptation before considering the various tools that the international community has employed to address climate change, including the creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, international market mechanisms, and recourse to international dispute settlement mechanisms. The second part of the class will focus on US law and policy and explore whether existing laws or proposed legislation/approaches could effectively limit emissions of greenhouse gases. The third part of the class will analyze climate change laws and policies from a comparative perspective, including analyzing European Union, Australian, and Chinese approaches to addressing climate change. Finally, the fourth part of the class will examine climate change lawmaking at the margins as it intersects with other areas of law and will consider proposals for addressing climate change moving forward.

The academic program has been approved by the American Bar Association's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, and credit is awarded by The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Guest Lectures

In addition to the regularly scheduled classes, the program features at least six lectures by prominent scholars in their respective fields. Topics of past lectures have included "Tony Blair's Domestic Policy Triumphs 1997-2007," "From Blair to Brown: British Foreign Policy in Flux," and "The Conservative Challenge: The Politics of David Cameron." Cost is included in program tuition.

Side Trips

The program also includes numerous educational and cultural side trips. Students typically will visit courts in London (including the Old Bailey), the English Inns of Court, and the Houses of Parliament. Trips also will be scheduled to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Windsor Castle, and Runnymede. Cost is included in program tuition.