Program of Instruction

Click Here to See 2004 Course List

Dates
The Institute will open with registration and orientation on the afternoon of Sunday, July 4, 2004. Classes will meet Monday through Friday for four weeks, beginning on Monday, July 5. Classes will end on Friday, July 31. Students seeking academic credit will sit for written final examinations conducted from August 1-3.

Classes and Academic Credit
Classes will meet on weekdays from 8:45 am to 3:35 pm. Each class will be one hour in length, and no courses will be offered simultaneously. Participants will, therefore, be able to enroll in courses of their choice as long as space is available. Students may enroll in as many as three courses for a maximum of six semester-hours of credit. Students must enroll in the same courses for both terms of the program. Geneva lawyers may, however, attend a single course for one or both terms. A schedule of class times will be provided by the Institute.

Courses will be divided into two two-week terms, each of which will be taught by a separate faculty member from a different legal culture in order better to expose participants not only to comparative law studies but also to different teaching methods. Classes will be limited in size in order to facilitate interaction between faculty members and students. Foreign students considering futher study or the practice of law in the United States will benefit especially from the Introduction to American Law course, from the case method of teaching and from frequent interaction with faculty members and fellow students. Classroom instruction will be supplemented by special seminars, panel discussions and site visits.

All instruction will be in English. Written materials for each course will be supplied at no extra charge at the time of registration at the Institute. Any additional reference materials will be made available at the program site. Library facilities will be available at the University of Geneva Law Faculty. Students will also have access to computer facilities.

Those participants who are matriculated at the Duke University School of Law may apply academic credits earned in the program toward their degree requirements. Member schools of the Association of American Law Schools normally will award J.D. credit for any course satisfactorily completed in the program as well. The program of study is offered as part of the fully accredited curriculum of the Duke University School of Law and is approved by the American Bar Association.

Seminars
An important feature of the Institute in Transnational Law is the series of special presentations that are an integral part of the academic program. Experts from the international legal community will speak on a range of significant topics designed to deepen as well as broaden the learning experience provided by the Institute. Students are expected to attend the presentations as part of the educational program and will have the opportunity to interact informally with the speakers at a social hour at the conclusion of the session. In conjunction with these events, special visits will be scheduled to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and to other specially selected sites such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Class Schedule

8:45-9:45 am
    1st term: International Trade & Commercial Law
   2nd term: International Tax Law
9:55-10:55 am - Introduction to American Law
11:05-12:05 - International Environmental Law
12:15-1:15 pm
    1st term: International Tax Law
    2nd term: International Trade & Commercial Law
1:25-2:25 pm - War Crimes, Terrorism, and Crimes Against Humanity
2:35-3:35 pm - International and Comparative Law of Contracts

Exam Schedule

Sunday, August 1:
1-3 pm - War Crimes, Terrorism, and Crimes Against Humanity
5-7 pm - Introduction to American Law

Monday, August 2:
9-11 am - International and Comparative Law of Contracts
1-3 pm - International Trade and Commercial Law
5-7 pm - International Environmental Law

Tuesday, August 3:
9-11 am - International Tax Law

Grading Scale
The grading scale is the same as that regularly used at Duke Law School. Duke's grading scale translates into letter grades, as follows:

Transcripts
American law students who achieve appropriate final examination results normally will be able to receive academic credit from their home institutions. Students are responsible for obtaining approval from their own law schools to transfer credit. Non-Duke and Duke Law School students may request official transcripts from Duke University at no extra charge by completing a transcript request form while at the program. The grading system will be the same as that regularly used at Duke Law School. (Although no grade and no academic credit will be awarded for any course in which the participant has not taken the written examination, the notation “ Audit ” will be recorded for any course regularly attended by the participant.) Students who do not wish to receive academic credit for their courses are not required to take final examinations, but all students are encouraged to sit for at least two examinations.