Thomas Jefferson School of Law

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS (2 credits)

Professor Susan Tiefenbrun and The Honorable Richard Goldstone, Former Justice of the South African Constitutional Court and Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals of the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda

This course examines the global human rights movement that grew out of World War II and how international human rights laws, instruments and institutions respond to human rights violations. International human rights include civil and political rights, economic rights, social and cultural rights, women’s rights and children’s rights. These rights are reflected in legal norms, political contexts, moral ideas, international relations and foreign policies. This course uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the laws and policy of international human rights as applied to all individuals in general and to women in particular. The course reviews applicable international human rights laws, instruments, U.N. treaty organs, regional and international tribunals, and the role of NGOs in the human rights movement. The course analyzes state and international policies, practices, and attitudes in order to understand the causes and consequences of discrimination and abuse perpetrated on individuals.Gender justice and the empowerment of women to facilitate full enjoyment of their human rights, accountability and enforcement is a central theme of the course. Special attention is paid to the universal crime of sex slavery, human trafficking, and rape as a weapon of war in the development of massive human rights violations. The prevalent use of children as soldiers is also examined. Students analyze the rules and standards of contemporary human rights as expressed in states’ constitutions, laws, practices, international treaties, customs, court decisions, investigative reports and recommendations of international institutions, and governmental and non-governmental actors in order to understand the ongoing development of international human rights laws.

INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE DRUG CONTROL LAW (2 credits)

Professor Alex Kreit

This course explores both international and comparative issues in drug control. International drug conventions are among the oldest widely adopted international agreements. These treaties aim to facilitate control of the international market in illegal drugs, yet today the drug trade is as lucrative as ever. Drug control treaties also guide and constrain countries in their choices about domestic drug policies. Within the constraints of international agreements, however, countries have developed a range of approaches to the problem of drug abuse within their borders. The U.S., for example, has maintained a strict prohibitionist regime, while Portugal has adopted a decriminalization policy that removes criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs.

This course will cover all of these topics and more. It begins with an overview of the international market for illegal drugs. The course then moves from the drug market to drug laws with an examination of drug control treaties and implementing organizations. Next, we will focus on the role of the United States in international drug control, covering issues including the extraterritorial application of United States drug laws, United States-led crop eradication campaigns, and methods the United States employs to encourage cooperation by so-called drug producer countries in its drug war strategy. The course concludes by comparing some of the different approaches countries have taken to domestic drug control, including the marijuana coffee shop policies of the Netherlands, Portugal's drug decriminalization law, and Sweden's strict approach to drug control.

INTERNATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (2 credits)

Professor Ben Templin

Global intellectual property law is one of the core issues for international business attorneys. This course studies the international systems for establishing trademark, copyright and patent rights. Within that context, the course will consider the roles of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as the various multilateral and bilateral agreements that exist, including but not limited to the TRIPS Agreement. The patchwork of intersecting treaties that relate to intellectual property rights has led to an increase in litigation in recent years over international patents, trademarks and copyrights. This course examines recent cases with an emphasis of preparing students for the practice of law.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE FINANCE LAW (2 credits)

Professor Richard Winchester

This course will introduce the student to the legal regime that applies to international letters of credit, the principal mechanism for financing imports and exports. The course has no prerequisites and assumes no prior knowledge of international trade or finance. Instead, the student will be introduced to the basic structure of an international transaction that employs a letter of credit to finance the sale of goods. The student will also study the various contractual relationships that arise out of the transaction and the connection that each relationship has to the financing arrangement. The overarching objective is to help the student understand the various facets of the financing arrangement, the role that each party plays in the arrangement, the legal exposure that each party might assume whenever a letter of credit is used to finance the transaction, and the potential ways for managing any inherent risks.