Summer Study Abroad Programs

South Africa
Since 2007, the School of Law has offered a summer study abroad program in Johannesburg, South Africa, co-sponsored by the Mandela Institute of the University of the Witwatersrand Law School.  This program is a true partnership between Wits University and Seattle University, drawing a diverse student body from the U.S., Southern Africa, and Australia with courses taught by U.S. and South African faculty.  While courses change from year to year, in the past, the program has offered courses in international humanitarian law, international criminal law, South African constitutional law, globalization, and cross cultural communication.  The program extends beyond the classroom, offering field trips to the South African Constitutional Court and the Apartheid Museum and bringing well-known local speakers, including current and former Constitutional Court judges.  Although not required, students are encouraged to seek internships or externships in South Africa or other African countries after the program.  (See Summer Internships and Externships)

Guatemala
Seattle University School of Law, in partnership with Pacific McGeorge School of Law and University of Denver Sturm College of Law, will again offer students the opportunity to study law in Antigua, Guatemala in summer 2012. While many study abroad programs teach courses in English that could have been offered in the United States, the Guatemala program will offer students the opportunity to study law in Spanish, to learn about Latin American law, to study with Latin American students, to take courses from Guatemalan law professors, and to complete an externship with a legal institution in Guatemala.  The goal of this program is to enable students to acquire both the language skills and the cultural competence to serve the needs of the growing Latino community in the United States and to work on transnational legal matters.  The following courses will be offered in summer 2012:  (1) Commercial Law for Foreign Investors; (2) International Environmental Law in Latin America; (3) Spanish for Lawyers; and (5) Comparative Litigation in the Americas. The program also includes visits to the National Congress, the Supreme Electoral Court, and the governing body of an indigenous community in the Guatemalan highlands.