Courses
Seattle University School of Law offers a comprehensive curriculum on international coursework, including the following:
Advanced Topics in International Law: Humanitarian Law/Law of War
(2 credits) INTL-410
Using current international armed conflicts as case-studies, this seminar will focus on two aspects of the laws of war: laws concerning justifications for going to war (jus ad bellum), and laws concerning practices while engaged in war (jus in bello).
In the first half of the seminar, students will be introduced to sources, subjects and scope of international law as a foundation for an understanding of the law relating to the use of force by states. We will then examine the evolution and content of jus ad bellum as evidenced by customary law, treaty law, and the United Nations Charter. The legal basis of the increasing number of regional and UN peacekeeping forces and the concepts of peacekeeping, peace-building and peace-making will be examined.
In the second half of the seminar, history, sources and rules of jus in bello will be explored. Topics include: target restraints, prohibited practices and weapons, treatment of prisoners and civilians, war crimes, and incorporation of international law of armed conflict into national law.
Advanced Topics in International Law: Developments in Human Rights & Int'l Criminal Law
(2 credits) INTL-410
This seminar will look at some of the most important developments in international law today. Topics that will be covered include: the use of international law in US courts; the application of the laws of armed conflict to the war against terrorism; the relationship between international human rights law and international criminal law; the emerging jurisprudence of the International Criminal Court; the use of hybrid tribunals and truth commissions to hold violators accountable; and the most recent jurisprudence on genocide and crimes against humanity. A substantial paper of at least 25 pages in length will be required. The last few weeks of class will be devoted to presentations on individual paper topics.
Comparative Law: Latin American Legal Systems
(3 credits) INTL-350
Latin American Legal Systems is designed for students educated in the Common Law tradition and compares the Anglo-American Legal System with the more universal Civil Law system, the legal regime operative in Latin America from Mexico to Argentina and Chile. Though in recent decades there has been a convergence of the two systems--the legal system of the United States has had a worldwide influence in areas of Administrative, Criminal and Constitutional Law--there remain critical differences between the two systems. After consideration of the paradigmatic Civil Law nations of France and Germany, nations which have influenced the dominant legal systems throughout the rest of the world, the course then turns to the Civil Law tradition in Latin America with an emphasis on nations such as Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Readings on the institutions and doctrines of the Civil Law are complemented with materials on the most significant social, economic, and political factors that shape the legal traditions within various civil law countries, especially continental Europe and Latin America. After a brief introduction to the practical applications of the comparative method as applied to domestic problems and international transactions, the course will trace the historical development of the Civil Law, including the influences of Roman Law and the codification movement in Continental Europe, Japan, and Latin America. The course will then examine the main institutions of the Civil Law tradition, focusing primarily on the legal professions and the judicial process. Thereafter, selected legal problems will be examined from various areas, such as torts, contracts, constitutional law and environmental law, with comparisons to the legal system of the United States throughout the course. Attention also may be given to particular aspects of civil and criminal procedure in light of current reforms in the Civil Law inquisitorial system of Criminal Justice in which Mexico and other nations are adopting aspects of the accusatorial method used in Common Law nations. While comparative methodology is helpful and often even essential for lawyers engaged in international business transactions, this class is neither International Trade Law nor International Business Law.
International Business Transactions
(3 credits) BUSN-320
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the issues that are likely to arise when clients engage in business abroad. The course begins with the most straightforward of international transactions, the international sale of goods (and the financing of such sales), and then turns to transactions involving greater and greater contact with a foreign county, including franchises, distributorships, licensing, and direct investment through joint ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries. In examining each transaction, we necessarily draw on several areas of the law, including, among other things, contracts, antitrust, conflicts, labor law, business entities, and dispute resolution. Business Entities recommended but not required.
International Criminal Law
(3 credits) CRIM-380
This course will cover: the nature and sources of international criminal law; the responsibilities of individuals, states and others; alternatives to criminal prosecution; defenses; issues of state jurisdiction, and for a; extradition and other means of obtaining personal jurisdiction; international cooperative enforcement; international tribunals from Nuremberg to former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and the Permanent International Criminal Tribunal; and a selection of specific international crimes (e.g., war crimes, crimes against humanity, human rights abuses and drug trafficking). Additionally, there will be a strong emphasis on the context(s) in which international criminal justice is meted out. In many cases, states that have experienced serious international criminal violations are also states in transition from one regime to another. The social, economic and political stability of these regimes heavily impacts upon the demands and priorities of such regimes. This in turn impacts upon their ability to deliver criminal justice. There will also be an attempt to situate the demands for criminal justice alongside the broader set of demands for justice that exist in such societies. By paying attention to this context, it is hoped that the student will have a richer and deeper understanding of the many obstacles set in the way of achieving international criminal justice.
International Environmental Law
(3 credits) ENVL-340
This course is an introduction to the role of international law in environmental protection and to a range of issues raised by humankind's ecological impacts. The course begins with an overview of international law and then analyzes and critiques the legal regimes that have developed to address specific environmental crises. Among the crises addressed in the course are global warming, species extinction, destruction of rain forests, and global trade in hazardous waste. Special attention is devoted to the "North-South" conflict over responsibility for environmental protection and to the relationship between environmental protection and trade liberalization. Public International Law is recommended but not required.
International & Foreign Law Research
(2 credits) INTL-400
This class is designed to provide a survey of practical research methods and strategies in international and foreign law. We will explore treaty research sources, judicial decisions, and secondary sources in both online and print form. Class time will be used to develop and expand computer and manual research skills necessary to complete the assignments. English language resources will predominate in our exploration of foreign law research methods. Access to a laptop computer will be necessary in order to fully participate in the class. Pass/Fail. Pre or co-requisites are: International Criminal Law, International Environmental Law, International Law of Human Rights, Public International Law, or instructor permission.
International Human Rights Clinic
(4 credits) INTL-402 (Fall and Spring)
The International Human Rights Clinic offers students the opportunity to work with foreign and domestic clients before international and regional human rights bodies. Students will also collaborate with human rights organizations on research and advocacy projects. In addition, there may be opportunities to work on cases filed in U.S. courts under state, federal, and international law. Class will meet 1 day per week for 2 hours. Students will be required to keep 8 hours (total) of office hours in the Clinic spanning 3 different weekdays. The International Human Rights Clinic is a graded course; it may not be taken as pass/fail. Prerequisite or co-requisite: International Human Rights, Public International Law, or Rights of Women: Intl. and Comparative Law.
International Intellectual Property
(2 credits) INTP-345
This course covers both public and private sources of international intellectual property law and policy, including copyright, patents, trademarks, geographical indications, unfair competition and trade secrets. The public component will include multilateral agreements such as the Berne Convention, the Paris Convention, and TRIPS—as well as some regional agreements such as European Union directives. We will trace how these agreements are administered through the major international institutions such as the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization, which in turn impact the shape of national laws and the direction of international harmonization. On the private side, we will cover briefly choice of forum, choice of law and other problems related to private enforcement. While a survey intellectual property course is a prerequisite, we will review briefly major U.S. intellectual property law concepts before discussing comparable rules in the assigned cases, whether those rules are derived from international treaties or from other countries’ national laws. Relying on a combination of cases and problems, students will develop a familiarity with the foundational principles and challenges of international intellectual property law and practice, and be sensitive to the development component of intellectual property in the context of globalized commerce and trade. Special emphasis will be placed throughout on the global public interest and social justice calculus involving intellectual property-protected knowledge goods. International law is a recommended but not required pre-requisite.
International Law of Human Rights
(3 credits) INTL-305
This class will provide a comprehensive overview of the development of modern international human rights law, including the theory, institutions, practice, and procedures of the current human rights regime. The class will look at the various regional and international human rights regimes, as well as the use of international human rights law in domestic courts, particularly in the U.S. We will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the various procedures open to an international human rights lawyer, and discuss contemporary efforts to strengthen the enforcement of international human rights laws. Some of the questions we will discuss are: What are the most effective mechanisms for addressing current human rights abuses? What are the most effective mechanisms for providing relief to a victim of human rights violations? What is the relevance of international human rights law to domestic U.S. litigation?
International Taxation
(3 credits) TAXL-330
This course focuses on the legal and economic issues that face nations and corporations in the cross-border movement of goods, services, and capital. Issues include double taxation, inconsistent taxation regimes, and the problems of tax havens. Prerequisite: Individual Income Tax or instructor permission.
International Trade
(3 credits) INTL-340
This course will examine the international trade regime created by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization and various regional agreements, such as NAFTA and the European Union. The course will also examine aspects of U.S. trade law. Prerequisite: Public International Law.
Law and the Delivery of International Humanitarian Assistance
(2 credits) INTL-335
This course will focus on the role of US law and US-trained lawyers in the delivery and effectiveness of development and humanitarian assistance to developing countries. At the policy level, we will focus on the effects of US government foreign, development and moral policy on access to certain development markets and programmatic sectors. At the domestic law level we will explore the effects of certain bodies of law and policy on specific forms of assistance. The course will also present the various roles that lawyers assume regarding international development and humanitarian assistance.
