2018 Global Programs Field Study Courses
Texas A&M Law expands the opportunities for students to study across the globe. Aggie Law students will go outside the classroom, outside the United States, to explore dispute resolution, commercial arbitration, environmental law, and energy law in the field.
Global Lawyering
Students will explore topics drawing on expert and practice-based resources available only on-site. The start of the course will be at the Law School researching and preparing for the field study during the Spring semester. The field study trip will take place in May. Upon return, students will reflect on skills and substantive legal and policy knowledge gained during the field study trip itself through a field study debrief, reflection exercises and a research project completed in the Fall.
Intro to Israel:
Water, Energy, and Dispute Resolution
Gabriel Eckstein and Nancy Welsh
The Spring 2018 Israel field study focused on regional disputes related to water and energy resource management. Through on-site visits to various Israeli and Palestinian ministries, non-government organizations, and water and energy-related facilities, students explored water and energy procurement, development, and distribution in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, as well as associated environmental concerns. They also examined the challenges that resources scarcity, political instability, differing cultural norms, and other factors play in natural resources management and considered applicable domestic and international laws and dispute resolutions mechanisms.
“This field study will be a deep dive into the regulatory, political, and environmental issues at play,” Nancy Welsh, Aggie Dispute Resolution Program Director, said. “The current disputes over seawater desalination and its attending environmental impact are very timely, and will give our students insight into the nuances of dispute resolution in a different part of the world that cannot be replicated in the classroom.”
Scotland:
Natural Resource Management and Dispute Resolution
Randy Gordon and Guillermo Garcia
The Spring 2018 Scotland field study introduced students to the use of international commercial arbitration.
“Arbitration has long played an important role in dispute resolution in Scotland and, as a result, Scotland has developed its own body of arbitration law,” said Executive Professor of Law Randy Gordon, who will lead the course. “As part of our field study in Aberdeen, we will examine the particulars of the Scottish arbitration scheme and how it fits within and diverges from the international commercial arbitration system.”
Course details
Scotland: Natural Resource Management and Dispute Resolution
Field Study
(Special Topics)
LAW-7900-630 CRN 32320
0.5 credits
Situated as it is along the North Sea, Aberdeen, and its ancient University, naturally evolved into an energy center. Our program will take advantage of the broad expertise--in terms of both scholarship and business--growing out of Aberdeen's extensive connections to the North Sea oil and gas fields. More broadly, we'll consider EU and International Law as they apply to energy, environmental, and climate change policy issues. And we will give particular attention to dispute resolution in Scotland, the UK, and the EU, including arbitration. Finally, we hope to take advantage of the Scottish location to learn about the history and evolution of Scots Law and the present mix of legal institutions.
This course includes a field study trip to Scotland. Students will complete the Field Study Preparation for 0.5 credits as a Spring 2018 course with the Field Trip completed in May and the Field Study Debrief, Reflection Exercises, and Research Project completed during the Fall semester 2018 for an additional 2.5 credits.
Application required; due November 3.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of first semester of law school by Fall 2017. Professor approval required. Limited to 1L & 2L students not graduating until Dec. 2018 or later.
Schedule:
Friday, February 9: 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Friday, February 23: 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Friday, March 2: 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Friday, March 23: 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Thursday, March 29: 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. pre-departure orientation
May: Field study trip to Scotland
Attendance: Students must attend the entire classroom component to earn credit in the course.
An absence for any reason will result in administrative withdrawal from the course.
Course Fee: $3,500 course fee to cover airfare, lodging, meals, and administrative fees. Tuition will be assessed at the same rate as for all other law school courses.
Payment Deadlines: When registering and accepted into the course, you will be billed automatically. (You will be responsible for the course fee even if you fail to complete the course.)