The Certificate Program in International and Comparative Law offers students the opportunity to acquire a thorough and rigorous foundation in international law and in the laws of other nations, as well as in the global dimension that is increasingly common in other areas of law. The specialized and comprehensive curriculum prepares students for careers in international and transnational law.
Students must indicate their interest in pursuing the Certificate Program by completing and submitting a Declaration of Intent.
The International and Comparative Law Faculty Committee is available to provide guidance to students interested in a course of study in international and comparative law. Students in the Program can plan a course of study that specializes in private and/or public international law.
In order to receive the Certificate upon graduation, students in the Program must (1) successfully complete 15 or more units in approved courses in international and comparative law, as described below, and (2) attend 14 sessions of the Colloquia Series.
Certificate candidates must satisfactorily complete the following two core courses: International Law (3 units) and Comparative Legal Systems (2 units).Students must satisfactorily complete 10 or more units of additional approved courses (at least 4 units of electives must be numerically graded). Students may choose from the following approved offerings (please note that not all courses are offered each year and some courses are offered through Whittier Law School's Summer Abroad Programs): |
Admiralty (2 or 3 units)
Advanced Topics in International Law (2 or 3 units)
Chinese Law (2 or 3 units)
Comparative African Constitutionalism (2 units)
Comparative Constitutional Law (2 units)
Comparative Family Law (2 units)
Comparative Rights of Publicity (2 units)
Feature Film Finance (2 units)
Holocaust and the Law (3 units)
Immigration & Naturalization Law (3 units)
International Animal Rights (2 units)
International Aspects of Gaming Law (2 units)
International Business Litigation (2 or 3 units)
International Business Negotiations (2 units)
International Business Transactions (3 units)
International Business Transactions: Trade Law of Emerging Markets (2 units)
International Commerce: U.N. Convention on the International Sale of Goods (2 units)
International Copyright (2 units)
International Environmental Law (2 units)
International Human Rights (2 units)
International Intellectual Property (2 units)
International Patent (2 units)
International Protection of Computer Software (2 units)
Introduction to French Law and the Laws of the European Union (2 units)
Introduction to Spanish Law & Culture (2 units)
International Trade and the WTO (2 units)
International Trademark (2 units)
Legal Implications of the International War on Narcotics Trafficking and Terrorism (2 units)
Negotiations: An International Perspective (2 units)
Women Law & Culture (2 units)
Students who wish to receive Certificate
credit for courses not listed above, including a written
project on international or comparative law in a non-Certificate-related
seminar, must obtain approval from the Certificate Program Director (in
consultation with the course instructor).
Certificate Program participants are encouraged to enroll in one of Whittier
Law School's Summer Abroad Programs (presently approved for Spain and France,
with an application submitted for China and a program approved for the
past two years in Israel), and/or Whittier's Exchange Programs (presently
with the University of Paris X, the University of Cantabria in Santander,
Spain and the University of Seville in Spain), which augment Whittier's
international and comparative law curriculum.
Students may seek approval from the Program Director to earn elective units
towards the Certificate in courses completed through Whittier’s Exchange Programs, international or comparative law courses taken at other law schools that are not offered at Whittier Law School, or other schools’ summer abroad programs taking place in countries without a Whittier Law School summer abroad program. Students may earn a maximum of 6 credits towards the certificate through international or comparative law courses taken at other law schools (including Whittier’s Exchange Programs), or at other schools’ summer abroad programs. Courses taken at other law schools’ summer programs in countries where Whittier Law School also has a summer program do not count towards Whittier’s
International and Comparative Law Certificate Program. Students must also
comply with Paragraph I.F.d of the Academic Rules and Regulations requiring
prior approval of the Associate Dean of courses taken at other law schools
for credit toward graduation.
Students may elect to fulfill up to 4 of their unit requirements by conducting
research and producing a written project(s) related to international or
comparative law. Subject to approval by the Program Director, these units
may be satisfied by completion of (1) Independent Study under faculty supervision,
and/or (2) a Note or Article on international or comparative law as part
of for-credit law review participation.
Program participants also may earn up to 2 units toward the Certificate
through an Externship (approved by the Program Director and the Externship
Director) focusing primarily on international and/or comparative law matters,
either domestically or abroad.
Certificate Program students taking advantage of these non-numerically-graded
writing and/or externship opportunities must nonetheless earn at least
4 numerically-graded elective units in the Certificate Program, as specified
above.
Students who achieve a minimum GPA of 85 in courses taken to satisfy the
requirements of the Certificate will earn Honors in the program. |
