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Israel

Tel Aviv & Ramat Gan, Israel

June 30 – July 24 2013

This program is operating as scheduled. Whittier Law School continues to accept applications beyond the earlier posted deadline.

Bar-Ilan University

Students reside in the modern and beautiful cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s second largest city which sits along the Mediterranean coastline with stunning beaches, history, culture and nightlife for which it is known as “The City That Never Sleeps.” Students travel by private bus to classes at the prestigious Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan. The Israel program provides a one-of-a-kind cultural experience, including optional tours to the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, Nazareth, and Eilat in Israel, the lost city of Petra in Jordan, and Cairo and its famous pyramids in Egypt.

U.S. States Department Information

Information on foreign travel, current travel advisories, and safety information for Israel is available from the U.S. State Department on its website located at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1064.html You .should regularly check this site for up to date travel advisories and safety updates.

Program Dates: June 30 – July 24, 2013
Program Director: Professor Neil H. Cogan: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Host University: Bar-Ilan University
Location: Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, Israel
Tuition: $4,600 for 4 weeks (max 6 units) [includes legal and cultural tours]
$3,100 for 2 weeks (max 3 units) [includes legal and cultural tours]

For the tenth consecutive year, Whittier Law School and Bar-Ilan University School of Law are proud to announce their Israel Summer Abroad 2013 program. No other ABA-accredited law program has taken so many students to study law in Israel as our program, and no other program has continually operated in Israel for ten consecutive years.

The program focuses on courses relevant to the region. In addition to its unique course work, the Israel program provides one-of-a-kind cultural experiences, including an ALL-DAY GUIDED TOUR OF JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY SITES in the first session and an ALL-DAY GUIDED TOUR OF TEL AVIV AND YAFO in the second session. Optional private tours are also available to the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, Nazareth, Eilat, the lost city of Petra in Jordan, and Cairo and its pyramids in Egypt.

The program also provides two days of legal tours, including visits to the Supreme Court of Israel and an interview with a Supreme Court Justice, a visit to a trial court in Tel Aviv, and a conference with lawyers at the largest law firm in Israel and the Middle East.
A private bus will be at our disposal to take participants from the beachfront hotels in Tel Aviv to classes at Bar-Ilan University School of Law and all legal tours.

Bar-Ilan University

Bar-Ilan University, located in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, is Israel’s largest academic community of students and faculty (28,000 in total). It seeks to produce students of moral and intellectual aptitude and students who adopt the highest standards of excellence in scientific and academic research. The unique Bar-Ilan formula blends tradition with modern technologies and scholarship. Bar-Ilan University is a peerless congregation of scientists and scholars toiling to synthesize the ancient and the modern, the sacred and the material, the spiritual and the scientific.

For further information about Bar-Ilan University and its law school please see: http://www.biu.ac.il/index_eng.shtml.

Courses

2013 Courses

All courses are One (1) or Two (2) Units based on whether you attend the 2- or 4-week program.

Topics in Jewish Public Law
Professor Haim Shapira (Bar Ilan University)

This course examines major political institutions and principles in the Jewish legal tradition. It will focus on six institutions from the past and the present: King; Court; Law; Rabbis and Sages; Community; and the Secular State. Readings will be from The Jewish Political Tradition, volume 1 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000).

Dr. Haim Shapira is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University where he teaches Jewish Law and Jurisprudence. His research interests include legal institutions in the Talmudic period, the Jewish Political Tradition, and the intersection of Jewish law with legal theory. He received his degrees from the Hebrew University: B.A. and M.A. in Jewish studies (cum laude), LL.B. and LL. M. (cum laude), and Ph. D. from the department of Jewish History. Among his recent publication: “Majority rule in the Jewish Legal Tradition,” 82 Hebrew Union College Annual (2013; “For the judgment is God’s –Human Judgment and Divine Justice in the Jewish Tradition”, 27 Journal of Law and Religion (2012).

Freedoms and Rights in Israel I and II
Professor Neil H. Cogan, Whittier Law School

This course compares fundamental protection for freedoms and rights in the legal systems of the United States and Israel by contrasting decisions by their highest courts in areas such as dignity, equality, privacy, and speech.

Professor Cogan is professor of law and former dean of Whittier Law School and is a candidate for a Ph.D. in American history at the University of California, Irvine. He is the editor of The Complete Bill of Rights, 2d edition (Oxford U. Pr., 2013); Union and States’ Rights: 150 Years After Sumter, Interposition, Nullification, and Secession (Akron U. Pr., 2013); and Contexts of the Constitution (Foundation Pr. 1999), as well as forthcoming course books, Constitutional Law (Wolters Kluwer)(with Don Lively) and Freedoms and Rights in Israel (Carolina Academic Press) and a biography of Theodore Roosevelt (Routledge, 2014).

Globalization, Human Rights, and Law
Professor Oren Perez, Bar Ilan University

This course examines globalization and its effects upon international legal structures. The emergence of new forms of global law, which evolve and operate across traditional national boundaries, is a major aspect of the globalization process. Globalization has changed the nature of transnational legal institutions in both the public and private international law arena, and has led to new forms of transnational governance. Specific examples include such new legal institutions as the International Criminal Court (ICC), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its dispute settlement system, and also varied hybrid or private international law regimes, such as the expanding field of technical standardization created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the new governance structure of the Internet (ICANN). Private bodies such Multinational Enterprises and Non-Governmental Organizations are also playing a key role in the contemporary global arena and the course will examine their contribution against more traditional institutions.

The course will begin with a general inquiry into the concept of globalization. It will then focus on various new and emerging forms of transnational governance, ranging from international human rights law, trade law and environmental law. Special attention will be given to the ways in which these diverse and seemingly separate aspects of international law interact with each other (e.g. the trade-environment debate, the involvement of NGOs and Multinational Enterprises in trade disputes). We will focus on the legal instruments that govern these diverse regimes and the international institutions that implement them. The course will also examine the impact of these new global regimes upon Israel and its laws.

Prof. Oren Perez is a member of the Faculty of Law at Bar Ilan University, Israel. He has LLB (Magna Cum Laude) from Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Law, 1993, LLM, PhD, London School Of Economics and Political Science, 1995, 2001. His research focuses on environmental law & policy, regulation, globalization and the law, and legal theory.

Advanced Issues in Intellectual Property Law
Professor Miriam Bitton, Bar Ilan University

This short course is intended to examine in depth a series of topics that, in recent years, have proven especially controversial in the field of intellectual property law: trademark dilution, the right of publicity, the public domain, intellectual property protection for fashion, fair use, intellectual property and entrepreneurship, the relationship between copyright and freedom of speech, intellectual property law theories in the new information environment and other issues. The course will discuss American, Israeli and international intellectual property law. Each student will be expected to participate in the discussion of these issues and take a final take-home exam.

Dr. Miriam Bitton is a law professor at Bar-Ilan University School of Law. She received her Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws degrees at Bar-Ilan University School of Law, as well as another Master of Laws at University of Michigan Law School and a Doctor of the Science of Law at Michigan. A former Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at DePaul University College of Law, she was also the Microsoft Research Fellow at U.C. Berkeley School of Law and a Visiting Fellow at George Washington University Law School. Dr. Bitton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Lawyering Skills
Professor Neil H. Cogan, Whittier Law School

An introduction to the theoretical structures in interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and trial skills, that gives students the opportunity to perform simulations of lawyering tasks. This is the classroom component for the Externship Program. The class includes discussions of externship experiences. This course must be taken with a clinic or an externship.

State and Religion in Comparative Perspective
Professor Gidon Sapir, Bar Ilan University

This course examines the relationship between the state and religion in various legal systems. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of religion and religious institutions in the legal system and legal structures of the State of Israel. The course will examine how Israel, created as a state for the Jewish people, has handled the tensions between maintaining Israel as a state with a Jewish identity and at the same time a liberal democracy. As we will see, over the past several years once latent disagreements over matters of religion and state have become a major source of political and cultural tensions in Israeli society.

The first part of the course will be dedicated to conceptual analysis and presentation of various models for the legal role of religion in various national legal systems, including models found in states based upon Christianity and Islam. In the second part, we will take a closer look at several specific religious disputes arising in Israeli law, including rights of citizenship, family law disputes, and Sabbath and dietary law observance. The course will conclude with a comparison between the arrangements made in Israel and in the United States as to the legal status of religion.

Dr. Gidon Sapir is a law professor at Bar-Ilan University School of Law, the site of our Israel program. He received his LL.B. law degree from Bar-Ilan University and his LL.M. and S.J.D. advanced law degrees from Northwestern University. He has been a visiting professor at University of Toronto School of Law. Dr. Sapir can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Externship (1 or 2 credits)

Cultural Tours (Optional)

An important part of the program is the opportunity to experience the magic of Israel and its environs. Previous students have included many for whom this was their first visit to the Holy Land. Classes end on Thursday morning, so students have time to travel over a long weekend.

Israel Experts Ltd., a private tour company unaffiliated with Whittier Law School, links students with optional tours to other parts of Israel, including Galilee, the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, Eilat, and Jerusalem. Students in past years also traveled to Jordan, including the lost city of Petra, to the Sinai Desert, Cairo and the pyramids in Egypt, and Cyprus.

Classroom and Services

Classes are held in the Faculty of Law main building and annex. The administrative office of the program is on the second floor of the main building, adjacent to the dean’s office. The library and carrels are in the main building on the first and sub-first floors. Computers with internet access are in the sub-first floor of the library. Classrooms and restrooms are accessible to the disabled.

Housing Information

There is no program housing provided by Whittier Law School. However, housing accommodations for students are available through a private company, IsraelExperts, on a “first-come, first-serve” basis. Although most students choose to reside in the same facility, choosing the same hotel facility is not a requirement in order for a student to participate in the academic program. Some students opt to rent an apartment through companies such as http://www.tlv2go.com And .some students opt to stay with relatives or friends. Regardless of whether you obtain housing through Israel Experts or obtain housing on your own, the Program assumes no responsibility for housing.

Israel Experts also provide arrangements for a private bus to take students to/from classes at Bar-Ilan University and to all legal excursions. The private bus will leave from the vicinity of the Tel Aviv hotel chosen by most students.

To view housing options arranged by, Israel Experts, please see:

http://www.israelexperts.com/whittier.html

Questions for Israel Experts may be sent by email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Access to Computers & Internet Service

It is strongly recommended that students bring their own notebook/laptop computer, particularly for those courses that require papers or written assignments.

Grading

Students are required to attend all classes and participate actively in all classes. All students receive a course grade based on class participation and a required paper or exam administered at the end of each course. Seminar classes have limited enrollment and require regular class participation. For seminars, students may be required to make group or individual presentations, and typically the most significant component of the final grade is determined by a research paper of approximately 10-15 pages per unit of credit to be determined by the professor.

All Whittier Summer Abroad Courses are graded by using the same grading system used for the on-campus program. We do not offer courses on a Pass/No Pass basis except for units earned for Externships and Independent Study projects. Professors report numerical grades based on a 4.0 point system as follows:

  • 3.6 – 4.0 (A)
  • 3.0 – 3.4 (B)
  • 2.5 – 2.9(C )
  • 2.3 – 2.4(C-)
  • 1.8 – 2.2 (D)
  • 1.7 (F)

Reporting of Grades

Whittier Law School will report all grades once they are reported and finalized by the professors. Professors submit grades no later than six weeks after the end of the program. Non-Whittier students must inquire with their home school for policies regarding accepting courses and transferring credit for courses taken at Whittier law school’s summer programs. Whether credit will be accepted and how grades will be reported at the home school is entirely at the discretion of each student’s home school.

Grading Normalization

For more information regarding Whittier Law School’s grading normalization policies, please see Whittier Law School’s Policies and Procedures.

Admissions and Enrollment

The program is open to law students who have completed their first year of full or part time study by the time the program begins. Law graduates may be admitted as auditors. All students, except Whittier students, must submit a letter of good standing from the Dean or Registrar of their school. In the July 2012 program, twelve students participated, a two-week student from Whittier and eleven four-week students from other ABA law schools. No law students from outside the United States attended the program. For the July 2013 program, operation is based upon an anticipated an enrollment of thirteen four-week and two two-week students.

The application deadline is March 1, 2013. Early applications are encouraged as program enrollment may be limited. Applications received after the March 1 deadline will be considered only if space is available.

You may request an application from the Law School or print the form from this site. For your convenience, you may submit your application(s) and the required fee(s) by mail, email, fax, or in person to:

Office of International Relations
Whittier Law School
3333 Harbor Boulevard
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Fax: (714) 444-0855
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Attn: Peeler Calvin

A complete application consists of a completed application form, and a non-refundable application fee of $100, payable by Visa, MasterCard or personal check. (Checks should be made payable to Whittier Law School. The application fee must accompany the application at the time of submission.)

Participant File

  • A complete file consists of all of the following:
  1. Completed application form
  2. 2. A letter of good standing from the Registrar of your law school (not required of Whittier Law School students). Students on Academic Probation are discouraged from applying, but will be considered on a case by case basis
  3. 3. Copy of your passport [should be valid for the duration of your study abroad]
  4. Signed Acceptance Letter
  5. Signed Participation Agreement
  6. Signed Tuition Agreement

Residency Requirements

It is unlikely that participation in foreign summer programs may be used to accelerate graduation. Whittier Law students interested in acceleration should consult with the Student Affairs office to review this issue in light of Standard 305, Interpretation 4. Non-Whittier students should consult with their home school.

Course Registration

You will be required to select your courses no later than the March 1 application deadline. For some programs, there are several course choices. In order for the Program Director to know whether all courses will be adequately subscribed, we require early registration. For your convenience, we have included on each program website course descriptions and a course plan or syllabus for each course to enable you to make your selections. This information is critical for planning the operation of our programs so that we are certain to offer courses that interest you. In the event that a course for which you have enrolled is undersubscribed, we will notify you promptly so that you can consider alternative choices. Courses with insufficient enrollment will be cancelled.

Add/Drop Period: March 1 – 8, 2013

We must make early commitments of financial resources to operate our summer programs, including faculty assignments. Therefore, we will offer a very limited opportunity to add or drop a class after the registration deadline. Please consider carefully your course selections. You may change your registration until March 8 without consequence. Any request to add or drop a class(es) after March 8 will require an additional administrative fee of $25 per course.

Deadlines & Payment Schedule

Application Deadline: March 1, 2013. Applications received after this date will be considered only if space is available.

First Tuition Deposit Deadline: March 15, 2013. $200 Deposit Due

Final Tuition Balance & Housing Payment Deadline: April 1, 2013. (If you are applying for financial aid, please advise us.)

Last day to withdraw with no tuition obligation: April 1, 2013.

Requests to withdraw must be made in writing, and submitted or postmarked on or before April 1, 2013. Notices of withdrawal received after April 1 will not be considered for tuition/fee relief. Any program participant who withdraws after April 1 will be responsible for the full price of tuition and/or other non-refundable fees.

Failure to Comply With Deadlines

PLEASE NOTE: Failure to comply with a deadline will not automatically withdraw you from a program(s) to which you have applied and been admitted. Your failure to meet a defined deadline may subject you to an additional administrative fee. To request exemption from a deadline and avoid a fee, please contact the Office of International Relations.

Financial Aid

Projected Expenses based on figures from 2011 (may vary depending upon when you purchase your ticket, the carrier, and other variables.)

Personal Expenses $ 1,120
Housing $ 3,080
Transportation $ 1,850
Tuition & Fees $ 4,700
Total $ 10,750

Please see Study Abroad – Financial Aid

Withdrawal Policy

Admitted students are automatically enrolled in the program(s) and counted for purposes of program plans upon submitting the signed acceptance letter. Should a student decide to withdraw from a program(s), s/he must submit in writing a “Letter of Declaration” setting forth an intention to withdraw no later than the close of business on April 1, 2013. For timely requests for withdrawal, all appropriate tuition and/or fees will be refunded within 10 business days of receipt of a letter of withdrawal. Failure to withdraw by April 1 will subject a student to tuition obligations as well as other fees the Law School has advanced on his or her behalf.

Please be advised that the Program Directors make early commitments to secure housing, purchase materials and pay for other program expenses based upon the number of participants determined shortly after the application deadline. Additionally, the Law School makes non-refundable financial commitments to faculty, program activities, and foreign hosts based upon the anticipated student tuition revenue at the time of registration. Therefore, it will not be possible for Whittier Law School to accept requests for refunds and/or relief of commitment to pay tuition or housing fees after the April 1, 2013 deadline to withdraw. A student who withdraws from a program after that date will be liable for all fees and tuition.

Please be advised that once you withdraw from a summer program, there will be a $50 fee to re-activate your application and reserve your space in the program in the event that you subsequently change your mind. We understand that a few of you may need to change your summer plans, and we are ready to assist you as best we can. We wish you all a wonderful and productive summer.

Notices of withdrawal received after April 1, 2013 will not be considered for refund or for tuition fee relief. Any program participant who withdraws after April 1, 2013 will be responsible for the full price of tuition and/or other non-refundable fees.

Withdrawal after the April 1 Deadline

Whittier Law School will not refund tuition or housing fees or grant relief from these financial obligations under any circumstance after the April 1 deadline, not even in the event that a student withdraws for reasons or misfortunes beyond his or her control, e.g., academic disqualification, financial aid disqualification, medical emergencies, or any other unforeseen circumstances, etc. Therefore, it is very important that each student weigh carefully his or her decision to participate in one of Whittier Law School’s Study Abroad Programs. Since no tuition or housing fee will be refunded under any circumstance after April 1, students are encouraged to consider Tuition Insurance. You may inquire with the Peeler Calvin for additional information regarding Tuition Insurance.

Students on Academic Notice

Students typically learn their GPA in June after all grades have been submitted and published. It is particularly important that you carefully weigh whether you should apply to a Summer Abroad program if there is an apparent risk of academic disqualification. After April 1, 2013, no one is excused from financial commitments, even when disqualified and even when student loans are cancelled.

Program Enrollees Who Subsequently Learn That They Are Academically Disqualified

Please be advised that if you fail to withdraw by the withdrawal deadline and subsequently learn that you are academically disqualified, we will hold you responsible for tuition fees and any other fees we cannot recover should you decide not to attend the summer abroad program. Therefore, we invite your participation. You will be welcome to take courses, participate in enrichment opportunities, and fully participate in all program activities.

Please note, however, that due to your disqualification you will be ineligible to earn law school units or credit for your participation in the courses you take abroad. If you have concerns about your plans to go abroad, please contact the Office of the Associate Dean for International Relations.

Changes in Course Offerings or Other Significant Aspects of the Program or Cancellation of the Program

Whittier Law School reserves the right to cancel or alter the Study Abroad Programs. The programs, or specific courses advertised, are subject to cancellation if the enrollment is insufficient or if a State Department travel warning has been issued for the country or area where the program will take place.

Changes made in the course offerings or other significant aspects of the program, or cancellation of the program, will be communicated promptly to any registrant who has paid a deposit or registered for the program, and an opportunity will be provided for that person to withdraw.

If, prior to the commencement of the program, a U.S. State Department Travel Warning or Alert covering the program dates and destinations is issued for Israel, all registrants will be notified promptly and be given an opportunity to withdraw from the program.

If, during the course of the program, a U.S. State Department Travel Warning or Alert covering program dates and destinations is issued for Israel, students will be notified promptly and given an opportunity to withdraw from the program.

If students withdraw due to changes made in the course offerings or other significant aspects of the program prior to the commencement of the program, or if a program is canceled, students will receive a full refund of all monies advanced within twenty (20) days after the cancellation or withdrawal.

If students withdraw due to changes made in the course offerings or other significant aspects during the course of the program, or if the program is terminated, students will be refunded fees paid to Whittier Law School.

In the event of cancellation, the Associate Dean for International Relations will assist all displaced registrants to find suitable alternative summer programs.

Medical Insurance

Whittier Law School assumes no responsibility for medical care or costs, and students may be required to show proof of health insurance that covers medical expenses incurred abroad. You are advised to check with your medical insurance provider to see if your current medical insurance covers emergency medical care while overseas. If it does not, you are strongly encouraged to consider buying supplemental medical and hospital coverage for the period of your stay overseas. You might inquire with your medical provider, insurance agent or travel agent.

Additionally, students are strongly encouraged to obtain medical evacuation insurance. Such insurance may be obtained from various providers including, but not limited to, the following possible providers: Travel Assistance International, (800) 821.2828 , http://www.travelassistance.com; Global Travel Insurance, (800) 232.9145 , http://www.globaltravelinsurance.com; and Travel Insurance Services, (800) 937.1387 , http://www.travelinsure.com; The Gateway Plans http://www.gatewayplans.com; Wallach & Company Inc. http://www.wallach.com; BETiNS, (866) 552-8834 , http://www.betins.com.

Administrative Staff

Professor Neil H. Cogan is the stateside director responsible for planning and overall administration of the program. Professor Cogan is a well-known civil rights scholar and has written extensively on constitutional and civil rights legislation. He has lived, studied and worked in Israel on many occasions and enjoys sharing its wonders with students. He will also serve as the on-site director during the program. You can reach him directly at (714) 444-4141, ext. 216; .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Calvin D. Peeler is the Associate Dean for International Relations, and oversees all Summer Abroad Programs. You can reach him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); ext. 111.

For general inquiries, you may also contact Peeler Calvin at (714) 444-4141 × 111 or 112; .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).