The Office of Study Abroad is now accepting applications to The Hague Summer Program, a new six-week opportunity that combines studying international law both in theory and in practice at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands.
Students enrolled in the program will live at the University of Leiden, take classes with Prof. Richard Gaskins (LEG) and make frequent visits to The Hague to participate in workshops with lawyers and judges from the ICC.
“I think it will be an exhilarating experience for everybody to meet the legal experts and practitioners who are trying to make international law a reality,” Gaskins said.
The program, sponsored by the Office of Global Affairs and the Office of Study Abroad, will run from May 30 through July 10 and consists of two courses: “The Spirit of International Law,” and “Advocacy in the International Criminal Court.”
“The goal is to introduce students to how law comes together with global politics and human rights,” Gaskins said.
The deadline for applications is March 26, and students who apply before the deadline will be notified on a rolling admissions process. The program costs $8,500, including tuition, housing, local transportation and health insurance, according to the Brandeis Study Abroad Web site.
The two courses will be taught concurrently and the fourth and fifth weeks of the course will be spent in an intensive workshop with lawyers from the International Criminal Court. Class time before the workshop will include preparation and meetings with judges, according to Gaskins.
“There will be a lot of hands on work during that time [of the workshop and] time also to see the area, which is historically very interesting, [and] culturally very interesting,” he said.
The two courses will count for eight credits and can count for the “international experience” component of the International and Global Studies program as well as the required internship for the Legal Studies program. The courses can also count as electives for IGS and Legal Studies and “The Spirit of International Law” will count as one course for the Politics major.
The administration is seeking to build on Brandeis’ history and past experiences in the city.
“Overall Brandeis has a long relationship in The Hague and we are excited to offer this new program for undergraduates to be with a Brandeis faculty member abroad taking advantage of this possibility,” Director of Study Abroad J. Scott Van Der Meid said. “I think this will be a great beginning to more experiential learning opportunities abroad that bring our students and faculty together.”
Gaskins acknowledged that with a new program, there will be challenges in its first semester.
