Study Abroad in Mexico
Guadalajara, Mexico
May 12 - May 30, 2008
Sponsored by Michigan State University College of Law in cooperation with the law faculty of Panamericana University
- The Program
- Student Performance and Grading
- Educational Objectives
- Program Faculty
- The Location
- Program and Living Costs
- The Curriculum
- Travel
- Schedule of Classes
- Program Accreditation
- Admissions Process
- Additional Information
- Application (PDF)
MSU Law’s Study Abroad in Mexico program is designed for students interested in gaining a deeper appreciation of the close Mexico-U.S. economic and legal relationship. The program consists of an intense three-week study of Mexican legal institutions focusing on the legal relationship between Mexico and the United States embodied in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The program will run for three weeks from May 12 to May 30, 2008. Students can earn up to four semester credits if they attend the full three weeks. The program offers flexible scheduling to accommodate students who have only one or two weeks available for study abroad in the summer, making this the ideal program for part-time law students or students who must work during the summer. Students attending any one week of the program take a single one-credit course. The class schedule is below.
The economic importance of Mexico to the United States cannot be understated. Mexico is the second most important destination for U.S. exports (Canada ranks first), and it ranks third (after Canada and Japan) as a supplier of U.S. imports. The core focus of MSU College of Law’s Study Abroad in Mexico program is NAFTA. The legal relationship between Mexico and the United States is explored in courses on NAFTA, International Trade Law, International Sale of Goods Law, and Patterns of American Jurisprudence.
The program will be held at Panamericana University, which is located in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico (a suburb of Guadalajara). Guadalajara, the nation’s second largest city in population, sits in a valley 300 miles northwest of Mexico City and is the capital of Jalisco, one of Mexico’s most prosperous states. At an altitude of 5,200 feet, the city enjoys mild temperatures year round. Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest body of fresh water, is 35 miles southeast of the city and is a popular day trip. Each Sunday, the Ballet Folklórico of the University of Guadalajara performs dazzling folk dances in traditional costumes.
Four courses will be offered in Summer 2008:
International Sale of Goods Law (1 credit), taught by Professor Bradford Stone. This course will discuss the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), the uniform international sales law of seventy-one countries that account for two-thirds of all world trade. Canada, Mexico, and the United States are parties to the CISG.
The CISG covers formation, performance, and remedies for breach of the international sale of goods contract. Comparisons with Uniform Commercial Code, Article 2, will be made. Also covered will be INCOTERMS, Unidroit Principles, and Uniform Customs and Practice (UCP 600). The letter of credit will be addressed.
International Trade Law (1 credit), taught by Professor Santiago González Luna. This course will deal with the private law of international trade. Topics will include risks associated with payment and transportation (including Incoterms and the documentary sale of goods), UNIDROIT principles of international commercial contracts, the Convention on the International Sale of Goods, and dispute settlement.
Patterns of American Jurisprudence (1 credit), taught by Acting Dean and Professor Cliff Thompson. Using readings from the book by the same title by Neil Duxbury, this course offers a comprehensive analysis of American jurisprudence from its emergence in the later stages of the nineteenth century through the present day.
NAFTA (1 credit), taught by Professor Michael Lawrence. Topics will include the negotiating history of the North American Free Trade Agreement, free trade in goods, trade in services, foreign investment, and dispute settlement.
Classes are scheduled from Monday to Friday on the following dates and times:
| Time |
May 12 - May 16 |
May 19 - May 23 |
May 26 - May 30 |
|
9:00-11:30 am |
NAFTA |
International Sale of Goods Law |
Patterns of American Jurisprudence |
|
1:00-2:15 pm |
|
International Trade Law |
|
All courses end on Friday. A final examination is scheduled following the last day of class in each course. We reserve the right to change the schedule of classes, both as to timing and courses offered. No such change will be made without advance notice to applicants.
Enrichment Activities
During the program, students will have an opportunity to visit Mexican legal institutions including the courts, the Jalisco state legislature, and private law offices.
Student Performance and Grading
The case method and/or problem method will be used in all classes. Students will be evaluated through an anonymous written examination using letter grades A–F. Class participation may be included as a component at the discretion of each faculty member. The faculty member’s class participation policy will be announced on the first day of class. Acceptance of any credit or grade for any course taken in the program is subject to determination by the student’s home school. It is unlikely that participation in the summer program may be used to accelerate graduation. Students interested in acceleration are advised to consult with their home school prior to the start of the program to review this issue.
Classrooms, Administrative Offices, and Facilities for Students with Disabilities
Classrooms and offices used in the program are located in the central administration building of Panamericana University. All facilities are modern and air conditioned. The classrooms are well lit and equipped with comfortable chairs for note taking. Students will have access to the University library (located in the classroom building), which is furnished with study carrels and ample space for study. Arrangements will also be made to give students Internet access through Panamericana University’s computer lab. Facilities for students with physical disabilities are limited throughout Mexico.
Michael Lawrence, Program Director
J.D. University of Wisconsin, 1992; M.S. University of Wisconsin, 1992; M.B.S. University of Colorado, 1987; B.S. Indiana University, Bloomington, 1981
Michael A. Lawrence is Professor of Law at Michigan State University College of Law, where he teaches courses on Constitutional Law, International Law, and Property. He was also Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at MSU College of Law in 2001-2003. Professor Lawrence lectures and teaches short courses on these topics in various countries around the world, including Mexico, Australia, Russia, Lithuania, and China. In 2005, he was a Fulbright Scholar to China (Beijing University of International Business and Economics).
Professor Lawrence’s research interests currently focus on constitutional law, and his previous publications are in property, international trade and constitutional law. He was 2004-05 Chair of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Post-Graduate Legal Education, and 2005-06 Chair of the AALS Section on Pre-Legal Education and Admission to Law School.
Professor Lawrence has a B.S. degree from Indiana University, an M.B.S. from the University of Colorado, and M.S. and J.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated with honors and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Wisconsin Law Review.
Cliff F. Thompson
J.D. Harvard Law School; M.A. Magdelen College; B.A. Harvard College
Dean Thompson joined the MSU College of Law in February 2007 as acting dean. Dean Thompson serves as dean emeritus of the University of Wisconsin Law School and has also served as former dean and professor at the Universities of Idaho and Hawaii. He also was the dean of the Haile Sellassie University School of Law in Ethiopia and co-founded the faculty of law at the University of Zambia. Dean Thompson served full-time as Legal Education Advisor for the government of Indonesia from 1993 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2004.
Dean Thompson’s research interests revolve primarily around lawyers, law, and social change in developing countries as demonstrated by his current role as a consultant with Chinese University of Hong Kong regarding the start of its new law school.
Dean Thompson has more than 10 years of teaching experience in contracts, property, jurisprudence, law and society, and third-world legal systems. He has taught law in the Sudan, Zambia and Ethiopia, as well as U.S. law schools and is the author of numerous journal articles, papers and books.
Dean Thompson earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude; his master’s from Magdelen College, Oxford University; and his juris doctor from Harvard Law School.
Santiago González Luna
Professor of Law, Universidad Panamericana. Lic. en Derecho, Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente; Diploma in Contract Law, Universidad Iberoamericana; LL.M., London School of Economics
Professor González Luna is regarded as one of the best teachers at Universidad Panamericana, where he teaches International Trade Law in the graduate law division. He has published extensively in the area of tax law. Professor Gonzlez is a partner in the Guadalajara law firm of Barrera, González Luna y González Schmal.
Bradford Stone
B.A., University of Michigan; J .D., University of Michigan
Professor Stone worked as an attorney in the Legal Division of Burroughs Corporation in Detroit, Michigan for five years before entering law teaching. He was Professor of Law at the Michigan State University College of Law (formerly Detroit College of Law) for a number of years, and has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan Law School and Brigham Young University Law School. He was a Visiting Professor at Stetson University College of Law in 1974-75 and is now the Charles A. Dana Professor of Law Emeritus.
Professor Stone has written and lectured extensively on the subject of Commercial Law. Among other things, he is co-author (with Professor Calvin Kuenzel and Donald King) of a casebook, Commercial Transactions under the Uniform Commercial Code, published by Matthew Bender. He is the General Editor of West's Legal Forms, and is the author of West Publishing Company's "Nutshell Series" book on the Uniform Commercial Code.
Student Eligibility
Students must have completed one year of full- or part-time law study and must be in good standing at an ABA-approved or state accredited law school. Applicants must furnish a letter from their dean or registrar certifying their current good standing prior to the commencement of the program. Enrollment is limited to 30 students.
Application and Fee
Mail the completed application (PDF) along with the above-mentioned letter of good standing and the non-refundable $100 application fee (make checks payable to MSU College of Law) to: Professor Michael Lawrence, Director, Study Abroad in Mexico Program, Michigan State University College of Law, 465B Law College Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1300.
The application deadline is April 1, 2008.
Tuition and Activity Fee
Tuition is currently $700 per credit hour plus a program fee of $300 (proratable at $100 per week). In addition to the program fee, an additional program fee of $100 will be assessed by MSU’s Office of Study Abroad, which provides coverage in the study abroad insurance program (HTH) for medical evacuation if necessary; an emergency assistance card for immediate telephone access to the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety; and routine scanning of U.S. State Department alerts. Full payment must be received by April 25, 2008. Because of advance-planning commitments, tuition and the activity fee may be refunded only if notice of withdrawal is provided by May 9, 2008, and then only for exigent circumstances. Students are expected to make their own travel arrangements. See below for important travel information.
Housing and Living Expenses
Arrangements have been made through Panamericana University for home stays with local families. The cost of a home stay for three weeks is approximately $400, which includes a double occupancy room and three meals per day. Local hotels are available as well, the cost of which is approximately $40 per day per person based on double occupancy. Students who choose to stay in a hotel should budget approximately $20 per day for meals. Panamericana University’s cafeteria serves an inexpensive breakfast and lunch weekdays. The location of housing relative to the University varies. In most cases, students will be able to walk or take a bus to class. In some cases, a short cab ride may be necessary. Students are advised to bring an additional $400 to cover incidental expenses.
The Government of Mexico requires that all U.S. citizens present a U.S. or other national passport for entry into Mexico. All applicants are advised to consult the latest State Department travel advisory for Mexico prior to application for information on the political, social, and health conditions in Mexico. That information is available at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips_mexico.html. The Program Director will send all registered students the latest travel advisory prior to the start of the program.
Health Insurance
Students will be required to show proof of health insurance that covers medical expenses incurred in Mexico. The additional $100 program fee assessed by MSU’s Office of Study Abroad provides coverage in the study abroad insurance program (HTH) for medical evacuation if necessary. Such medical evacuation insurance is required by this program. The Study Abroad fee also provides an emergency assistance card for immediate telephone access to the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety and routine scanning of U.S. State Department alerts.
Cancellation Policy
Michigan State University College of Law reserves the right to cancel the program for insufficient enrollment. Applicants will be notified of the cancellation by telephone or e-mail no later than May 2, 2008. If the program is cancelled, tuition and the activity fee will be fully refunded.
The Program has received the approval of the American Bar Association, Section of Legal Education. Michigan State University College of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
For more information, please contact:
Professor Michael Lawrence
Director, Study Abroad in Mexico Program
Michigan State University College of Law
465B Law College Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1300
517/432-6816 phone
517/432-6879 fax
michael.lawrence@law.msu.edu
studyabroad.law.msu.edu