Legal Studies: Human Rights, Immigration, and the Rule of Law in Europe is a five week program offered through a partnership between Learn International, UC Lille School of Law, and the University of Oregon. The program is designed to give students classroom experience with International Human Rights, Immigration, and the Rule of Law in a comparative European context. Faculty members will include professors from the University of Oregon and UC Lille, along with practitioners and advocates who work in these fields throughout France and the EU. The program is designed to give students a better understanding of the sociopolitical, legal, and economic forces which inform the rule of law in the EU, which guarantees democracy and human rights in the EU. Through an investigation of history, law, and current events, students will better understand the factors that shape the implementation of international human rights and immigration law in France and the EU more broadly while having opportunities to compare/contrast this approach with that of the United States.
Alongside their coursework students will have the opportunity to see these processes at work in real-time with relevant excursions including a visit to French and EU legal institutions such as the UC Lille's "Law Bus" (a mobile legal aid clinic), local immigration law nonprofits, and even the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. UC Lille's law program has existed since 1875 and has recently carved out a niche for it's notable International Focus alongside a top 5 ranking in business & competition law within France. This program is recommended for students studying legal studies, global studies, political science, or any other major with an emphasis on International human rights, the rule of law, European studies, immigration, or citizenship.
In an effort to ensure students appreciate the challenges and opportunities that an evolving French culture offers for immigrants and citizens alike, all students will take a 2-credit P/NP "Introduction to French Language and Culture" course alongside their core content courses. Students with academic experience with French language may opt to take a more advanced French language course.
Lille's rich history is unique from the rest of France due to its strong links to the Flanders & Flemish regions of Belgium. This is immediately visible through it's unique architecture, cuisine, and local dialect, resulting in an extremely unique corner of Europe unlike any other. Lille's close proximity to Paris, London, and Brussels places it firmly in the center of the "Eurostar Triangle", offering students a rare opportunity to access metropolitan European hubs while living and learning in a city unlike any other.
