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Oxford Summer Program
Summer in Oxford Program: 2008
SMU Dedman School of Law conducts an annual six-week Oxford
summer law school program at University College, Oxford. In
2008, the program will begin on Tuesday, July 1, and
run through Saturday, August 9. As in the past,
the number of students enrolled in the program will
be kept small to permit small classes and to encourage a
sense of community. In recent years, enrollment has
varied from about 32 students to 36 students,
most but not all of whom have been enrolled at SMU.
Applications will be accepted as follows. All applications submitted
on or before 2:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time) on Friday,February 1
will be placed in a pool of applications. If there are fewer than 36 applications,
all applicants will be accepted into the program. If there are more than 36
applications in the pool, applications will be accepted in the order in
which they were submitted but students enrolled at SMU will be given preference.
Those not selected will be placed on a waiting list. Applications
received after the February 1 deadline will be accepted (if there are places)
or placed on the waiting list in the order in which the applications
were received.
To enroll in the program you should submit a
completed application
form [PDF] [Word]
by 2:00 p.m. (CST), February 1, 2008. After February 1 applications
will be considered as space in the program is available.
The fee for the 2008 program is $7,000 (subject to approval by the
SMU Board of Trustees). The fee covers tuition (five credit hours), room and
partial board, library fee, and Internet connection.
The fee does not cover the cost of transportation,
books and supplies, personal travel or spending money.
Details about the application process and payment of the
fees are set out below.
If you have questions after reading the following information or wish
information about enrolling, please contact Professor Peter
Winship at pwinship@smu.edu
or his secretary, Michele
Oswald at amoswald@smu.edu.
If you would like to receive periodic e-mails about the program, please send
your name and e-mail address to Ms Oswald.
Information
Important Dates
February 1, 2008: Applications due
February 8, 2008: First deposit due
April 1, 2008: Second Deposit due
May 1, 2008: Final payment due
July 1, 2008: Program begins
Courses and Method of Instruction
Students enroll in five credits of course
work in the Oxford program. They take one three-credit
course from an SMU Law School faculty member and one
two-credit tutorial taught by present and past members of the Oxford
faculty. The two-credit tutorial fulfills the general
writing requirement at SMU.
The courses that will be offered in 2008 will be:
- Comparative Law II: Transnational Commercial Law (Prof. Peter Winship)
- International Organizations (Prof. Jenia Turner)
We anticipate that the tutorials will include tutorials on:
- English Legal System
- Comparative Criminal Justice
- Comparative Human Rights Law
- Comparative Personal Property Law
- Introduction to the European Constitution
Actual tutorial offerings will depend on the availability of faculty and the
number of students enrolled in the program. The two-hour courses are taught
using the Oxford tutorial method. Tutorials require students to prepare a written
essay in response to an assigned topic and reading list and to present it to the
tutor orally in a two (or one)-on-one meeting. The tutor's role is to critique
the essay and question the student about the topic. Each tutorial is
scheduled to meet five times during the program.
Examinations for the courses and tutorials will be administered at the end of the
program. SMU students will be given a letter grade, non-SMU students are graded
pass-fail.
Course Descriptions
Transnational Commercial Law
Professor Winship
This course studies the sources and application of transnational commercial law.
It examines the role of private international law, international treaties, model
laws, restatements of law and usages of trade. Particular attention will be given
to the desirability and feasibility of harmonizing these legal sources.
International Organizations
Professor Turner
This course studies the structure, status, and function of international organizations,
especially the United Nations system and the European Union, with a focus on several
substantive areas, including peace and security, trade, economic and monetary
matters, and human rights.
Tutorial Descriptions
Comparative Human Rights Law — Nicholas Bamforth
Despite the very different histories and constitutions of the nations concerned,
the legal systems of the USA and the UK are officially committed to broadly similar
sets of human rights. Furthermore, courts on both sides of the Atlantic have taken
to citing - often against strong dissents - each other’s precedents in human rights
cases (a classic U.S. example being Lawrence v. Texas).
Nonetheless, there remain very important differences between the two legal systems,
relating in particular to the strength and ambit of many of the rights involved.
The comparative Human Rights course will explore these similarities and differences
in order to see what we can learn from them about the nature of constitutional
human rights.
Comparative Criminal Justice — Stephen Shute
This course explores, from a comparative perspective, some significant aspects of
criminal justice. The comparisons made are largely between the US and the UK.
Topics considered in the course include: sentencing; dangerousness;
and parole/early release from prison.
Comparative Personal Property Law — W.J. Swadling
This course focuses on aspects of the English law of personal property, with references
to the corresponding US law where appropriate. Topics covered include the significance
of property rights as against personal rights, how property rights over goods are
created (eg, by finding, by manufacture, etc) and how these rights once created are
transferred to others.
English Legal System — Jane Hanna
The course will provide an introduction of the role of the courts within the UK
constitution with a particular focus on the balance of power between the judiciary
and the institutions of government and whether this balance has altered since the
UK’S membership in the European Union and the passing of the Human Rights Act 1998.
Introduction to the European Constitution — Nick Barber
This course will explore the European constitution and the impact it has
on the member countries of the European Union.
Class Schedule
Courses taught by SMU faculty meet in the morning for two hours. Except for the first
and last week of the course, classes will be held Monday through Thursday. The first
week the courses will meet Wednesday through Friday, while in the last week they
meet Monday and Tuesday.
The schedule of weekly tutorial meetings will be arranged with each individual tutor
in an introductory meeting during the first week of the course.
Examinations will be administered on Thursday (courses) and Friday (tutorials) of
the last week of the course. The preceding Wednesday is a reading day.
Classroom and Library Facilities
Classes will meet in rooms in or near University College. Students will be
admitted to the Bodleian
Law Library and can use its facilities during its
normal operating hours. The University and the College continue to make
progress in making all facilities accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Living Arrangements and Meals
The fee charged for the SMU program includes a room in University College for the full
six weeks, continental breakfast every morning, lunch (Monday-Thursday) and one
formal dinner each week.
Each student is assigned a private room, with a shared bath. Linens, towels, and
maid service are provided by the College. Meals will be served in the
College Hall. Coin-operated washing machines and dryers are available in one
of the dormitories.
Trip to “Legal London” and Other Activities
We will take a day-trip to visit Legal London. In addition, students will
also have the opportunity to attend Shakespearean plays performed in college
gardens, concerts, punting trips, or trips to picturesque pubs depending
on the interests of the students in any particular summer.
Guide for Participants
Participants will be given a Guide with practical details about how to prepare for
the program, how to get to Oxford, and how to take advantage of being in Oxford.
You may read a tentative draft of
the Guide but remember that it is a draft.
Miscellaneous
Information about entry requirements, medical insurance, and other useful
information may be found on the official U.K.
website http://www.britainusa.com.
The U.S. State Department website,
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1052.html, provides
information for citizens traveling abroad.
For non-SMU students, acceptance of any credit or grade for any course taken
in the program is subject to determination by their home schools.
It is unlikely that participation in a foreign summer program may be used to
accelerate graduation. Students interested in acceleration should consult
their home schools to review this issue in light of ABA Standard 304, Interpretation 4.
Useful Links to Information About Oxford
Application procedure
You should submit a completed application
form
[PDF] [Word]
as soon as possible. The completed
application may be submitted in person, by e-mail or by regular mail.
If submitted in person, you should turn the form into
Michele Oswald, Storey Hall (Room 213). If submitted
by e-mail, you should send the completed form as an
attachment to an e-mail sent to amoswald@mail.smu.edu.
If submitted by mail, you should mail the form to Oxford Program (Attn: Michele Oswald),
Dedman School of Law, PO Box 750116, Dallas, TX 75275-0116.
Applications will be accepted as follows. All applications submitted on or before
2:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time) on Friday, February 1, 2008, will
be placed in a pool of applications. If there are fewer than 36 applications,
all applicants will be accepted into the program. If there are more than 36
applications in the pool, students enrolled at SMU will be given preference.
Those not selected will be placed on a waiting list. Applications received after
the February 1 deadline will be accepted (if there are places) or placed on
the waiting list in the order in which the applications are received.
Notices of acceptance (and placement on the waiting list) will be sent out by
the close of business on Monday, February 4. In fairness to
colleagues, an applicant who does not plan to enroll should promptly inform
Ms Oswald that he or she is withdrawing.
The acceptance of initial applicants is conditional on payment of an initial $500 deposit
by the close of business on February 8. (An applicant accepted after
February 1 must pay this initial deposit no later than one week after notice of
acceptance is sent.) A second $500 deposit is payable by the close
of business on April 1. These deposits will be applied to the program
fee if the applicant attends the program. If an applicant withdraws, any deposit
paid before withdrawal will be returned only if a substitute is found. The
remainder of the program fee of $6,000 is payable by
the close of business on May 1.
Payments should be made by checks made out to “SMU Dedman Law School” and
delivered to Michele Oswald. An applicant who does not make a payment
when due will be removed from the list of admitted students.
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