Tag Archives: Switzerland
Ursina Menn, an exchange student spending the fall semester at HLS, on studying law at the University of Geneva
How would you describe the teaching method(s) used in your classes?
Classes in Geneva combine classical, straightforward ex cathedra courses and practical exercises in small groups. The teaching methods of course vary according to the personal styles of the different professors. Reading materials are generally available at the beginning of the term.
Can you describe your campus, its location, some of things you can do nearby?
The University of Geneva does not possess a campus in the traditional way; its buildings are spread out over the city. The main building for law students, Uni Mail, is a modern building located right by the city’s largest parks. Geneva is beautifully located by Lake Geneva and with the snow-capped Alps as a background. Geneva has many museums and international organizations and offers a great variety of sporting possibilities.
Can you describe an interesting course or seminar you took this past year – one that you might recommend to an HLS student?
I personally enjoyed very much the lectures by Robert Kolb on International Law, Law of the United Nations and Humanitarian Law, and the lectures on international criminal law by Nicolas Michel.
Also worth mentioning is the Art-Law Centre, and the courses taught by Professor Marc-André Renold.
Are you involved in a student organization that might interest an HLS student?
The most recommendable student organization for a student coming from abroad is certainly ELSA (European Law Students Association), which has sections at almost every European law school.
Are there any recent changes or new developments at your school?
Almost all lectures and courses at the University of Geneva are recorded digitally and can be downloaded/watched over the Internet at any time by the enrolled students.
Is there anything else that you think an HLS student should know?
Compared to American cities, Geneva is relatively small, which facilitates getting to know the city and its inhabitants, i.e. making friends. In spite of its size, Geneva is a very international city, thanks to it being the seat for many international organizations and NGOs, not least the United Nations.
Please click here to read more about spending a semester abroad in Geneva.
Photograph by Jennifer Huang (JD ’13).
Where can a semester abroad take you?
Come talk with faculty members from the Oliver Schreiner School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) and the University of Geneva Faculty of Law (Switzerland), HLS students who have studied abroad, and ILS staff about the wide range of opportunities available.
The Semester Abroad Program is a wonderful opportunity for Harvard Law School students to receive a semester of ungraded credit towards the Harvard J.D. degree for study at a law school overseas. The study abroad program is intended to afford students an educational experience not available at Harvard Law School – immersion in a foreign legal culture. This includes exposure to what makes the legal system function as it does – its underlying assumptions, how local lawyers think about law, what law is designed to do, and how it relates to the society more broadly. Learn more on our Semester Abroad web page.
Applications for fall 2013 semester abroad are due February 15
A reminder that Friday, February 15 is the deadline for J.D. students to submit an application to spend the fall 2013 semester abroad. HLS has formal exchange programs in Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Japan, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland; J.D students may also conduct an independent semester abroad at law schools throughout the world.
For detailed information and application instructions, visit the semester abroad pages on our web site.
HLS welcomes spring-term exchange students
Left to right: Yuji, Henri, Alex, Valia and Ida.
Please join us in welcoming (and welcoming back) the eight students from HLS’ exchange partner schools who are currently studying here. Five of them arrived last week, to spend spring term continuing their research:
- Stavroula Valia Babis (Valia) is a student from the University of Cambridge. Her thesis work is on proposed legal frameworks for supervision, crisis management, and resolution of international banking groups.
- Henri Decoeur is also from the University of Cambridge. His dissertation examines possible criminal justice responses to state-organized crime.
- Alexandra Evans (Alex) is a student from Sydney Law School. Her thesis evaluates the current model of trust taxation in Australia.
- Yuji Fujioka is visiting from the University of Tokyo. His research focuses on international taxation and the taxation of business entities in Japan.
- Da Hea Lee (Ida) is from Seoul National University. Her dissertation looks at labor law and the human rights of migrant workers.
They join three more exchange students (not pictured) who are spending the fall and spring semesters at HLS:
- Delphine Dogot is visiting from Sciences Po in Paris. Her research focuses on the way in which international lawyers respond to changing patterns of war in the general context of globalization.
- Charles-Henry Frouart is also from Sciences Po. His research focuses on deconstructing and analyzing classical definitions of the legal concept of public domain in patent law.
- Adil Khan is a student from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. His research project examines the the making of international law pertaining to indigenous peoples.
Although this year’s incoming exchange students all happen to be doctoral students, our exchange programs are open to J.D. and S.J.D. students at HLS and pre-doctoral and doctoral-level students from our foreign partners. HLS J.D students may also conduct an independent semester abroad at law schools throughout the world.
Want to learn more? Visit the semester abroad and HLS-University of Cambridge joint degree program pages on our web site. (Applications to spend a semester abroad next fall are due by February 15.)