Course Descriptions

The program begins on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 with an orientation, and concludes on Friday, June 28, 2013. Students normally enroll in two courses selected from the courses listed below for a total of six (6) semester hours of credit. All courses taught in Spanish will be interpreted into English. Selected courses taught in English will be interpreted into Spanish.

Overview of Mexican Law - Profs. W. MacPherson, P. Vasquez Nieto, and Others

This course discusses NAFTA, the structure of the Mexican legal system, law, and legal profession.  This is a comparative study of the Mexican legal systems presented in the context of Mexican legal history, language, and culture.  Some Spanish legal terminology is discussed to study the differences between Mexican and American law.  Mexican law of interest to non-Mexican persons investing or doing business in Mexico, such as contract, corporate, labor law, and tax law will be discussed. 
[3 cr.] MTWThF 9:00 to 10:50 a.m.

Free Trade in the Americas including NAFTA - Profs. R. Lutz and J. Ramirez

This course introduces students to the substantive legal, procedural and institutional aspects of NAFTA.  Students will develop tools for transnational practice by analyzing the myriad of legal issues involved in the trade of goods and services, including investment and intellectual property protection among the countries of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. Special attention will be given to methods of resolving disputes under NAFTA, and to the controversies of environmental and labor law enforcement under the NAFTA Side Agreements.  Prospects for future integrations, such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), CAFTA, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and others, will be examined.
 [3 cr.] MTWThF 11:00-12:50 p.m.

Comparative Human Rights: Mexico and the United States within the Inter-American System - Profs. J. Moore, A. Sedillo-Lopez and C. Zuni Cruz

This course will examine international and human rights law and policy from an international and a regional perspective.  The course will explore United Nations and regional substantive norms and institutions including the American Declaration and Convention on Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights.  We will read several important cases involving state accountability for human rights abuses, including extra-judicial executions, gender based violence, forced disappearances and the rights of sexual, ethnic and racial minorities.
[3 cr.] MTWThF 1:00-2:50 p.m.

Mexican Legal Systems - Mtro. A. Lara Martinez, Mtro. A. Olguin Torres, Mtro. J. Ortega de la Peña, J. Segura Ricano and J. Soriano Flores

This course is an introduction to the important basic law and legal institutions of modern Mexican law. The course will discuss: the organization of the Mexican state, a comparative discussion of the Mexican Constitution; the role of amparo; the concept of Human Rights in Mexico; the role of International Treaties in Mexico; and conclude with a discussion of the Constitutional Social Rights of Mexico. Some lectures will be in Spanish with professional translation to English provided.
[3 cr.] MTWThF 5:00-6:50 p.m.