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ADMISSIONS > Courses >
The following courses are available for those interested in international law and legal systems:
Chinese Legal Institutions
International Aspects of Intellectual Property Law
In the highly integrated global economy, goods and services move with limited regard for national borders, and the innovative component of goods and services increasingly defines their value. The protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on an international basis assumes great importance for investors, authors and artists, and business enterprises. This course examines the international system for the protection of IPRs.
International Business Transactions
Class sessions emulate the functioning of a law firm. The subject matter includes transnational practice issues, advising on foreign law, registration requirements for foreign lobbyists, dispute resolution, transactions with governmental entities and sovereign immunity, regulation of unfair international trade practices, failure to afford intellectual property protection, international trade in art treasures, international bankruptcies, foreign investment and transitional tax planning for individuals.
International Civil Litigation
This course provides an introduction to the civil procedure issues that arise in American courts when international matters are involved. It examines how international parties, events and laws may (or may not) alter the manner in which American federal courts handle initial civil procedure issues and how factors such as the separation of powers, federalism and American notions of due process and trial litigation may affect the resolution of international disputes. Topics unique to international litigation, such as the Act of State doctrine, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and international conflicts of law, are also covered.
International Courts and Tribunals
This seminar considers the broad range of international courts and tribunals that have emerged over the last decade. Particular attention is given to the new international criminal bodies.
International Development Law and Policy
This course explores legal issues, institutions and strategies pertaining to international development, examining efforts to strengthen foreign legal systems through such devices as improved judicial administration, alternative dispute resolution and legal aid. Emphasis is placed on substantive legal issues pertaining to human rights, the status of women, the environment and economic reform. The seminar focuses substantially, though not exclusively, on Asia.
International Environmental Law
This seminar examines the role of law in the management of the international environment. Consideration is given to international environmental treaties; the role of the international Court of Justice in identifying and establishing international environmental law; international regulation of private conduct that affects the environment; and the effects of international trade, financial institutions, human rights and armed conflict on the environment.
International Finance
This course examines financial transactions that cross national borders. Virtually all regulation of these transactions takes place through national laws, so important questions exist regarding the appropriate country to regulate a particular transaction and the appropriate law to be applied. This course focuses primarily on U.S. laws regulating international securities transactions and international banking activities.
International Human Rights Law Clinic
This seminar functions as the companion course for the International Human Rights Law Clinic. The course stresses skills development, review of relevant substantive refugee and human rights law, and discussion of and reflection about the lawyering process.
International Law
This course deals with the basic rules governing the international community. A substantial portion of this course focuses on the role of international and national tribunals in the law-making process of the international community, with emphasis on modern developments in jurisdiction, international agreements, the law of the sea, and international economic law. Special consideration is also given to the impact of the United Nations.
International Law Workshop
This workshop offers students the opportunity to encounter and discuss research at the forefront of international law scholarship. Roughly half the class sessions will feature a speaker (typically a faculty member from Berkeley or elsewhere) presenting work in progress and taking questions from students and faculty. These speakers include some of the most prominent international law scholars in the country. The remaining classes will be used to help students gain familiarity with upcoming topics and read material related to future presentations. Grades will be based on a series of short reaction papers to be submitted prior to each speaker's presentation.
International Law Writing Seminar
International Tax Law
This course studies the law of international taxation and the taxation of foreign-source income and foreign persons with domestic-source income. Emphasis is placed on the underlying problems the law attempts to address and on present or proposed solutions. Special attention is paid to the tax problems faced by U.S. citizens and residents investing or doing business in foreign countries, and, in particular, on the U.S. taxation of income earned by U.S. taxpayers abroad.
International Trade
This course provides an introduction to American trade law and the world trade system. Topics include the U.S. Constitution and the statutory regulation of international economic affairs, unfair trade practices, American antidumping and countervailing duty laws, and the legal structure established by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO dispute settlement process, tariffs, quotas, nontariff trade barriers, most favored nation status and national treatment clauses, and free trade areas are studied.
Law and Business in Japan
This is an intensive course in the comparative study of Japanese and American business systems, law, and regulation. Rather than study the subject through traditional legal categories (e.g., contracts, torts, corporations), this course takes a topical approach. In each class, we will discuss a specific Japanese topic or phenomenon, many of which are well known (albeit often misunderstood) in the United States, such as, administrative guidance, keiretsu, and main banks. The readings will consist of basic materials on both Japanese and American law and business behavior, and have been selected to stimulate class discussion. At the same time, this course will cover most of the important areas of business law. By participating in the discussion, students will not only deepen their understanding of Japanese business, but learn important distinctions between Japanese and American legal systems, and, by extension, between US and other non-Anglo-American ones.
Ocean Law and Policy
This course considers the fundamental legal principles affecting labor relations in the private sector workplace, as incorporated in the National Labor Relations Act and related legislation. Several topics will be reviewed, including union organizing and elections, collective bargaining, strikes, boycotts, arbitration and individual employee rights within unions.
Resolution of Private International Disputes
This course explores the prominent issues faced in resolving a transnational dispute. Throughout the course, a contract dispute and a tort claim are considered in the context of international arbitration and transnational litigation. Post-proceeding issues, such as challenging arbitral awards, appeals, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards, are also examined.
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