Professor Keith Fogg, Villanova School of Law

The course is designed to enable students to understand concepts of debt forgiveness and debt restructuring in both national and international contexts. It will begin with an overview of U.S. bankruptcy law in order to provide a context for comparing that law with laws of other countries around the world. The course seeks to introduce the students to modern bankruptcy laws, as well as some history leading up to those laws, in order to allow the students to examine how religion, culture and economics shaped their development. The course will also focus on statutory interpretation, with exercises designed to enhance the ability of the students to carefully work through statutory language to reach conclusions on the meaning of the text.

Professor Mark Osler, University of St. Thomas

All societies grapple with issues of crime and punishment. They all struggle to establish appropriate forms of punishment and to implement those punishments in acceptable and effective ways. This course focuses on theories, institutions, and processes relating to the legal system’s response to violations of the criminal law, in a range of comparative jurisdictions. Students will examine theories of punishment, as well as approaches to and options for sentencing. Although there will be some discussion of American sentencing, it will primarily be to provide context and comparison for the exploration of sentencing elsewhere in the world. Any discussion of international treaties and practices will not be extensive; the focus of the course will be on sentencing in different countries, rather than by international tribunals.

Professor Diane Edelman, Villanova School of Law

From the removal of the Elgin (or Parthenon) Marbles from Greece, to the looting of art by the Nazis and the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, civilizations have often considered objects of art and cultural property to be their rightful spoils of war or conquest—to take, sell, or destroy as they will. Sometimes these acts are committed by governments, sometimes by private actors. Governments may succeed or fail in their efforts to repatriate cultural property, and museums and galleries, as well as individual purchasers, must be wary about the provenance of their collections and purchases to avoid costly litigation and recovery. We will examine major international legal instruments, legislation, court decisions, and policies relating to the protection of artists' rights generally and cultural property. Class will include a visit to the Carabinieri Art Crimes headquarters.

Professor Ben Carpenter, University of St. Thomas

his class will introduce students to the fundamental concepts underlying trust and estate law, much as would be done in a “traditional” introductory trusts and estates class, and supplement that by comparing the United States’ approach to others around the world. In this course, students will attain a solid understanding of the basic principles governing trust and estate law in the United States. In addition, students will gain perspective on how the American system differs from others around the world. Finally, students will get a practical look at how trusts and estates law is actually practiced today, and will learn about a variety of current issues relating to estate planning, such as the effect of assisted reproduction on estate planning and rights of survivors to access a decedent’s social media (email, Facebook accounts, etc.) after her death.