by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
As the economy becomes more and more globalized, Florida Coastal School of Law is making sure it is, too.
Florida Coastal already offers an international law certificate program, but now they are introducing a study abroad program that will be held at the University of Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand, France from May 25 - June 27, 2008.
“The program will be run by Florida Coastal and open for our students and students in other law schools,” said Kathy Hartland, assistant professor at Florida Coastal and program director for the study abroad program.
Florida Coastal saw a need for the program because the school’s students were participating in other law school’s study abroad programs.
“We thought now is a good time to start our own program at Florida Coastal,” she said. “Our economy is becoming more globalized — even here in Jacksonville.
“This (the program) has been one of our goals and we want to give the students what they want, being that we are a very student-centered law school.”
Hartland said Peter Goplerud, Florida Coastal’s dean, has known the dean of the University of Auvergne and was able to work together to form this partnership.
“We hope this program will continue for years and years,” she said.
Each year there will be four professors — two from Florida Coastal and two from the University of Auvergne — teaching courses that have an international or comparative law aspect to them.
Florida Coastal took submissions from its faculty members, and the school’s curriculum committee narrowed it down before the administrative staff appointed two professors to teach classes for the 2008 program.
Florida Coastal Professor Cleveland Ferguson III will teach “Comparative Approaches to the Enforcement of Human Rights” (two credits) and Florida Coastal Professor Rick Karcher will teach “International Sports Law” (two credits).
University of Auvergne Professor Jean Stoufflet will teach “French Business Law” (one credit) and Dr. Marie Elizabeth Baudoin will teach “European Union Law” (one credit). All classes will be taught in English and each year Florida Coastal will rotate professors.
Hartland said the program is geared towards first-year law students, because many second-year law students are trying to find internships at firms they’d like to work at after graduation.
“It is hard to find a summer job clerking at a firm when you have only had a few law classes,” she said. “This allows students to earn some extra credits in the summer and they will also have a multi-cultural experience. They could still come back and work for a firm or (Jacksonville Area) Legal Aid until classes start again.”
Florida Coastal hosted a kick-off informational reception last week and had about 70 students who expressed interest in the program. Most of the students were first-year law students.
The program’s requirements are:
• Students must have completed at least 30 credit hours (those completing their first-year of law school can apply in the spring semester).
• Minimum GPA of 2.25
• Passport
The cost of the program is $700 per credit hour, not including housing or transportation. Housing will be available through the University of Auvergne in their dormitories that are within a five- to 10-minute walk from campus. Students are also free to find their own housing.
Law students who are interested in the program and do not attend Florida Coastal must submit an application and a letter from their school saying they are in good standing. The application for all law students who are interested will be posted soon on Florida Coastal’s Web site, www.fcsl.edu.
Hartland said when she went to law school in 1994, she participated in an exchange program that was also in France.
“It was very beneficial,” she said. “I still have contacts from the program that I went through.
“It was an opportunity to make connections that are invaluable.”