Building Justice Institutions
SLN #: 24033Course Prefix: LAW-791
Course Section: 039
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Huber
Course Books: View List of Books
Course Description:
The United States has a long history of helping partner nations in transition to build justice institutions that are accountable to their people, uphold the rule of law, and comply with international human rights standards. The United States Government engages with each country differently depending on a variety of domestic, regional, and international factors. There is, however, one constant – in addition to building functioning institutions, the U.S. seeks to form enduring relationships. In this way, the U.S. has a partner that it can rely on to: address common security challenges, promote support for U.S. interests, protect universal values, and strengthen collective security.
Rule of law development and justice partnerships are the foundation for achieving any of the objectives of U.S. foreign policy toward a transitioning country, whether it is holding free and fair elections, establishing good governance, promoting economic development and employment, attracting trade and investment, tackling climate change, etc. Without strong, functioning institutions that maintain justice in accordance with international standards, progress in any of the other areas is not sustainable.
This course will focus on the importance of rule of law to U.S. engagement with a partner nation. Students will learn how the U.S. assists foreign countries and how the U.S. balances its priorities with a host country’s needs and interests. We will examine what types of justice assistance the U.S. provides, which agencies and departments within the U.S. Government are responsible for assistance, and who our foreign counterparts are. We will also discuss the roles and agendas of other actors who build justice institutions in transitioning countries, such as national governments and multi-lateral organizations. Students will learn how to plan rule of law development and how to formulate a strategy of engagement with a recipient country.
Students will be challenged to think about all
elements (political, military, financial, social, and
environmental) that factor into U.S. engagement with a
foreign country and will be asked to account for these
when designing a program of justice sector assistance.
By placing rule of law development within the context
of broader U.S. national security goals and interests,
students will begin to understand how rule of law fits
into overall U.S. foreign policy. At the end of the
course, students will be well-positioned to begin the
process of embarking on a career of international rule
of law development and justice capacity building
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Final Exam Given: No
Paper Or In-Class Presentation: Yes
Participation Points: Class participation and attendance will account for 10% of a student’s grade.
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.