My Summer Job—Helping the University of Minnesota Law School’s China Summer Program
July 9th, 2007This summer I helped orchestrate a five-week summer program in China for US law students. The program was organized by the law school of the University of Minnesota.
It was a lot of fun helping 34 law students, three US law professors, two Chinese language instructors and an assortment of other guests experience China, many for the first time. They learned a lot and I think had a great overall experience.
The group took classes four days a week. On Thursdays and on some weekends we organized field trips. These excursions afforded the participants some outstanding experiences.
We visited the Great Hall of the People where they heard from senior staff members of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
We went to the Supreme People’s Court and met with four sitting judges.
By happenstance, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was in Beijing this summer, and participants in the summer program had front-row seats to hear her speak. Dean Stephen Hsu of the School of American and Comparative Law at the China University of Political Science and Law made that possible. CUPL partners with the University of Minnesota Law School for programs in China. Coincidentally, Dean Hsu and I worked together at the same law firm earlier in our careers, and it was nice to interact with him again.
The students also got to hear from leading local and expatriate lawyers. A panel of distinguished Minnesota alumni spoke to them the first week, and the last week they heard from an expert panel on Chinese legal reforms.
In addition to their formal classes and law-related field trps, we organized a number of cultural excursions. The group hiked the Great Wall and watched an acrobatics show. Most of them also participated in an optional field trip to Shanghai. They also got to visit the offices of the Beijing city planning bureau where they heard about the venues under construction for next summer’s Olympics.
There are a number of other China-based summer program for US law students, but surely Minnesota’s is one of the best. I was delighted to be involved in it and value the many new friends I made.