Tulane University Law School: Rio de Janeiro -The Role of Law in New Democracies & Emerging Markets

This program will offer students a unique insight into how the rule of law is created and shaped by judges, administrative officials, and other legal actors to address important issues faced by new democracies and emerging markets.  As the program is set in Brazil -- a country that was colonized in the sixteenth century but which became a fully democratic republic with the adoption of its current Constitution in 1988  -- this five credit course will focus on how this comparatively new democracy and important industrial power and emerging market economy is using the rule of law to address issues commonly faced by developing countries.  The course will include presentations by federal judges, attorneys, government officials, and other members of the legal community.  The program also will contain presentations from leading Brazilian academic and others who will offer candid assessments of the successes achieved and challenges faced by the application of the rule of law to these political, social, and economic issues.   In addition to classroom instruction, the students will be provided exposure to Brazilian society and legal institutions through field trips in order to observe and assess the realistic consequences of actions by legal actors and institutions 

The program is designed to offer a maximum degree of flexibility for students to earn five (5) credits in the study of law. The 3 ½ week program offers the opportunity to both profit from the intense study format and sufficient time to explore Rio and its metropolitan area as they wish.In past years, speakers in the Tulane summer program in Rio have included figures from some of Rio’s most prominent institutions, such as the Brazilian Institute of Statistics and Geography, the world-renowned Botanical Garden (a leading federal research institution) and leading non-governmental organizations. In addition, each course is taught with participation from faculty drawn from Rio's top universities.