Inaugural Russia Law Summer Program a Success

Law students Austin Lucas, Benjamin Mackey, Christina Cole, Cristen Handley, Jacob Kerksieck, Kaylyn Turner, Maria Korzendorfer and Nick Stallings all took part in the first ever Russia Law Summer Program, which included two weeks of classes in Fayetteville and eight nights in St. Petersburg. As part of the program, students were required to write on subjects pertaining to Russian Literature, Cinema, and Culture, and attend a variety of lectures addressing topics such as The Russian Constitution, The Russian Legal System, Comparative Religious Freedom, Secession and Breakup of Nations, Russian Civilizations and Cultural Dimensions, and Human Rights. Upon completion of the course, each student earned two hours of ungraded credit.

While in St. Petersburg, the students stayed in a dormitory in the heart of the city, operated by the St. Petersburg University of Finance and Economics, and visited the legal department of INTRATOOL, an oil and gas company, as well as DCO, LLC; a legal consulting firm. In addition to their studies, the students were able to take a boat trip on the Neva River and canals, visit both Catherine Palace and Alexander Palace, tour The State Hermitage Museum, and attend a performance of Swan Lake at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory.

Faculty and students agree that the program exceed all expectations, and efforts are being made to repeat the program in 2015.