Director Susan Karamanian; Faculty Advisers F. Bignami, K. Brown, S. Charnovitz, D. Clarke, L. Dickinson, D. Fontana, S. Murphy, D. Shelton, J.A. Spanogle, R. Steinhard, E. Swaine
The International and Comparative Law Program offers one of the most extensive international law curricula in the country. More than 40 courses focus on a wide range of issues in both public and private aspects of the field as well as the domestic law of other countries. Complementing and enriching the program is the Oxford-GW International Human Rights Program, held in Oxford each summer.
The Law School also offers students the opportunity to study current topics in European and international economic law or intellectual property law in its programs in Germany:
Augsburg-GW Student Exchange Program
Munich Intellectual Property Law Summer Program
Degree Requirements
To earn the LL.M. degree in International and Comparative Law students complete 24 credit hours that include a minimum of 12 hours in courses in the field and 4 hours of thesis (except for those non-U.S. law school graduates who have been granted a waiver). Students may attend the program either full or part time. In the application process, preference will be given to applicants who, in addition to outstanding academic qualifications, have special international experience or interests and a working knowledge of one or more foreign languages.
International and Comparative Law Curriculum
Courses on international human rights, law of international organizations, international commercial law, public international law, and comparative law are focal points of the program. The curriculum is continually updated to keep pace with developments in these fields. Complementing the full-time faculty is a corps of distinguished adjunct faculty members who offer seminars in their fields of specialization. The wealth of available legal talent in the Washington area is an important component of the dynamic character of the program.
For students in the LL.M. in International and Comparative Law program Thesis (6690–91) and a minimum of 12 credits from the following courses are required; if the thesis is waived, the 12 credits must include at least 2 credits graded on the basis of a research paper.
- International Taxation I (6312)
- Counterterrorism Law (6383)
- U.S. Foreign Relations Law (6385)
- National Security Law (6386)
- Trade and Sustainable Development (6435)
- International Environmental Law (6454)
- International Climate Change Law (6455)
- International Copyright Law (6473)
- Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the U.S. International Trade Commission (6489)
- International Law (6520)
- International Money Laundering, Corruption, and Terrorism (6521)
- International Business Transactions (6522)
- The International Competition Law Regime (6523)
- International Commercial Law (6524)
- International Trade Law (6526)
- Advanced International Trade Law (6527)
- International Litigation (6528)
- International Organizations (6530)
- Comparative Law (6532)
- Transnational Family Law (6533)
- Law of the European Union (6534)
- Islamic Law (6535)
- Law of Japan (6536)
- Traditional Jewish Civil Law (6537)
- Immigration Law I (6538)
- Immigration Law II (6539)
- Refugee and Asylum Law (6540)
- Introduction to Chinese and Japanese Law (6541)
- International Banking (6542)
- Law of the People’s Republic of China (6543)
- Foreign Direct Investment (6544)
- International Project Finance (6545)
- International Law of Human Rights (6546)
- Regional Protection of Human Rights (6547)
- Space Law (6548)
- Chinese Business Law (6549)
- Law of the Sea (6550)
- Law of War (6552)
- U.S. Export Control Law and Regulation (6553)
- International Criminal Law (6554)
- Comparative Constitutional Law (6555)
- International Arbitration (6556)
- Introduction to Transactional Islamic Law (6557)
- International Negotiations (6558)
- Nation Building and the Rule of Law (6559)
- Nuclear Nonproliferation Law and Practice (6560)
- Trade Remedy Law (6563)
- Human Rights Lawyering (6568)
- International Human Rights of Women (6570)
- Public International Law Seminar (6562)
- International Business Transactions Seminar (6564)
- Comparative Law Seminar (6565)
- Human Rights Advocacy (6567)
- Law of Race and Slavery (6596)
- International Human Rights Clinic (6633)
Courses Related to International and Comparative Law
- Conflict of Laws (6234)
- Admirality (6293)
- Homeland Security Law and Policy (6396)
- Disaster Law (6425)
- International Copyright Law (6473)
- International and Comparative Patent Law (6490)
- Law in Cyberspace (6485)
- Art, Cultural Heritage, and the Law Seminar (6488)
- Comparative Public Procurement (6508)
- Law and Anthropoogy (6612)
- International Dispute Resolution (6682)