The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the political science department will venture into uncharted territory next semester when they premiere a Fletcher-taught undergraduate level course. An unconventional version of the international law course will be taught by six graduate-level international law professors and will be open to thirty students.
Although the political science department has offered international law in the past, this is the first time the course will be formatted as a survey with the six professors alternating on a weekly basis. Fletcher professor Ellen Lutz, who has taught the undergraduate course in past years, will oversee the class to provide cohesion.
While a handful of undergraduates typically enroll in Fletcher courses and the two schools share resources such as professors, books, and speakers, this offering is something new.
"We are interested in building bridges with Fletcher," said professor Jim Glaser, chair of the political science department. He expects such bridges to be appealing to many undergraduates because many applicants choose Tufts for its international relations focus, which has increased immensely because of Fletcher.
The syllabus for international law will cover topics such as human rights law, international organizations, foreign investment law, international trade, and the general structure of legal systems. The course will also address current events such the Sept. 11 attacks and international law repercussions, which will make the material timely and relevant. Trade and environmental concerns, as well as controversial issues in the international arena, will also be themes.
Each of the six professors - Lutz, Joel Trachtman, Hurst Hannum, Alfred Rubin, Ian Johnstone, and Jeswald Salacuse - is an expert in his or her field and will focus on a specific area.
"No one professor could teach the entire course," Trachtman said. "And no one in the [Fletcher] law department has the time to offer this course full-time either."
While Fletcher will create the syllabus and schedule professors, the political science department will administer grades and enroll students in the course. International law will not be taught in this format in the future.
"It is a one-shot deal," Glaser said. "We are going to want to try different things in the future and there is a high cost to this type of course, in terms of time and effort from each of the professors."
Because the course has not been widely publicized, most students are unaware of the changes. But those who do know about it have responded enthusiastically. "It's a good idea because it will offer many different opinions on one subject, so the course won't be biased," Florence de Sola, an IR and French major said.
Senior Nigel Bruce, an IR major, has taken another team-taught class and found the experience beneficial. "I took an art history course that also brought a series of professors from the department and it was really well taught, each one was an expert in his or her field," he said. "I think this will work the same way, and you will get a chance to be in contact with many professors."
The international law course has been widely popular in the past and both Glaser and Trachtman expect that more than 30 students will want to enroll. Fletcher classes tend to hold about 20 students, making 30 an increase.
Fletcher professors stress that while the graduate school has overlapped with Tufts undergraduates in the past and will continue to do so, it primarily caters to graduate instruction and must prioritize its own functions and goals.
"I hope that we will be able to continue to offer similar courses in the future as opportunities
present themselves," said Lisa Lynch, academic dean of instruction at Fletcher. "However, Fletcher's primary mission is to be a professional school that trains graduate students in international affairs."
The location of the international relations program in Fletcher-based Cabot Hall also allows for constant communication between the undergraduate and graduate schools.
"One of the advantages of where I am physically located at Fletcher is that my office is just across the hall from the international relations program office," Fletcher Dean Stephen Bosworth said. "This really works to improve the coordination and discussion of programmatic activities between Fletcher and the IR program."
The idea for the course developed during Glaser and Trachtman's discussions over filling the curriculum gap in the political science department. "We want to share ideas and have more flow between both institutions," Glaser said.
To accommodate the schedules of six different professors, the course will be held once a week, during a two and half-hour block beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. The course requires PS51, Introduction to International Relations, as a pre-requisite.
