Specialization in Gender and The Law - LL.M. - The International Legal Studies Program

LL.M. Specialization in Gender and the Law

History of Gender at WCL

Founded in 1896 by two women, the American University Washington College of Law has a long tradition of commitment to women's full and equal participation in society, international human rights, and international education. In 1984, the Washington College of Law enhanced this commitment by starting a Women and the Law Program directed by Professor Ann Shalleck. The program's goals include changing legal education to incorporate the experiences of women into all aspects of curriculum and teaching, contributing to research and advocacy concerning women and the law, and furthering awareness of the ways that the law affects women's lives.

The Washington College of Law (AU/WCL) established the LL.M. specialization in Gender and the Law, the first LL.M. program in the world to focus on gender, as part of its International Legal Studies Program in 1997. It has been designed to meet the needs of LL.M. students interested in an advanced legal studies program focused on gender, as well as students concentrating in international human rights, trade, business and environmental law who would like to enrich their academic experience. Our program attracts lawyers from around the world. AU/WCL currently has approximately 150 students from 68 countries enrolled in the International Legal Studies LL.M. program, providing students a lifelong network to assist them at AU/WCL and in their subsequent endeavors.

Curriculum

The flexibility of the Gender and the Law specialization enables students to shape a program within our International Legal Studies curriculum that fits their goals and interests. Students can pursue a course of study incorporating international, comparative, and domestic approaches to legal issues related to gender. Course offerings include: Comparative Family Law; Sex-Based Discrimination; Gender, Cultural Difference and International Human Rights; Battered Women and the Law; Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Feminist Jurisprudence; International Trafficking in Persons; and International Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons, among others.

Teaching & Pedagogy

Our faculty is particularly attentive to and thoughtful about teaching. For many faculty members, advocacy is integrated into their teaching and scholarship. The specialization provides students with a commitment to scholarship, teaching and advocacy, and an opportunity to profit from a systematic examination of teaching experiences and methodologies.

Scholarship

Advanced legal studies in Gender and the Law give LL.M. candidates an opportunity to do advanced independent research and writing under the direct supervision of faculty who integrate gender into their course work and scholarship. In addition, AU/WCL publishes a number of journals that provide opportunities for student and faculty scholarship, including the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law, the Human Rights Brief, and the American University International Law Review.

Advocacy

The Washington College of Law has a strong commitment to preparing both our J.D. and LL.M. students to contribute to social change. Our location in Washington, D.C. affords students the opportunity to intern for prominent international and domestic non-governmental and advocacy organizations that promote women's legal rights. In addition, the International Legal Studies Program and the Women and International Law Program work closely with Gender and the Law specialization students, assisting students in securing internships and independent study opportunities and organizing events where students meet important officials, policy-makers and advocates shaping the development of the women's rights agenda in different communities.

Many of the Washington College of Law's international LL.M. graduates have gone on to work at the World Bank, in national women's ministries in their home countries, and for international women's rights programs around the world. Some have also worked closely with faculty at the Washington College of Law to develop law school curriculum and legal doctrine on Gender and the Law, and have returned to teach and integrate a gender perspective at law schools in their respective countries.

For more information about the International Legal Studies LL.M. and the Gender and the law specialization, contact the International Legal Studies Program Admissions Coordinator at llminfo@wcl.american.edu.

International Legal Studies Program
American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016-8189
Phone: 202-274-4114
Fax: 202-274-4116
Email: llminfo@wcl.american.edu
Website: http://www.wcl.american.edu/ilsp/