The Chile Summer Program provides students with a remarkable opportunity to study international law in an international setting, in a country that emerged from decades of authoritarian rule to become one of the most successful examples of democratization in the world. The program places students in the heart of Latin America's quest for justice and the struggle over globalization.

With classes held in the most beautiful part of the modern and thriving city of Santiago, students will complement their classroom experience with the cultural experience of a great South American capital. Veterans of this program consistently indicate that the experience exceeded their expectations and truly transformed their understanding of the international legal system and the broader social, political, and economic character of our shared hemisphere. Whether it is security policy, accountability for serious violations of international law, legal reforms, or economic development, Chile has long been a leader in Latin America.

The Chile Summer Program 2020 has an Experiential Component and provides two units of credit to students who work in the field (without pay) and experience a legal sector environment (private law firms, government agencies or ministries, Public Defenders or Attorney-General’s Office, National Police and other field placements).

After emerging from the Pinochet dictatorship, the country consolidated its democracy with a new judicial system. In Santiago, a city of more than seven million people, students will experience the reform process first-hand with leaders from the legal sector, including human rights advocates, senior law enforcement officials, corporate leaders, and members of the judiciary.

Workshops and site visits will introduce students to new trends in social justice and the role that expanding free trade has played in Latin America. Courses in international and comparative law provide frameworks for understanding the globalization of law and legal practice in the laboratory that Santiago and its environs provide. Every student will have the opportunity to develop or improve Spanish laguage skill.

Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru are nearby and there are excellent ski resorts, thermal baths, wineries, coastal getaways, and top-end hiking treks within a ninety-minute drive from Santiago.

Make a difference, jack up your career prospects and life experience, and do some good. It's your Hemisphere, use it wisely.

Students can sign for 4 courses and earn a total of eight units for the whole Chile Summer Program.

Local and international experts and faculty members from the law schools of the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education serve as instructors, supplemented by practicing lawyers and law enforcement officials who provide occasional lectures.

Accommodations

Students can find their own accommodations in Chile through a number of agencies like contactchile.cl and andesproperty.com as well as popular online services like airbnb.com and homeaway.com. We do not in any way endorse or guarantee these housing options.

Try to stay in Providencia close to the subway line so you can walk back and forth to your classes.

There will also be several trips as well as extra-curricular activities that take advantage of Chile's natural beauty and proximity to winter sport activities. Excellent ski resorts, thermal baths, wineries, coastal getaways, and top-end hiking are within a ninety-minute drive from Santiago. Non-program, optional trips to countries in the region may also be organized.

Coursework and Credits

Students in the Chile Summer Program must take four courses during the Chile Summer Program (May 18 to July 17, 2020)
Students in the Chile Summer Program can earn seven (7) or nine (9) credits. The only optional class is the externship.
Students will receive a letter grade for their coursework. It is up to the student’s home school to determine whether the grade will be converted to a letter grade or will be reported as pass/fail. Students should discuss this with their home school. 

Attendance Policy

You are able to miss one class per course during the Chile Summer Program. If you miss a second class, then you will need a signed doctor’s note from a Chilean physician dated that day stating the medical reason for your absence. The doctor’s note must be provided to the Chile Summer Program director within three days of the date of absence.