Summer Program in Galway, Ireland

World-class educators from the University of Galway and New England Law teach in our flagship Summer Program.

This study abroad program provides law students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore international and human rights law in the breathtaking setting of Galway, Ireland. This program is open to both New England Law students and students from other ABA-accredited law schools.

Summer 2025 Galway Program

Session 1 | June 15 - July 3

International Humanitarian Law

The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the general principles and laws comprising international humanitarian law (‘IHL’) and related issues. The course examines the role of IHL in situations of armed conflict and what constitutes a war crime. It critically examines the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols. It pays particular attention to the criteria for determining if a situation of armed conflict exists and the nature of the conflict. It examines the conduct of hostilities, and the rules governing the treatment of combatants and prisoners of war. It looks at current situations of armed conflict, especially Ukraine. It explains and evaluates the protection of civilians under IHL and the concept of ‘protected persons’. The course evaluates the implementation of IHL and how individuals are held accountable for war crimes. Finally, the course explains the nature of UN peacekeeping operations in post conflict situations.

Artificial Intelligence and the Law: A Comparative Approach

Artificial intelligence (AI) is proliferating at lightning speed and on many fronts. Although AI's facets are vast, this course will focus on a relatively narrow sector, Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI. We will start by delving into how LLMs actually work, including their capacities, limitations, and promise(s). We will consider the various fronts on which they present challenges to legal regimes, and how those challenges are currently being addressed. We will take a close look through the lens of intellectual property law (IP), and ask whether IP is appropriate, adequate, and/or helpful in regulating LLMs and other kinds of AI. We will examine the differing approaches, perspectives, and proposals for regulatory mechanisms arising among the UK, US, EU, and other global stakeholders. We will also read the works of leading academics whose work may help illuminate some of these thorny debates. No technical or legal knowledge is required for this course, but some familiarity with IP basics may be helpful—and curiosity and openness will definitely be helpful.

Session 2 | July 6 - July 24

International Human Rights Law

The course aims to provide students with a general introduction to the sources, systems, and foundations of international human rights law. It also aims to include a critical lens that will give students the skills to apply the law utilizing a robust understanding of the origins, impacts, and power of international human rights law.

The International Influences on the Creation of the United States Constitution and the Consequences

This course will study the philosophies that heavily influenced the creation of the American Constitution. Students will be exposed to such thinkers as the French “philosophes” (including Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau), the English rationalists (e.g., John Locke), and others who heavily influenced the thinking of the Constitution’s drafters and other early Federalists. The course will investigate how these Enlightenment ideas became a reality in the United States Constitution. The course also will explore how the U.S. Constitution memorializes these Enlightenment ideas. Finally, the course will focus on how these European ideas, once enshrined in the Constitution, created an enduring democracy in the United States.

An Unbeatable Study Abroad Experience for Law Students

New England Law | Boston offers an exciting and unique summer study abroad opportunity for law students at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway. Taught by experts from Ireland and the United States, the program focuses on international and comparative human rights law and accountability for human rights violations.

Featuring thought-provoking and rigorous courses, the Galway Program has attracted many distinguished visiting faculty members over the years, including U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Anthony M. Kennedy, and Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

Outside of class, law students explore the beautiful city of Galway, go to Irish courts, attend social events, and visit breathtaking sites in the West of Ireland, including the Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, and the Aran Islands.

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