Nicaragua Short Course

WFU Law offers a unique opportunity to take a short course in Nicaragua in January before the spring semester officially begins. Professor Steve Virgil leads the trip and teaches Cross Disciplinary Professional Development. If you are interested in a comparative law course, or want to work on economic development or poverty issues, this is an opportunity you do not want to miss. The class offers an opportunity to look at law in a comparative, interdisciplinary class– along with an opportunity to visit Nicaragua.

While in Nicaragua, students stay in Managua, Granada and Leon. Granada is a beautiful place to visit and students in the past have even swam in Apoyo Lagoon- a lagoon located in the center of a chain of volcanoes.

2013 Dates

January 4, 2013 to January 13, 2013

The Course-Cross Disciplinary Professional Development

The class explores the ethics of being a professional and provides a comparative look at U.S./Nicaraguan law. We will look at several issues in civil and criminal law from both a U.S. and Nicaraguan perspective. Students will also work with NGO’s based in Nicaragua on a project defined by the NGO. Elements of the course are taught by faculty from the School of Medicine and School of Divinity.

International Blog- Students Perspectives on Nicaragua

Be sure to read this blog post from Joseph Motto (JD, ’14), who participated in the trip in January of 2013. Read about his time volcano surfing, visiting the Supreme Court of Nicaragua, and working with local business owners who wish to export their products to the United States.

Location

Winston Salem & Nicaragua. Seminars are held on campus prior to traveling to Nicaragua for 7 days of class and experiential course work. Nicaragua is a beautiful place and while there we will spend time working with NGO’s, visiting two colonial cities and exploring the dynamics of development in an emerging economy.

Credit

The class has been approved for 2 graded credits.

Costs

Tuition costs are part of the spring semester tuition. Students will be billed a surcharge for lodging, travel within Nicaragua and translation services. The surcharge for the course will be $850.

Travel & Food

Travel to Nicaragua is fairly easy. Delta and American offer several flights each day from Miami and Atlanta. Travel costs to Nicaragua are the student’s responsibility (currently airfare from Greensboro to Managua is $610 round trip. Flights from Atlanta and Miami are substantially less). Meals are the student’s responsibility while in Nicaragua – with the exception of two dinners and all breakfasts which are included with your room.

Registration and Deadlines

Students may register for the class beginning in late September. The class is limited to 10 participants. I will hold an informational meeting about the trip prior to registration.

October 1 - Statement of Interest due to Professor Virgil expressing your intent to take the class and asking to be registered for it.

November 1 – deposit of $450 due.