I am thrilled to be leading a small group of students on a five-week summer abroad program in June and July 2022!
If you are considering applying for the program, I invite you to get in touch with me by email at bcnewell [at] uoregon [dot] edu or via private message on Twitter @newmedialaw. This program is open to students at the University of Oregon and to students at other universities.
This 5-week program will introduce students to issues of freedom of expression, privacy and data protection, cybercrime, and copyright law, focusing on and comparing the law of the United States and European Union. The program will be based in the important and historical city of Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands, and will include excursions to Brussels, Belgium, and various sites within the Netherlands, including Amsterdam. Students will engage in lectures and seminar-style class discussion, field trips and tours of important European legal institutions, guest lectures and discussions with local experts in European Internet law, and a variety of cultural excursions. The coursework will challenge students to compare, contrast, and think deeply about very different approaches to protecting rights and regulating communication, the Internet, and social media platforms in the US and Europe.
The classes offered on this program are Communication Law and Comparative Internet Law. For University of Oregon students who request it, this program will satisfy J385 (Communication Law) and J431 (special topics; Core Context B elective) requirements. For students who have already taken J385 on campus, the program will count as additional elective credits. UO Legal Studies minors will receive up to 8 credits toward their minors (to satisfy external elective credit requirements).
As the faculty leader on the program, I bring expertise in media and internet law (including issues of computer crime, privacy, and surveillance). I also worked and lived in the Netherlands for more than two years prior to becoming a faculty member at the University of Oregon, and I hope to instill an appreciation for the history, cultures, and people of the Netherlands in my students throughout this program.
Also, English is the only language proficiency needed for this program. Most Dutch citizens speak very good English and it is very easy to navigate and communicate in Holland (and the broader Netherlands) even if you do not know any Dutch.
Program Highlights
- Situated in the historic city of The Hague, Netherlands, within easy reach of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft, Leiden, and the rest of Holland.
- A multi-day excursion to Brussels, Belgium, where we will tour important EU institutions, learn about the EU legal system, and have free time to explore this interesting city.
- Opening and closing program dinners.
- A canal ride by boat through a historic Dutch city.
- Includes a variety of faculty-led excursions to important Dutch sites.
- Located within easy reach of Dutch castles, living history museums and working windmills (e.g., Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk), and world-class museums (including the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and the Escher in Het Paleis and The Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague).
To apply
To view more information about the program and to apply online, go to https://geo.uoregon.edu/programs/europe-belgium-netherlands/media-and-internet-law-netherlands
For more information about GEO scholarships, see https://geo.uoregon.edu/scholarships/uo
Recommended viewing (travel videos):
View more Rick Steves’s Holland travel videos at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imjq5yQzNiI&list=PL1VvVF0FXbIk6HkGG59xFepNAClTg0FCw
Recommended Reading
There are many great travel books, particularly for travel in Europe. For purposes of this trip, I recommend the following. Note that older editions are generally just fine and may be cheaper!
Also, as a great general guide to travel in Europe: Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door: The Travel Skills Handbook