Spotlight

Cathy Peterson Ben Rowe Cathy Hamilton Second Year Students   Studying International Human Rights in Lithuania   University of North Dakota law students Cathy Peterson, Ben Rowe, and Cathy Hamilton, joined Professor Gregory Gordon at a summer study program at the Bring Human Rights Home, an annual two week intensive human rights program held at Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania.

 

When they began their first year of law school, Cathy Hamilton, Cathy Peterson, and Ben Rowe, never anticipated spending part of their summer studying international human rights law in Lithuania.  Through an opportunity opened up to them by UND Law Professor Gregory Gordon, that is exactly what they did.

The three second-year students accompanied Professor Gordon to the Bring Human Rights Home summer study program in Vilnius, Lithuania.  Through this study program, Hamilton, Peterson, and Rowe had the opportunity to learn about international human rights law through classroom lectures as well as experiential site visits.

Bring Human Rights Home is an annual two week intensive program held at Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania.  The program provides comprehensive exposure to international human rights law by incorporating classroom instruction and experiential components such as workshops, field work, and site visits to give students a broad exposure to a field that is gaining importance world-wide.  The program culminates with a moot court competition.  It is sponsored by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute in Vilnius; Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius; European Humanities University, the Belarusian University in Exile in Vilnius; Elon Center for Public Affairs, Elon University in North Carolina; and Bring Human Rights Home, Inc in Michigan.

The opportunity for UND Law students to participate in this unique program was thanks to Professor Gordon’s connection with the program as a teacher.  He taught a few courses at the summer 2008 program and was asked to return to teach at the summer 2009 program.  He encouraged UND law students interested in participating to sign up, so Hamilton, Peterson, and Rowe joined him at the study program.  Professor Gordon, an international expert in International Human Rights Law, taught two courses during the program titled Enforcing Human Rights Through International Criminal Law and Professional Ethics in the Context of Human Rights.  He also participated as a panelist in the discussion Freedom of Expression versus Free Speech and served as a judge for the moot court competition. 

Professor Gordon felt one of the greatest benefits of the program was the exposure his students received to another system, culture, and way of thinking.  He said, “It opens their eyes to what we do here in the United States in a way that we [professors] could never explain to them.  It’s important to go outside our own country to see what it is about our own legal system that works well and what does not work as well.  Having that contrast was incredible.”

The students from North America began the program with an introduction to European and Lithuanian history and law.  They then joined with other European students from France, Italy, Belarus, and Lithuania for the two week program.  There were about 30 students total who participated in the classroom lectures and site visits around Lithuania.  Rowe said one of his favorite parts was seeing the city and interacting with the international students.  “Getting a perspective from someone who comes from a completely different viewpoint is the most interesting thing.”  Hamilton and Peterson both agreed the opportunities to explore Lithuania with the program and on their own were wonderful.

The site visits helped the students get a more tangible sense of what was being discussed in the classroom.  One of the most powerful experiences was their visit to the 9th Fort in Kaunas, Lithuania.  Formerly a prison where Jews had been executed, the Fort is now an historic memorial.  The students spent two hours touring the prison where captives had been tortured and executed.  “It was a difficult and powerful day,” said Hamilton of the experience.  Another location that really added to their classroom instruction was the Foreigner’s Registration Center in Pabrade Refugee Detention Center.  This is an active refugee center that houses both asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.  The students were able to talk with people at the center who were willing to share their stories.  The site visits helped the classroom instruction come alive for them.

The program ended with the moot court competition.  Since Peterson had to leave a few days early, she was not be able to participate in the competition.  Instead, she gave a presentation to all of the students on International Humanitarian Law Issues.  She drew on her knowledge, the experiences with the program, and her own experiences to deliver her lecture. 

Hamilton and Rowe both participated in the moot court competition.  The teams were comprised of students from all different countries.  Hamilton and Rowe thought the competition was a good end to the program because they were able to work closely with the others in the program on an issue that utilized the knowledge they had learned during the previous two weeks.  Hamilton was recognized as one of the best in the competition and won an award for her oral presentation, based on arguments and delivery.

One of the main things the students took away from this program was that there is not just one definition of human rights law.  Everyone has different perspectives and experiences; it is important to be aware of those differences and be respectful of them.  The program also broadened the students’ views of human rights law.  “It certainly gave me a much broader perspective on law and life in general.  It broadened the lens that I look through,” said Rowe.  They also realized there is still much ground to be covered in international human rights law.  “[The program] made me realize there’s so much to learn; this is just the tip of the iceberg, and it made me want to learn more about the issue,” said Peterson. 

A real life reminder of this point related to the situations of some of the Belarusian students who brought a very interesting perspective to their class.  Belarus, which has a dictatorship government, makes it very hard for students to study outside of the country.  Some of the Belarusians in the program had to leave Belarus and their families, with no intent to return, to be able to study in Lithuania.  “Some of the students from Belarus basically left their home country so they could go to Lithuania and study freely in a university without what they say and do being controlled – and that is very relevant and contemporary,” said Hamilton.  The Belarusian students’ experiences and ideologies of human rights were quite different than those of the UND students, and Hamilton, Peterson, and Rowe all believed that being able to discuss and learn about their views added a more personal perspective to their classroom lectures.

Hamilton, Peterson, and Rowe all enjoyed the program so much that they highly recommend other students participate in the future.  They hope to hold an information session in the spring to increase interest and awareness among the other law students.  About the program, Hamilton says, “It takes you out of your normal daily education and experience of law school into the world, and you can gain so much from it.  I really would encourage other students to do this program.”  The experience is important because it broadens one’s interest in human rights law and it will help spur one on to do more work in the subject.

The program shaped how the students each thought about human rights and impacted their perspectives on international human rights law.  Hamilton has always been passionate about human rights law and wants to pursue it in her legal career, so this program helped increase her interest.  “It’s helped reaffirm my commitment to issues I feel are important,” she said.  While Hamilton knew before the trip that human rights law was a field she was extremely interested in, Peterson and Rowe were curious to find out more about human rights in the international arena.  “This program has added to my interest; it helped me realize what opportunities there are to practice human rights law – where you can actually go in the field and put your knowledge to work,” says Peterson.  The three students made lasting friendships during their few weeks in Lithuania and all agreed that the personal aspect was very rewarding.  Rowe believes, “A lot of different ideologies coming together are what made it the most rewarding experience.”

It was an intense program, but Professor Gordon thought the students performed very well.  “Not only was it a highlight of my professional career, but it was very gratifying for me to be able to have these experiences with my students.”  He thought all three were wonderful ambassadors for the UND Law school and plans to continue the school’s relationship with the program into the future.

By: Amy Jordan