Letter From the Program Director

Dear Students: 

 I am absolutely delighted to welcome you to this site and to invite you to join us in this exciting, multi-course, inter-disciplinary program. Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful, exciting and exuberant cities I know. Cariocas – the name by which residents of Rio are known – are famously friendly and thrilled to share their rich and varied culture with visitors. This program, which features courses co-taught by U.S. and Brazilian faculty members from several universities, offers students ample opportunity to learn about Rio and Brazil from Brazilians themselves. Students will learn to appreciate Rio’s wonders and will study the ways in which Rio is a city facing serious challenges – social, economic and environmental – all of which provide plentiful opportunities for you to expand and deepen your understanding of our evermore interconnected world.

Summer Legal & Policy Study in Rio de Janeiro is, I believe, a distinctive Program in three important respects.  First, every course features a distinct and important applied learning element.  We take you out of the classrooms to see and experience the social, economic and legal conditions that shape the lives of Cariocas.  Thus, students leave Rio with a full view of the city and nation of which it is a part.  We also bring Rio de Janeiro to you in the classroom, with speakers drawn from all walks of life, illustrating how law interacts with all aspects of a society.  Second, the Program has a distinct social justice focus not available in many study abroad programs.  Take a quick look at the course descriptions on this website and at the impressive faculty we have assembled, and you will instantly see what I mean.  Third, we offer this unusual Program at a highly competitive price.

For many students and faculty, their month with Summer Legal & Policy Study in Rio de Janeiro has literally been a life-altering experience, as some of the testimonials (also on this website) hint.

It is my further hope, therefore, that this program will provide a stepping off point for new career options and the possibility of spending at least part of your career working in Brazil specifically or in South America more generally.

In closing, let me encourage you to contact me personally by phone (404.413.9158) or e-mail (ccrawford@gsu.edu) should you have further questions about this terrific program in one of the world’s most vital cities. In the meantime, let me close by offering, as Brazilians do with their characteristic warmth and generosity of spirit, a warm embrace -- that is …

Um grande abraço,

Colin Crawford, Associate Professor of Law and
Director,
Georgia State Summer Legal and Policy Study in Rio de Janeiro

In consortium with Seattle University School of Law and The University of Tennessee College of Law