Summer in France Academics

Learn about the courses and faculty in the Summer in France program.

Courses

Courses for Summer 2025:

European Union Law (1 credit)
Araceli Turmo, Professor of Law at the University of Nantes

The European Union has become a formidable trading bloc, and the gross national product of the European Union countries will soon rival that of the United States. As international trade increases, it is imperative that U.S. lawyers understand how the community is organized.

In this general introductory course, students explore the basic institutions and principles of the European Union as well as its procedures. The course looks also at the political reasons behind the creation of the European Union, and the impact of expansion to the former Soviet bloc countries of Eastern Europe. We will also look at the stresses and strains of recent years, and in particular the EU’s reaction to the nationalistic and authoritarian trends in some of the Member States.

Change and Development in European Legal Systems (1 credit)

Derek Wilson, Lecturer, the Faculty of Law at the University of Nantes. Solicitor, Scotland
Craig French, Legal Advisor, Scottish Government. Law Tutor, University of Glasgow. Solicitor, Scotland

In the first part of the course we will look at the major disruption being caused both to the United Kingdom and the European Union by the referendum in June 2016 for the UK to leave the European Union in 2019 (Brexit). We will examine the reasons for this populist vote, and the impact it is having on the hithertofore stable legal and constitutional system of the United Kingdom, and even the threat it poses to the continued unity of the Kingdom.

The second topic to be addressed is that of the legal systems of European countries, which have been subject to pressure to change and converge in the context of the European Union. In this course we will look at how certain issues are developing in the legal systems of Scotland (which is a mixed system, based partly on English law traditions, and partly on Continental law tradition) and France. For example, we will compare the written constitution of France with the largely non-written UK constitution, and will examine the further devolution of legislative power in Scotland in the light of the 2014 independence referendum; increasing legislative power in Wales; and the devolution of power to the Conseil Régionaux in France. We will also examine other topical questions in the various justice systems.

Global Perspectives on Mass Incarceration (1 credit)
Dean and Professor Roscoe Jones, Jr., Drake Law School

This course explores the phenomenon of mass incarceration from a global perspective, examining the varied legal, political, public policy, and social approaches to punishment and imprisonment across different countries. Students will engage in a comparative analysis of the causes, practices, and impacts of mass incarceration, with a focus on the intersection of race, class, gender, and human rights.

The course will cover key topics such as the history and evolution of incarceration in America compared to Europe, the influence of colonialism and globalization on penal practices, and the role of political regimes in shaping criminal justice policies. Case studies from countries including the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Norway will be used to illustrate diverse approaches to incarceration and the contrasting outcomes on populations, public policy, and societies. The course will also explore international human rights standards and the global movement for penal reform, providing students with the tools to critically evaluate and contribute to the ongoing debates on mass incarceration.

European Migration Law (1 credit)
Araceli Turmo, Professor of Law at the University of Nantes

The course will focus on the core issues of European migration law and the specific challenges that arise from the quasi-federal nature of the European Union. Through comparison with the U.S. legal system, students will analyze the similarities and the fundamental differences between the two systems.

The course will explore the European Union’s reaction to current migratory patterns in Europe, both those that exist within the EU and those that originate outside. We will examine the key distinction between the right to migrate granted to EU citizens and the status of nationals of other countries. A particular focus will be placed on the EU’s asylum policy, which is at the heart of many political and social issues related to migrations into the EU.

Global Issues in Criminal Law (2 credits)
Professor Ellen L. Yee, Drake Law School

The course will focus on international and transnational criminal law because practicing lawyers are likely to encounter these areas. The main subjects will be transnational criminal law, terrorism, and genocide. Issues of jurisdiction, which are generally not addressed in detail in a first year criminal law course, will be incorporated into the analysis of these subjects. The course will also explore some aspects of comparative criminal law. For example, it will examine how other systems view issues such as criminal intent, actus reus, and defenses by discussing the international tribunals’ treatment of the genocide cases.

Faculty

Drake Law School Faculty

Ellen Yee, Director of International Programs; Professor of Law
515-271-1914 ellen.yee@drake.edu
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Professor Ellen L. Yee is the Director of International Programs.  She teaches in the areas of Criminal Law, Professional Responsibility, Psychiatry and the Law, and Trial Advocacy. She is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Minnesota Law School where she was an Associate Managing Editor for the Minnesota Law Review. Before coming to Drake, Professor Yee was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida State University College of Law and a Deputy District Attorney in Marin County, California. Her research addresses issues at the intersection of evidence and criminal procedure.

Roscoe Jones, Jr., Dean and Professor of Law

Dean Roscoe Jones Jr. serves as the 22nd dean and first Black dean of the Law School. Before joining Drake Law, he taught courses on mass incarceration, civil rights policy, and administrative law at Yale, Chicago, Michigan, Georgetown, George Washington, and University of Washington Law Schools, as well as the Harvard Kennedy School.Dean Jones previously practiced law at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Washington, D.C., and held key roles in the U.S. Department of Justice and with members of Congress. He clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. An active leader in the legal community, Dean Jones chairs the national board of the American Constitution Society and serves as Secretary of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. His accolades include three appearances on the Lawdragon 500 list of top U.S. lawyers and a Chambers USA ranking as a leading government relations specialist. A graduate of Stanford University (with high honors) and the University of Virginia Law School, he was editor-in-chief of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & Law and co-founded the Center for the Study of Race and Law. He also played football at Stanford. Dean Jones has been published in the Harvard Law and Policy Review.

Other Faculty

Craig French

Craig French is a practicing Solicitor with the Scottish Government in Edinburgh, Scotland. His current position is head of the Equalities and Criminal Justice Division in the Scottish Government Legal Directorate. He advises Government Ministers and senior officials on a wide range of constitutional and administrative law matters. Having been with the Scottish Government for over two decades, he has considerable experience of the Devolution Settlement in Scotland and public law issues, as well as the operation of the Scottish legal system. He is also a Senior Tutor at the University of Glasgow, teaching Human Rights Law and Practice on the post-graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

Araceli Turmo

Professor Araceli Turmo is a Professor of European law and Vice-Dean for international relations at the University of Nantes Faculty of Law. She earned her doctoral degree at Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris 2) and a Diploma in Legal Studies at the University of Oxford. Before joining the University of Nantes, she taught at Sciences Po Paris as well as the Universities of Geneva, Paris 2 and Paris-Est. Her research focuses on European procedural law and European criminal law, fundamental rights and the rights of European citizens. 

Derek Wilson

Professor Derek Wilson is a lecturer in law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Nantes. He served as the Global Practitioner in Residence at Drake University in Fall 2014. He was admitted by Order of Scotland's Supreme Court in Edinburgh to the Law Society of Scotland's Roll of Solicitors and as a Notary Public in 1991. Mr. Wilson conducted both civil and criminal cases, from the highest to the lowest of Scotland's Courts, until he moved to France to take his current position. Mr. Wilson has participated in comparative legal research projects on British and European Law.