Double-degree programs, student and faculty mobility and international competitions are some of its highlights
Photo: Camila Cunha
The Law School embraces both the undergraduate and graduate programs in Law and the graduate program in Criminal Sciences. It is very proud of the initiatives implemented to advance the internationalization of its programs, which have earned PUCRS international recognition in excellence teaching. Strategies for a comprehensive and global education ensure that students have access and possibilities to bring their career to an international level of excellence at the different levels of teaching.
Double degree
One of the highlights of the School is the double-degree program offered in partnership with the Universitá Degli Studi di Parma, in Italy. This program makes it possible for Brazilian and Italian students to complete one year of their programs in the partner institution and, at the end, receive two diplomas.
At the graduate level, students can finish their degrees and be awarded with two diplomas, too. The Graduate Program in Criminal Sciences offers the joint degrees with the Osnabrück University, in Germany, and with the Università di Bologna, in Italy. The Graduate Program in Law is partners with the University of Seville, and with the University of Zaragoza. These programs give PhD students the chance to work with two advisors: one from PUCRS and another from the partner university.
International competitions
The encouragement to Law School students’ participation in international competitions, such as the one on arbitration, is another initiative that gives them the chance to come into contact with people from all over the world. In 2017, PUCRS was represented by some of its students at the Suffolk University, in the USA, in an event that brought together teams from several countries. These students have joined many international competitions, in countries such as Austria and Argentina.
Mobility and courses in English
The academic mobility of students is a qualified strategy to bring their curriculum to an international level. Today, the program is partners with more than 45 institutions that include both mobility programs and joint research. Every semester, PUCRS students can spend a semester at a partner institution, having the chance to have the credits transferred to their program.
At the graduate level, academic mobility is offered to PhD level students who can do research internships in international universities. In this type of program, students will be advised by faculty members of the target university and will have the chance to complement their investigations during their stay in the country.
The availability of courses in English and the presence of international students at PUCRS serve to promote internationalization at home, which ensures that students are exposed to languages other than Portuguese and cultures of different countries. These practices provide undergraduate and graduate students with an internationalized perspective in their training, even without stepping off campus.
International cooperation
Law School faculty plays a unique role in the advancement of the internationalization of the school. Its professors and researchers are firmly engaged in strengthening the program’s international networks by attending international events and promoting events featuring international guests at the University. Some of the most common partnering countries are: Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal, in Europe, and Peru, Chile, Colombia and Argentina, in Latin America.
The international role played by the university has resulted in its attendance to national and international events and research cooperation. As a consequence, several studies have been completed as others are being conducted with international institutions. An example of that is the Latin American network for research on Fundamental Rights, which involve institutions from Brazil (PUCRS, UNOESC, UNISC, PUCPR, UNIBRASIL, UNIFOR, FDV), Peru (PUCP and Universidad San Marcos), Chile (Universidad de Talca), Colombia (Universidad Externado) and Mexico (UNAM).
Another example is the project Rights and Internet Regulation, in partnership with the University of Hamburg and the University of Düsseldorf, with the support from CAPES/DAAD. On the other hand, the project on the right to health and health care systems in a comparative perspective, involves Germany, Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia and India, and is carried out in a partnership between PUCRS and the Max-Planck Institute of Social Law and Social Policy, in Germany. Several other projects carried out by the School’s researchers navigate across different areas within the Law studies.
In constant expansion
The Law School of PUCRS acknowledges internationalization as an important vector for continuous development and advancement. Some new projects to be put in practice include double degree programs (being negotiated with Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa); the desire to increase the number of courses in languages other than Portuguese at the undergraduate level and the promotion of specific events to disseminate the actions of internationalization the School offers, with an emphasis on the exchange of experiences among students.
