On November 4th, Associate Professor John Smagua, Vice Dean of International Programs at Temple University School of Law in the United States, and Ms. Karen Yang, Director of China Program Operations, visited Southeast University School of Law. Vice Dean John Smagula gave a special lecture on the theme of Focusing on American legal education and becoming a foreign-related legal talent to the faculty and students of Southeast University Law School in the conference room of the Human Rights Research Institute on the fifth floor.
Vice Dean John Smagula started with the American legal education system and introduced the main degree programs such as JD, LLM, and JSD, emphasizing that American law schools cultivate students' legal thinking and analytical abilities through case-based teaching methods. In addition, he also elaborated on the extensive extracurricular reading requirements and classroom interactions in American law education, helping students develop their ability to think independently and solve legal problems through vivid questioning and discussion.
Vice Dean John Smagula provided a detailed introduction to the LLM program at Temple University School of Law. The LLM program at Tianfa Law School has a flexible curriculum, allowing students to freely choose popular course combinations such as business and commercial law, international law, etc. according to their career needs. In addition, Temple University also emphasizes practical learning, helping students better adapt to their future legal careers through legal institution internships, simulated court sessions, and practical skills training.
The LLM program at Temple University Law School has been established in China since 1999 and has a wide network of Chinese alumni, who are spread across major law firms, government agencies, and well-known enterprises. Temple University has close cooperation with China, and it is particularly worth mentioning that the university awarded Deng Xiaoping an honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1979, which became a milestone in Sino US education cooperation.
This presentation also introduced the cooperation projects between Southeast University and Temple University, including the 3+1 and 3.5+1 undergraduate and master's programs, as well as the 2+1 and 2.5+1 master's dual degree programs. Through these collaborative models, students can flexibly switch their learning paths between Southeast University and Temple University, gaining dual degrees and overseas study experience. Temple University also organizes the Rome Summer Program every year. Southeast University students participating in this program can study together with Temple University American students for four weeks and earn up to 5 LLM course credits.
During the questioning session, students actively asked questions and showed strong interest, raising many related questions about the dual degree program, the US Bar Examination, the China Scholarship Council scholarship program, and more. Vice Dean John Smagula and Ms. Karen Yang provided detailed answers to students' questions one by one, further helping them understand possible paths for future learning and career development.
This event brought comprehensive and in-depth information on American law education and career development to our faculty and students, showcasing the unique advantages of Temple University Law School in the field of law education. The Law School of Southeast University will continue to strengthen cooperation with top international law schools and make unremitting efforts to cultivate legal talents with global perspectives and practical abilities.