Student Involvement
The Center for Constitutional Democracy in Plural Societies is the only educational institution in the United States that offers students the chance to work directly and regularly with foreign reform leaders to support constitutional democracy. Although the CCDPS does not grant degrees, it provides support for students pursuing PhD, SJD, or JD degrees in areas relating to constitutional democracy. The Center supplies guidance in course selection, research strategies, and intellectual development. Students work closely with activists abroad through research, writing, organizing, and teaching.
Student Affiliate Program
The Center provides a few unpaid positions each year for law students to conduct research and carry out projects on Burmese and Liberian legal issues and other topics (see below).
If accepted, the Student Affiliate will work with the Center's Program Director and Research Fellows on a project-by-project basis. The time commitment for affiliates is approximately four hours a week (and in some cases it may be more) and it is expected that affiliates will maintain involvement for the duration of the school year.
Student Affiliates will be provided with work space at the Center, invited to Center seminars and events, and given hands-on experience with the legal research necessary for democracy-promotion and constitutional design in plural societies. Such work is a rare opportunity to be involved with foreign movements around the world and will be a valuable addition to resumes for students interested in democracy-promotion.
A downloadable Student Affiliate Program application (PDF) is available.
Current Student Projects
Constitutional Commentaries
Students are helping to write the first independent constitutional commentaries in Liberia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. For the first time, lawyers and citizens in these countries will have an objective reference work that explains the meaning of their constitutions.
Oil and Constitutionalism
Students are developing materials on oil and constitutionalism that address how to divide oil revenue fairly, how to deal with foreign corporations and governments that are interested in capitalizing on oil supply, and how to manage corruption.
Thai Immigration Policy
Thailand has recently decided to return Burmese people to Burma or to refugee camps. This policy has serious ramifications for the Burmese democracy movement in Thailand. Students are helping the Burma Lawyers's Council (BLC) to write a position paper regarding Thai immigration policy. The BLC will use this paper to draw support from the United Nations, foreign governments, and non-governmental organizations.
Burmese Legal History
In order to consider how a modern constitution can grow out of home-grown legal ideas, students are helping to research and write a book about Burmese legal history.
Virtual Constitutional Convention
Students are helping to organize and run a virtual constitutional convention via the Internet for the Burmese democracy movement around the world.
Liberian State Law and Local Customary Law
Conflicts between statutes of the Liberian state and local customary practices are a long-standing source of inequities among Liberians. These differences have created two classes of citizens with respect to a range of property and other fundamental rights. On the invitation of Liberia's Justice Ministry, students will assist in studying this problem and recommending measures to harmonize critical provisions of this dual legal system to ensure justice to all Liberians.