UDP Internacional

4 August 2023

Between July 10 and 14, the course concentrated in English was taught How does the European Union work and what is its relevance?, taught by the academic from the University of Leiden, Armin Cuyvers.

The course addressed the functioning of the European Union and its legal system, examining the historical context, reasons for integration, challenges and projections. The sessions were held face-to-face and were taught by the Professor of European Law at the European Institute of the University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

The academic program also included a review of the division and distribution of power in the European Union, its organs and countries, as well as its legal system, legislation and questions regarding phenomena such as climate change, economic and political crises.

55 students from the Law School of the Diego Portales University were part of the concentrated course, attending each of the sessions and actively participating. For the 4th year student and member of the UDP Law Student Center, Aimee Garland, it was a unique opportunity: “I try to take advantage of all the opportunities that the University offers me, especially when they allow me to broaden the horizons of my learning within the race. One of the most highlighted aspects of the course was the possibility of eliminating the language barrier, on many occasions we can learn from the compared systems, but in my opinion part of the real meaning of the institutions is lost when trying to bring concepts and terms into Spanish that can hardly be translated,” he said.

Catalina Momares, a 5th year student, shared her motivations and thoughts about the course: “Mainly, what motivated me to take this course was having the chance to learn about an area of law that we are not used to seeing in the Faculty, such as it is the law in the European Union. And acquire another look around this to be able to apply it to the subjects that we learn daily at the university. What I liked the most is that it was in English, this gives us the opportunity to directly practice our language skills, and also, I really liked having the opportunity to attend a lecture taught by a great professor from Leiden University “, he pointed.

For Felipe Bouey, a 4th year student at our Faculty, it was a challenging and enriching experience. “The dynamic was very good, as well as being a constant invitation to reflection. On the one hand, it was motivating to take a course in English, to test one’s own level, and on the other, having a world-renowned academic and one of the leading experts in the EU was very tempting from an academic point of view”, he assessed.