The SARS epidemic in China and southeast Asia has forced yet another change of plans for a Duke summer program. This time, though, no one seems to mind.
The School of Law has relocated its Asia-America Institute in Transnational Law from Hong Kong to Fukuoka, Japan, due to the prevalence of SARS in Hong Kong. The law school will collaborate with Kyushu University in Fukuoka for the month-long summer program, carrying out the planned curriculum with only minor changes.
"We certainly couldn't bring faculty or students from anywhere in the world to a place where they'd have to catch a very serious disease," said Judith Horowitz, associate dean for international studies.
Earlier this month, the Duke-in-China undergraduate study abroad program was relocated to the Marine Laboratory at Beaufort, N.C.
Horowitz noted that program coordinators chose Fukuoka for its relatively removed location in the southwest corner of Japan. "We purposefully did not locate in Tokyo or Kyoto where most Asian tourists would tend to locate," she said.
She added that Kyushu University was a logical choice because it has an established relationship with law faculty from Hong Kong University, with which the law school collaborated when the program was based in Hong Kong.
Those participating in this summer's program said they are comfortable with-even excited about-the program's relocation. All seemed to support the decision to move the program out of Hong Kong.
"Moving the program is not a loss at all," said Lisa Wechsler, director of special international projects at Duke Law. "In fact, we've been very fortunate to be able to move it to the Kyushu University, which is definitely one of the top universities in Japan."
Carolin Spiegel, a law school student participating in this summer's institute in Japan, agreed that much will be gained by relocating the program from Hong Kong, especially in terms of cultural immersion.
"Fukuoka has the potential to provide a much more 'Asian' experience," Spiegel wrote in an e-mail from Bangkok, Thailand, where she is working until the program begins. "I am very excited about having an immersive experience in Fukuoka, as opposed to one in Hong Kong where the possibility of Western exposure always exists."
However, Horowitz added that the Asia-America Institute in Transnational Law is not based solely on localized cultural immersion. It was designed about 12 years ago for law students with a particular interest in China, Japan and southeast Asia.
Abizer Zanzi, another the Law student enrolled in the Fukuoka program, wrote in an e-mail that he was initially apprehensive about the move from Hong Kong, but now believes the relocated program will be a success.
"While they offer different experiences culturally, both Hong Kong and Japan are important places in the Asia-Pacific region, certainly with respect to law," he wrote. "The law school has done a great job of putting together an excellent program in Japan on such short notice."
Wechsler said the relocated program was set up within the course of one week. "It was quite a whirlwind, but I think it's had a wonderful result," she said. Wechsler, who lived in Fukuoka for two years, played an integral role in making preparations for the 42 students confirmed for the Fukuoka program thus far.
Horowitz said she expects a final enrollment of about 45 for the institute in Japan-about 15 fewer than were enrolled in the Hong Kong institute last summer. She attributed some of the drop-off to the fact that Duke Law did not admit any students from SARS-infected areas, but mostly to the fact that it is the first year the program will run from the new location.
The program in Hong Kong has traditionally been centered on courses in topics such as international trade, law development and security issues. The institute also offered seminars focusing on the political, economic and constitutional issues of Hong Kong-seminars that will now focus on the same issues as they pertain to Japan. Students will also visit approximately six Fukuoka law firms and will interact with local judges and their legal trainees.
Wechsler said the law dean and faculty at Kyushu University have been extremely "welcoming and collaborative," and that a law school graduate working in Fukuoka has been helpful in making connections with the international law division of the Fukuoka Bar Association. She added that one of law school's strongest alumni bases is in Japan.
Program coordinators decided to relocate the institute a few months ago, when it became clear the SARS epidemic was a force to be reckoned with. After this year, Horowitz said, coordinators will reevaluate conditions in Hong Kong, and may even consider a permanent move to Fukuoka.
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