Australian Awards for University Teaching — 2009

Award for Programs that Enhance Learning — Educational Partnerships and Collaborations with Other Organisations — Recipient

Internationalising Law in Action
Monash University, Victoria

Synopsis

Monash Law Faculty’s Prato Program is an innovative teaching program which brings together 10 educational partners to provide a global learning experience. The program runs from April to July each year at the Monash University Centre in Prato, Italy. The Monash Law Faculty hosts the program, providing facilities, administrative support and overall coordination, and each partner university sends students and at least one faculty member to teach into the program.

The program aims to internationalise the law curriculum and prepare law students for the global practice of law. Law as a discipline is not universal; yet in the 21st century, law graduates are, upon graduation, required to be able to function in a modern and increasingly integrated legal world. It is therefore essential that law students be given the opportunity to learn about different legal traditions, systems and procedures which they will encounter in their future employment. The program does this by bringing together students and academics from around the world and by immersing them in an international environment.

The program’s breadth and quality in terms of collaborative and comparative teaching and learning are unique in Australia. Both student and partner participation has been steadily growing since 2001. The law faculty makes participation in the program available to as many students as possible through financial and other forms of support. Although developed in a law context, the flexibility of the Prato Program model means it can readily be adapted to other disciplines and locations.