[美国&加拿大] UMN一位LLM学生课程介绍（个人经历） [复制链接]

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发表于 2016-11-14 06:44:02 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

第二部分：为什么选择明尼苏达法学院LLM－学术版

上述相信读者们已经了解了一定的明尼苏达法学院课堂外的生活，接下来简要介绍一下我选过的、个人非常喜欢的一些课程。

1. 宪法2——第十四修正案：
这是我上过最痛苦但是却最有趣的一个课程。Professor Carpenter在我毕业的时候回到得克萨斯达拉斯老家教学，非常可惜有以后同学们想要上他的课没有机会了，但更重要的还是课程内容本身为我们揭开了美国法律系统的根本，其包含的话题有，堕胎、种族歧视、同性婚姻等，所有那些我们在国内听到的关于美国的有趣的案例大部分都可以在这个课堂上学到。（Professor Carpenter的教学方式是，每一个案子，分成两个主张，毫无征兆的点名，然后让他们回答如果是某一方，应当如何反驳。如，教授给你一个假设，你是反对同性婚姻的一方，应当根据宪法哪一条去支持你的主张。如果你是支持种族隔离的那一方，应当用和根据，如何主张）。这是一个让你慢慢学会把内心的倾向与法律思维分离，如你支持同性婚姻，却要试着用“理性”去回答反方的思路。这是我上过让我最痛苦、也是最兴奋，最有趣的课程。这门课让我学会更加理性思考，更加容易理解反方观点，让我了解美国的法律思想的根基。

2. 法律阅读课
阅读表明看起来是一个很简单的事情，但在非母语的法学学习中是最重要、也是最难的部分。来到美国的法学院刚开始你会发现，如果你不会“读”，因为你永远读不完、上课也很难跟上。但是，在这门法律阅读课程中，可以学习如何“正确阅读”为课程做准备，以及在不天天熬夜和牺牲业余时间的前提下，更快适应法学院的课程。

3. 司法观察课
第二学期我选了司法观察课，这门课一旦选上，就可以根据你与法官的时间协调，进行一对一的交流，去法官所在的法院去旁听他（她）的庭审、庭审后继续交流庭上的问题。我跟着法官旁听过未成年法庭里17岁的男孩，辩解说回家要照顾孩子想要尽快出监狱；也旁听过成年重罪法庭100多人的两拨团伙的对峙（情节是：两拨团伙的成员的现女友是另外一方成员的前女友，因为小事私人情感变成群架）。我的这位法官尤其厚道，带我吃了几次午餐，让我对美国食物不再抵触，也跟着法官去参观他每周五邀请为嘉宾的电视节目。而这些，仅仅是在这门课里我经历的很小一部分。

4. 领导力与法律
这门课也是第二学期的课程，这是人格上让你成长，通过自我评价以及发展自我意识而使你成为更优秀的领导者和更优秀的人的一门课。这门课没有那么多阅读，也没有高难度的语言，但是自我评价和自我意识发展的过程，至少对我来说是比较痛苦的。每个人都需要表达自己最内心深处的想法，分析我自己的弱点以及剖析并不美好的个人经历对自己的影响。这个课程分享交流的过程很私密也很痛苦，但是如果你是一个想要让你通过发挥自己的性格优势、了解自己性格上的不足，并通过不断努力发扬优势改善不足变成真正有领导力的领导者，就请选这门课程吧。我保证你不会后悔。

5. 刑法与文学课程
这门课的期末论文是写出一个20～40页的挑战法律与道德的模糊界限的犯罪小说。这刚开始听起来很吓人，但是，当你跟随者教授的步伐去读教授提供的短篇或者长篇小说（不用担心读不完，读不完可以查一下小说的大致情节或者看改编的电影），并且课堂上与老师和同学们一起探讨难以置信的课程，属于你的故事就会慢慢形成（教授会每隔一段时间，让你写一个人物描写、情节概述、草稿等等，引领你一步一步写出一个成行的小说）。虽然我从来没有正经读完过教授布置的阅读（一周半本书的节奏），也并未能参与课堂太多的讨论（但是我有很认真在听哦），但我用尽心血和独特的经历35页的小说，使我获得了满意的分数。

总结
如果我关于课外活动和学术方面的建议你都觉得跟自己的目标和性格不相符，也没有关系。我最后的建议是，选择你喜欢、有热情的课程，让自己有激情地受美国法学院课程的“虐待”。我的个人经验表明，没有所谓“较难”或“较容易”的课程的区别，同样的每个人都有不同的“难”与“易”或“欢乐”与“痛苦”体验。（在这里我想特别指出，我不是学霸，我毕业的成绩也不是最高，但LLM一年不到的时间过的很充实以及开心，因为我选课是以我喜欢、有热情为目的去选的课。——真诚的说，美国的法律系统跟我们的很不一样，且真的很好玩哦～）

最重要的是，既然你已经决心要出国了（或者已经在留学），本来这件事情对任何人来说都不容易，就要认真的照顾好自己的身体与心灵的健康。学校提供四层楼的酷炫的健身中心，中心里面有各种健身器材、游泳池、跑道（是的，室内跑道哦！），以及拳击、瑜伽、Zumba等课程任你选（注：除了课程需要每学期交55刀之外，所有其他项目都是已经包括在学费里的费用）。无论是你的家人供你来读书还是你自己挣钱来读书，出发点都不是让你这一年时间压力太大而崩溃或者生病。他们希望你有更好的生活，更快乐的生活，我相信你自己也是同样的想法。因此，如果所有我的个人经历和建议都无法帮助到你，就好好去健身中心、去骑自行车（双城是美国著名的“自行车友好”城市，自行车道到处都是，可租的自行车也是唾手可得）、跑步、户外散步（学校里面不太冷的时候在河边走真的很爽哦）。

作者：安美玲

结构建议：Hannah

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－英文版－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
Part 2:
WHY University of Minnesota LLM for Chinese Students: Extra-curricular activities: Academic Activities

I think I have introduced enough about experiences outside of the class, now I would like to talk about some of the classes I took that I really enjoyed.

1. Constitutional law 2 class.
It is the most painful but most INTERESTING class I have even taken in the whole year. It provided me the knowledge of the foundation of the US legal system. It talks about abortion, same-sex marriage, race discrimination, and so on. All the topics that we heard about when we are in China. This is a course that leads you to separate your personal tendency from legal thinking, for example, you support same-sex marriage, you oppose race discrimination but the professor would make you think in the opposite way and use your rational legal thinking based on constitutional law to persuade your classmates. It is the most painful but most exciting, most interesting course. The professor of constitutional law taught me how to thinking rationally, it helped me to understand opponent’s logic mind very easily, and the foundation of legal thinking of the US.

2. Legal Reading class.
Reading sounds very easy but it is the most important and difficult part when you study LAW in your NON-NATIVE language. You can never finish your reading or catch up in class if you don’t know how to read. From this class, I knew how to “read well” and prepare for the class, and understand what the professor is going to talk about the next day without staying up all night, or without losing my personal life.

3. Judicial Observation.
At second semester, I took Judicial Observation, once you are enrolled in this course, you would be set up a judge and contact with him/her and go to visit his/her court based on you and the judge’s schedule until you meet the time limit for the course. It is a very precious experience to get to know the US legal system in real life and talk with the judge personally. I cannot express how much I learned from Judge Bastian and from the cases that I observed. I observed in family and juvenile court, a 17-year-old teenager with his own baby at home, committed to the crime. Also, adult felony court, two groups of gangsters around 100 people filled in the court room, to observe the results of their fight. These are just small part of my wonderful experiences of this course.

4. Leadership and Law.
This course is also in second semester, and it is a course that makes you truly grow and become not only a better leader but also a better human being based on self-evaluation and on-going developing self-awareness. The course is not tough, but the process was painful for me, at least for me. I had to analyze my weakness, my life experiences that affected me, not only the good ones. It is personal, it is painful, but if you are a person who wants to know yourself better, is willing to be a leader or interested to learn about leadership, please take this course. You will never regret.

5. Criminal Law and Literature class
This is an amazing class that provides you opportunities to write a fiction. It sounds scary at first, however, when you read some novels that the professor gives you (I never finished reading but read as much as you can), and discuss about those unbelievable stories in class, you will naturally structure your unique story. Regardless of the fact that I couldn’t finish most of the reading materials, I couldn’t participate in the discussion too much (but I was listening really carefully), based on my effort and unique story with 35 pages, I have got grade which I am very satisfied with.

Conclusion
If both parts of my experiences, extra-curricular and academic experiences do not apply to your goal, your personality, that’s ok. My ultimate suggestion is, choose the classes you like, you are passionate about, and “suffer” from the law schools courses you are excited about. Based on my own experiences, there is no such thing as easier or better courses, it varies based on different people.

Most importantly, when you are going to abroad to study, taking good care of your mental and physical health. Recreational Center has four floor workout machines, swimming pool, and even track to run, and all kinds of courses such as kickboxing, yoga, Zumba and so on. Your family support you to go abroad is not because they want you to stress out and get sick during this one year. They want you to have a better life, a happier life by studying abroad. And also, YOU came/want to come here because you want to be better version of you instead of losing yourself. Therefore, if all of my experiences is not for suitable you, doesn’t help you at all, here is one great advice for everyone, go to Recreational Center to work out as much as you can, go to ride bikes, run or just walk outside.