The University of Chicago Law School
2015-2016 International Immersion Program
Trip to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE 16th – 30th December, 2015
General Information
Launched in 2012, the International Immersion Program (IIP) provides support to students seeking
substantive, immersive international experiences and helps prepare students to enter an increasingly
globalized profession. For the 2015–2016 school year, one Winter Break IIP trip will be offered in
Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates (Gulf Trip) and two Spring Break trips will be offered: one in
Argentina and one in Japan. The theme of the Gulf Trip is Islamic Law and Finance, of the Japan Trip –
Constitutionalism, Legal Reform, and Minorities Rights, and of the Argentina Trip – Economic
Development, Law, and Human Rights.
The IIP budget comes from both participant-raised funds and the Law School IIP resources which
together will cover the costs of travel, accommodation, substantive program activities, and business
meals. Students will also receive the Law School’s assistance in program development and logistical
arrangements.
As ambassadors of the United States, the University of Chicago, and the Law School, participants on the
IIP trips are expected to act at the highest level of professionalism and respect in their interactions with
the host organizations and their representatives, with University and Law School alumni, with local
people, as well as with each other.
The program details will be discussed at the 2015-2016 IIP Information Session scheduled to take place
in Room V from 12:15-1:15 pm on 8th October, 2015. Students with questions can contact International
Programs Director Aican Nguyen at aican@uchicago.edu.
Program Description
The immersion program on Islamic Law and Finance will familiarize students with the legal framework
for contemporary Islamic finance through a series of preparation sessions led by faculty members and
guest speakers during the Fall Quarter followed by a two-week study trip to Bahrain, Qatar, and the
United Arab Emirates from 16th – 30th December 2015. While in the countries, the students will visit law
firms with practices focused on energy, infrastructure, conventional project finance and Islamic finance,
as well as courts, tribunals, regulatory agencies, and other governmental institutions. The participants
will also have an opportunity to work with law students of the host law school in Qatar to develop a
project designing housing financing options utilizing public-private partnerships for the government of
Qatar.
Recommended Courses

Corporate Finance – Autumn 2015 by Professor Dhammika Dharmapala
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Cross-border Transactions: Securities, M&A, and Joint Ventures – Autumn 2015 by Lecturer
Tarek Sultani
From Caliphate to Nation State: A Survey of Modern Muslim Constitutional Thought – Autumn
2015 by Lecturer Kamran S. Bajwa
Project and Infrastructure Development and Finance – Autumn 2015 by Lecturer Martin
Jacobson
Program Requirements
1. Research Paper and Trip Report
 Each IIP trip will have a substantive academic component. Prior to the trips, each participant will
choose a trip specific research topic and conduct research.
 An IIP participant can choose to develop his/her trip-related research project into an
independent research if a faculty member agrees to supervise his/her research. For more details
on Independent Research rules, please refer to the Student Handbook or visit
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/students/handbook/academicmatters/independent
 By 30th January 2016, each IIP Gulf Trip student must submit his/her final research paper which
will be placed in his/her permanent academic file at the Law School. Papers should be at least
15 pages double-spaced. IIP student research papers will be posted on Chicago Unbound.
 In addition to the substantive research paper, students will complete a 5-7 page trip report,
which will also be due on 30th January 2016.
 The IIP participants are expected to present their completed trip reports and research papers at
a post-trip lunch seminar to share their experiences with the Law School community.
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Fundraising1 and Contributions
A first-time IIP participant must raise $750 toward the program costs by 1st December 2015.
A second-time participant must raise $1750 toward the program costs by 1st December 2015
Students can raise those funds individually or as groups. All fundraising activities must be
completed consistent with Law School and University policies. These rules will be discussed in
detail at the first group meeting on 30th Oct 2015.
3. Other Program Requirements: All IIP participants are required
 to sign a University-provided travel waiver and any other trip specific waivers;
 to have a passport valid for international travel until 30th June 2016;
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Given the University’s, the Law School’s, and Aramark’s restrictions on fundraising within the Law School, successful fundraising requires
advance planning, coordination among participants of each trip and with the Office of the Dean of Students, and receipt of permissions from
different entities. Groups that have been most successful in the past have worked together, been creative, and started as early as possible. (For
example, groups that wait until February to hold a food sale have been disappointed by the amount of competition and/or by the denial of their
requests due to other events.) There are also limitations on the number of requests to bar preparation companies and other companies that
market to students. In addition, no fundraising from law firms is permitted due to other institutional requests and feedback received from
firms. Because of these realities, while the Law School's goal is to make these trips accessible to all and students are strongly encouraged to
work with other students from their trip to raise funds, they should plan to contribute a significant portion of their $600, whether from money
set aside and saved from summer jobs, from other personal funds, or from gifts and other funds from family and friends.
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to obtain entry visas to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and a re-entry visa to the US, if required, by 30th
November 2015, and pay for all visa-related expenses;
to buy a travel insurance plan with trip cancelation/interruption coverage;
to pay for local travel outside the program activities, for touristic activities, and for their own
meals except business meals; and
to participate fully in all preparation sessions prior to the trip and all program activities during
the trip.
Preparation sessions will be held weekly primarily on Friday afternoons (3:30-5:30 p.m.) during
the Autumn Quarter, excluding holidays and exam time. Depending upon lecturer availability,
some sessions may be scheduled during the lunch block. This trip will have approximately six
preparation sessions. The first preparation session is from 3:30-5:30 pm on 30th Oct 2015.
With the exceptions of Law School excused absences, students should receive advance
permissions from the Dean of Students to miss an IIP preparation session and inform Aican
Nguyen one day prior to the missed session.
Application and Selection Process
1. Eligibility
 All Law School students are eligible to apply for the IIP trips.
 Participants of past IIP trips are welcome to apply, but priority will be given to first-time
students.
 Students can apply for more than one trip.
 Students can participate in no more than one IIP trip per academic year.
 Due to short preparation time prior to the Gulf Trip, students who need visas to enter Bahrain,
Qatar, UAE and a US re-entry visa are encouraged to consider Argentina or Japan Trip which will
happen from 14th – 16th March 2016.
2. Application2: The application deadline is 18th October 2015.
To be considered for the Gulf trip, each IIP applicant must submit the following documents via
email to Aican Nguyen at aican@uchicago.edu
o A completed Student Application Form/Questionnaire for the IIP Gulf Trip (page 5);
o A substantive half-page research proposal specific to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE;
o An unofficial Law School transcript, or an unofficial undergraduate transcript (1L
applicants only);
o A current resume; and
o A fundraising proposal. The proposal should set forth the student’s suggestions for
potential funding sources and an explanation for why such sources might be interested
in sponsoring the trip. Students may choose to submit a joint instead of an individual
fundraising proposal. A group fundraising proposal must include the names of its
members and the sum of funds they plan to raise as a group to meet the individual
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If a student applies for more than one trip, she/he should submit a separate application form and
research proposal for each of the trips she/he applies for.
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requirement. Each member of a group fundraising proposal must submit a copy of the
proposal with his/her application form.
3. Selection
 IIP participants will be selected by the International Immersion Program Selection Committee
through an open selection process. Each IIP trip will enroll up to ten participants.
 An IIP trip will be cancelled if less than five qualified candidates are identified.
 All international programs are subject to change due to the security situation in the host
countries.
 Selection criteria
o Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
o Priority will be given to students who have not participated in past IIP trips.
o Priority may be given to 3Ls and 2Ls.
o Participant selection will be based on criteria set by the Committee which may include
demonstrated academic interest in international law, comparative law, and/or the
specific topics studied on the trip, diversity of all types, ability to travel as a member of a
study team, and other program-specific criteria, such as language skills.
 Selection interview:
o An IIP applicant will have an interview with the members of the International Immersion
Program Selection Committee if her/his application passes the Committee’s initial
review.
o During the interview, in addition to interview questions, each applicant will be asked to
give a three-minute presentation on a trip-related preparation topic of his/her choice.
 Selection result: Students may expect to learn whether they have been selected by 26th
October, 2015.
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Student Application for 2015-2016 International Immersion Program
Trip to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE 16th – 30th December, 2015
Personal Information:
Full name as it appears on passport:
Date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy): ______________
Year of law school in 2015-2016: First ____ Second ____ Third ____ LL.M ____ JSD ____
Current Address: ________________________________
Home Phone: ______________
Cell phone: ________________
Email address: ______________
Citizenship and visa status:
US Citizen ___ US Green Card Holder ___ F1 Visa Holder ___ J1 Visa Holder ___
Other _______ Non-US citizen, please specify country of citizenship: __________
Questionnaire
1. Please rank and explain your choice if you’re applying for more than one trip:
Y/N
Trip
Ranking
Explanation
Japan
Bahrain, Qatar,
UAE
Argentina
2. Have you traveled abroad before?
your trips?
If so, where, when and what was the nature of
3. Do you have a passport valid for international travel until 30th September 2016?
4.
5.
6.
7.
Do you need a visa to enter Bahrain, Qatar, UAE? ______________________________________
Do you need a visa to re-enter the US? ______________________________________________
Do you speak Arabic? ______ What is your level of fluency? ___________________________
Please list any relevant work experience:
8. Please list any relevant academic research or course work:
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9. Do you personally know a legal professional(s) who would be willing to visit the Law School and
speak on Bahrain, Qatar, UAE? ____________________________________________________
10. If selected for the 2015-2016 IIP, are you willing to participate fully in group activities before,
during, and after your trip?
__________________________
11. IIP participants are required to participate fully in all the program preparation sessions which
meet bi-weekly primarily from 3:30 – 5:30 pm on Fridays and sometimes at lunch time. If
selected to participate in the 2015-2016 IIP, are you willing to participate fully in the IIP
preparation sessions? ____________________________________________________________
12. For planning purposes, in the list of dates below, please enter N for the Fridays you WILL NOT
be available and Y for the Fridays you will be available to attend the IIP preparation sessions:
Oct 30st ____; Nov 6th ____; Nov 13th ____; Nov 20th ____; Dec 4th ____;
13. For IIP interview planning, in the list of dates below, please enter N for the timeslots you WILL
NOT be available and Y for the timeslots you will be available
o Weds Oct 21s
1:30 _; 1:45 _; 2:00 _; 2:15 _; 2:30 _; 2:45 _; 3:00 _; 3:15 _; 3:30 _; 3:45 _; 4:00 _; 4:15 _; 4:30 _; 4:45 _
o
Thursday Oct 22nd
9:30 _; 9:45 _; 10:00 _; 10:15 _; 10:30 _; 10:45 _; 11:00 _; 11:15 _; 11:30 _; 11:45 _
o
Friday Oct 23rd
9:30 _; 9:45 _; 10:00 _; 10:15 _; 10:30 _; 10:45 _; 11:00 _; 11:15 _; 11:30 _; 11:45 _
14. If selected to participate in the 2015-2016 IIP, you’re expected to work on one of the topics
related to Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE listed below and give a 30-minute presentation on the topic
to your fellow participants at a trip preparation session. Which of the following topics would
you choose?
History of Bahrain, Qatar, UAE
_____
Political Systems in Bahrain, Qatar, UAE
_____
Economies of Bahrain, Qatar, UAE
_____
Islam and Law
_____
Relations between US and Bahrain, Qatar, UAE
_____
Another general topic(s) on Bahrain, Qatar, UAE (please specify) ______________________
15. If selected to participate in the 2015-2016 IIP, would you like to develop your IIP research
project into an independent research paper?
If so, have you discussed it with a
faculty member? _________
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Please answer each question below in 100 words or less:
16. Why are you interested in the Law School International Immersion Program?
17. Why are you interested in a trip to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE?
18. What aspects of comparative law interest you? ________________________________________
19. What is the topic of your proposed research project? Why did you choose this topic? _________
20. What sort of professional and academic experience are you looking for?
21. Apart from professional and academic experience, please describe what else you hope to get
out of your trip. _________________________________________________________________
22. Please identify the organizations and people you would like to visit during your trip. Do you have
any contacts in Bahrain, Qatar, UAE? ________________________________________________
23. What type of training or preparations would be necessary for you prior to your trip? _________
24. What do you think would be the most important quality(ies) that each IIP trip participant should
have to make the Program successful?
25. If selected to participate in the 2015-2016 IIP, how would you plan to share your experiences
with members of the Law School community? _________________________________________
26. If selected to participate in the 2015-2016 IIP, would you be willing to share your research paper
on Chicago Unbound? ______________________________________________________
27. Is there anything else the IIP Selection Committee should know about you and your IIP
application? ___________________________________________________________________
I affirm that the information I have provided on this application form is complete, accurate, and
true to the best of my knowledge, and I agree to submit additional information upon request for
this application.
Date ___________________
Signature _______________________
Thank you for your interest in the 2015-2016 International Immersion Program Trip to Bahrain, Qatar,
UAE. Please submit by October 18th, 2015 one email with this form, a substantive research proposal, a
fundraising proposal, a resume, and an unofficial Law School transcript to Aican Nguyen at
aican@uchicago.edu.
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