Academic Exchanges
Chinese faculty, students, and legal professionals visit VLS to participate in research projects, classes, and other activities that advance the main objectives of the program. These educational efforts teach Chinese individuals and institutions to become more effective problem solvers in the field of environmental and energy law and policy. Law faculty and legal professionals have the opportunity to participate in academic residencies of various lengths at VLS. Chinese law students have the opportunity to attend Summer Session classes at VLS, and VLS students have opportunities to participate in collaborative research projects and courses which include presentations at partner law schools and study tours in China.
Faculty Exchanges
Academic residencies provide visiting scholars not only an opportunity to acquire substantive knowledge in various topics in American and international environmental law but also access to VLS's extensive environmental legal studies collection, one of the most comprehensive and well-organized in the country. They are able to engage in substantive and in-depth discussions and exchanges with VLS's environmental and energy faculty and other visiting environmental law experts. Furthermore, the opportunity to observe American law school pedagogical methods allows them to augment and improve their own law teaching skills. Finally, they are also able to network with other American environmental and energy law experts and Chinese officials visiting VLS. The opportunity to acquire such skills, experiences, and relationships will advance their environmental careers and support them in their future efforts to positively affect the underlying conditions of China's environmental governance challenges.
2011
CHINA UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LAW
Professor YU Wenxuan
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from February 2011 to February 2012. Professor Yu is an Associate Professor at CUPL and has provided a significant amount of research and consulting services to the Chinese government on environmental and energy law development. His current research areas include agricultural genetically modified organism legislation, petroleum and natural gas legislation, natural resource property rights and energy legislation.
2010
NINGBO UNIVERSITY
Professor CAI Xianfeng
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from August 2009 to April 2010. Professor Cai earned his PhD in Environmental Law majoring in Environment and Resources Protection Law, with an emphasis on China's Environmental Law and International Environmental Law.
CHINA UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LAW
Professor ZHOU Changling
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from August 2009 to August 2010. Professor Zhou earned her PhD from Renmin University. Her work focused on the intersection of environmental law and intellectual property.
2009
SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY
Professor HAN Guangming
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from February to August 2009. Professor Guangming earned his PhD in Civil Law from Sun Yat-Sen University. Professor Guangming is a specialist in civil law and property law.
Professor WANG Lifen
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from January to August 2009.
STATE ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION
Professor XU Xin
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from January to August 2009. Professor Xu Xin majored in Economic Law from Renmin University. She has also worked for the State Electricity Regulatory Commission of China.
CHINA UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LAW
Professor WANG Canfa
Academic residency at Vermont Law School in June 2009. Professor Wang teaches at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing and is director of Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV). Professor Wang has finished more than 30 compilations on environmental law, is a PhD advisor at the China University of Political Science and Law, and a superintendent for the Institute for Environmental and Resource Law of China University of Political Science Law. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences as well as vice-president of the Professional Committee on Environment and Resource Law of the Chinese Legal Society. Professor Wang lectures part-time at Hebei University of Science and Technology and Fuzhou University and is an attorney at Beijing Fada Law Firm.
2008
CHINA UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LAW
Professor HOU Jiaru
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from September 2008 to August 2009. Professor Hou is a core volunteer for the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollutions Victims (CLAPV). He earned his LL.M and PhD in law from the Renmin University of China.
Professor XU Wei
Acadmic residency at Vermont Law School from September 2008 to August 2009. Professor Xu earned a Master of Law from Sun Yat-Sen University majoring in Environmental Protection Law. She is a lawyer at Guangdong Hengyi Law Firm.
WUHAN UNIVERSITY
Professor WANG Qingjun
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from August 2008 to August 2009. Professor Wang earned his PhD in Environmental Law from Wuhan University.
SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY
Professor LIANG Danni
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from February to July 2008. Professor Danni Liang earned an LL.M degree from Sun Yat-Sen University and a PhD in International Law from Wuhan University.
Professor LI Zhiping
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from July to October 2008. Professor Li is vice dean and faculty advisor for PhD students at Sun Yat-Sen University Law School. She directs SYSU's Environmental Law Clinic and the Environmental Resources and Energy Law Center. Professor Li's teaching and research areas include environmental law and clinical practice, natural resources law, contract law and economic law. She has published extensively on China's environmental law and governance issues and is often called upon by Chinese government agencies to provide consultation and advice on environmental legislation and policy development. Professor Li sits on the Standing Committee of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Association of China Law Society and is a vice president of the Environmental Law Branch of China Society of Environmental Sciences. She has played an instrumental role in the establishment and development of the collaborative partnership between SYSU and Vermont Law School and has been a key implementing partner of Vermont Law School's U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law since 2006.
WUHAN UNIVERSITY
Professor LI Jing-Yun
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from May to August 2008. Professor Li earned her Masters in Environmental Engineering from Nanchang University and PhD in Environmental Law from Wuhan University. She worked for the Jiangxi Provincial Congress in drafting local environmental regulatory instruments on water conservation and hazardous waste management. Professor Li is now a Professor of Environmental Law at Jiangxi Normal University.
2007
SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY
Professor GU Dejin
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from August 2007 to January 2008. Professor Gu is an assistant professor of law at Sun Yat-sen University and specializes in environmental law. He earned his Doctor of Laws in International Environmental Law, his Master of Laws in Environmental Law and a Bachelor of Laws in Sociology from Wuhan University.
Professor JIAO Bo
Academic residency at Vermont Law School from September 2007 to February 2008. Jiao Bo is a professor of law at Sun Yat-Sen University and specializes in Western philosophy of law. She earned her Doctor of Laws in jurisprudence from Renmin University of China, a Master of Laws in law theory from Jilin University and a Bachelor of Laws in economic law from China University of Political Science and Law.
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Professor QIU Xin
Academic Residency at Vermont Law School from December 2007 to December 2008. Professor Qiu's PhD thesis focused on the development of energy law in China. Qiu published an article, "China's Environmental Super Ministry Reform: Background, Challenges, and Future" (co-authored with Li Honglin) in the Environmental Law Reporter.
Summer Students
During the summer months, VLS operates the summer environmental law program. The program offers 30-35 compressed environmental law courses every summer and allows the Chinese exchange students and visiting scholars to take advantage of a wide range of environmental law offerings in a limited period of time.
VLS students have the opportunity to participate in collaborative research projects and travel to China to meet their partners and complete research. There is also a Summer Session comparative law course on China's environmental law that includes an optional study tour to China.
Our 2011 collaborative research project participants with their CRP advisor, Professor Yu.
From left to right: Yuanbo Ye, Min Yang, Professor Yu Wenxuan, and Lin Guan.
Renmin Exchange Application Materials
Vermont Law School has recently signed a student exchange agreement with Renmin University of China School of Law. This is the first student exchange agreement between Vermont Law School and a Chinese academic institution, and it will allow our students the rare opportunity to be exposed to the Chinese legal system and Chinese legal education. Renmin's location in China's capital city, Beijing, will also give students access to the rich history and culture of China that can help add perspective to their legal studies.
Renmin Exchange Information Sheet
Renmin Exchange Application
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