Will Johnson, a concurrent degree student in the University of Oregon School of Law and Department of International Studies, will travel to Pakistan in mid-April as a research and lecture fellow with the American Institute of Pakistan Studies.
Johnson will spend time at the Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and meet with various scholars, lawyers and government officials. His trip is part of a broader effort at bilateral scholarly exchange, and while in the country he will spend time with students and faculty from several law schools and related university departments.
He also is affiliated with the Area Studies Center for Africa, North and South America at Quaid-i-Azam, where he plans to give several public lectures about transitional justice and human rights in Central America.
“As anyone who reads the newspaper knows, South Asia in general and Pakistan in particular play an important and increasingly complex role in some of the most pressing geopolitical issues of today,” Johnson said. “It has been a complicated trip to plan, but for many reasons I think it is extremely important that young people in both countries have a chance to meet, work together, and learn from each other.
"While it is hard for me to know what to expect, I look forward to being a part of that exchange.”
Johnson is currently finishing his second year at the UO School of Law and is pursuing a concurrent master’s degree in international studies.
The four-year concurrent degree programs allow students to pursue a traditional legal education while supplementing it with a master’s degree in areas such as business, environmental science, conflict and dispute resolution, international studies and more.
Johnson said his concurrent studies experience has allowed him to increase his interdisciplinary competence while allowing him the flexibility to pursue non-traditional legal experiences.
“From previous international research experience to my current legal internship with the Center for Justice and Accountability, the dual degree program has allowed me to simultaneously pursue two seemingly different passions," he said. "For law students interested in non-traditional careers, I strongly recommend the dual degree program option."
Johnson plans to write his master's thesis this summer before returning for his final year of law school in the fall.
- from the UO School of Law