Roman Holiday

 New York, November 6, 2014—Columbia Law School Professor Katherine Franke spent the month of October in Italy lecturing at the law school of Sapienza Universitá di Roma, the top-ranked university in Italy and the largest in Europe.

 

Franke, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law and director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law, addressed a legal history class led by Professor Laura Moscati, the first female member of the La Sapienza law faculty. Franke lectured on historical topics that resonate to the present day, including the legal ramifications of marriage for ex-slaves in 19th century America, and shared her perspectives on the development of legal doctrines over time.
 

Franke, right, with Professor Laura Moscati of La Sapienza

Franke is the latest of several Columbia Law School faculty who have brought their work to La Sapienza, including Professors Peter L. Strauss and Ronald J. Gilson, and former Dean and Professor Emerita Barbara Aronstein Black. Several La Sapienza faculty have lectured at Columbia Law School, including comparative law scholar Diego Corapi and civil law scholar Enrico del Prato. This spring, the Law School will welcome Professor Guido Alpa, who teaches at La Sapienza and serves as president of the Consiglio Nazionale Forense, the Italian national bar association.
 

Columbia Law School enjoys a rich scholarly relationship with La Sapienza, including a semester exchange program that brings Italian students to New York and that places Columbia law students in Italy. Jane C. Ginsburg, Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law, has been instrumental in advancing collaborations between the two schools.