Rachel Moran, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, has been invited to Kazakhstan this spring to serve as a Fulbright Specialist for Kunaev University in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. While there, she will design and teach a class focused on experiential learning and criminal law.
“I was excited when I learned I had been selected for the program because I have never traveled to Central Asia or had a chance to teach in an international setting," Moran said. "My first Fulbright award was a research-based award, so I didn’t end up teaching any classes."
In 2024, Moran spent four months as a Fulbright Scholar in Santiago, Chile researching protests and policing at the Universidad de los Andes.
“In Kazakhstan, I will introduce students to trial skills in the context of a hypothetical criminal case and then help students develop those skills by putting on a mock trial,” she said. “This is a fairly standard experience for U.S. law students but innovative for Kazakhstan, which still relies primarily on lecture-style learning in which students take notes and memorize concepts but rarely have the opportunity to develop skills in practice settings.”
Moran said she will also be learning alongside her students.
"I have a lot of experience helping students develop practical skills, but I’ve never put that into practice in a different country with different modes of teaching and cultural expectations,” she said. “This will be a chance for me to develop new skills while also exploring a beautiful and very different part of the world. I’m also looking forward to building connections with faculty at Kunaev.”
Moran is one of more than 400 U.S. citizens who will share their knowledge, skills, expertise and innovative ideas through two- to six-week projects designed and requested by foreign institutions through the Fulbright Specialist Program this year.
Recipients of Fulbright Specialist awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad. The program, which is offered through the U.S. Department of State, is a companion to the Fulbright Scholar Program.
