Producing Legality: Law and Socialism in Cuba by Marjorie Zatz

Author:Marjorie Zatz [Zatz, Marjorie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781136651823
Google: dRsiAwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 21553507
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2014-03-18T00:00:00+00:00

PLAN OF STUDIES (MODELO DEL PROFESIONAL: PLAN DE ESTUDIOS C)

The programs of study agreed upon by the consejos de asignatura must be consistent with the broader goals and strategies laid out in Plans of Professional Study. Each college within the university develops its plan simultaneously, as called for by the Ministry of Higher Education. Work on Plan A was begun in 1975 and it went into effect in 1976. Preparation for Plan B began in 1980. It became effective with the 1982–83 entering class. In 1988, the first students graduated under Plan B, Plan B was modified, and work began on Plan C. Plan C became effective in the 1990–91 academic year.16

While Plans A and B were intended to last for about five years each, the universities and the Ministry of Higher Education expect that Plan C will be in effect for about 15 years, and it has built-in mechanisms for internal flexibility (Fernández Bulté, May 22, 1989). Plan C for the country’s four law schools was initially drafted by the Dean of the Law College at the University of Havana, Julio Fernández Bulté, and clearly bears his imprint. Throughout 1989, the law schools worked feverishly to complete Plan C. Everyone involved with the training of law students offered suggestions and reviewed the multiple drafts, including the four law school faculties and deans, students, the Ministries of Justice and Interior, the Office of the Attorney General, the Cuban Communist Party, the Office of State Arbitration, and state enterprises employing jurists (Fernández Bulté, March 31, 1989). The Ministry of Higher Education is entitled to comment on new plans, but this appears to be a courtesy only, with major input coming from the faculty and those ministries and organizations most directly relevant to the profession.

Plan C was the major item on the agenda during the May 1989 and January 1990 Deans’ Councils (Fernández Bulté, November 28, 1989). Minister of Justice Juan Escalona Reguera and Attorney General Ramón de la Cruz Ochoa personally attended the two meetings to discuss Plan C, as did representatives of other state, governmental, and party agencies.17

Premises and Objectives of Plan C

Plan C was founded on three major premises. The first was that students should receive greater practical training, increasing their responsibilities and authority each year. Under Plan B, students engaged in practical work for five weeks each year. With Plan C, this was expanded to nine weeks. The linkage between practical and classroom studies was strengthened by closer relations with the unidades docentes and comprehensive evaluations of students’ work. Alternative methods of evaluation reduce reliance on final examinations, another desired outcome (Fernández Bulté, May 22, 1989).

The second premise of Plan C was clarification of the qualifications of law school graduates. As defined by Plan C, legal training does not prepare graduates to be judges or prosecutors. The 1990 Law of the Courts mandates eight years of postgraduate experience prior to serving as a Supreme Court judge, five years for provincial court, and three years for municipal court. These requirements are intended to ensure that judges are matured by their professional experience.

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