APARNA POLAVARAPU
University of South Carolina School of Law
701 S. Main St | Columbia, SC 29208
[email protected] | 803.777.8925
CURRENT POSITION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF LAW, Columbia, SC
Fall 2012 – present
Assistant Professor
Courses: Rule of Law Seminar, Transnational Law, Comparative Law, International Human Rights Skills
EDUCATION
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER, LL.M. in Advocacy (with distinction) 2014
THE FLETCHER SCHOOL OF LAW AND DIPLOMACY AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY, M.A.L.D. 2010
Concentrations: Law and Development, Development Economics, Human Security
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER, J.D. 2006
Certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, B.S. 2001
Major in Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Concentration: Systems Neuroscience); Minor in Biology
SCHOLARSHIP
Expanding Standing to Protect Democracy, 41 YALE J. INT’L L. __ (forthcoming).
Reconciling Indigenous and Women’s Rights to Land in Sub-Saharan Africa, 42 GA. J. INT’L & COMP. L. 93
(2013).
Procuring Meaningful Land Rights for the Women of Rwanda, 14 YALE HUM. RTS. & DEV. L.J. 105 (2011).
Child Marriage and Guardianship in Tanzania: Robbing Girls of their Childhood and Infantilizing Women, 7
GEO. J. GENDER & L 357 (2006) (with Tamar Ezer, Kate Kerr, Tina Tolentino, and Kara Major).
OTHER PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
Contributing Supervisor and Editor, THE STAKES ARE HIGH: THE TRAGIC IMPACT OF UNSAFE ABORTION AND
INADEQUATE ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTION IN UGANDA (2013) (a collaboration among the Center for Reproductive
Rights, the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic at Georgetown Law, and the O’Neill Institute at
Georgetown Law).
Contributing Blogger, IntLawGrrls (www.ilg2.org) (2013-present).
Featured Interviewee, Reflections on Gender-Based Field Research, XXV PRAXIS 83 (2010).
1
Polavarapu CV
SELECT PRESENTATIONS
Academic:
Law and Society Annual Meeting, University of Seattle Law School (May 28-31, 2015) (upcoming)
Presenter, Finding the Global in Global Scholarship
Symposium on Africa and the Information Society, University of South Carolina (April 7-8, 2015) (upcoming)
Presenter, Women and Technology in Africa
Law and Development Conference, Tulane University Law School (April 17, 2015) (upcoming)
Presenter, An Interdisciplinary Approach to Rule of Law Studies as a Model for Law & Development Studies
American Society of International Law Annual Meeting (April 11, 2015) (upcoming)
Panelist, Teaching the Skilled International Lawyer
Symposium on Corporate Social Responsibility in Emerging Markets, University of South Carolina (February 6,
2015)
Moderator, Transnational Private Regulatory Responses to the Agency Cost Problem
New Scholars Panel, Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference (August 4, 2014)
Presenter, Breathing Life into New Constitutions.
Symposium on Institutional Capacity, Corruption, and Development, University of South Carolina (April 11,
2014).
Moderator, Domestic and International Legal Initiatives to Combat Corruption.
American Society of Comparative Law New Perspectives in Comparative Law Conference, Indiana University
Robert H. McKinney School of Law (April 18-19, 2013).
Presenter, Breathing Life into New Constitutions: Third-Party Public Interest Standing as a Tool to Advocate
for Constitutional Rights in Kenya and Uganda.
Moderator, Transnational Crime Law Panel.
Conference on International Law in a Time of Scarcity, University of Georgia Law School (February 5, 2013).
Invited Panelist, Addressing the Problem of Scarcity in the Future.
World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, The World Bank Group (April 25, 2012).
Invited Discussant/Panelist, Assessing the Impact of Improved Land Tenure Arrangements.
Access to Justice Panel, Human Rights Action, Georgetown University Law Center (April 5, 2012).
Invited Panelist, Access to Justice for Women in Africa.
The Human Rights Project’s Diversity and Discrimination Panel, The Fletcher School at Tufts University
(December 10, 2009).
Invited Panelist, International Human Rights Law and Discrimination Against Women.
Rule of Law Trainings (invited):
USAID, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform Course (February 2, 2015).
Presenter, Comparative Systems and Legal Pluralism: Customary Law.
U.S. Department of State Justice Sector Training, Research, and Coordination Program (December 8, 2014).
Presenter, Comparative Law – Mixed Legal Systems.
2
Polavarapu CV
Rule of Law Collaborative Inter-Agency Short Courses, Presenter:
Vulnerable Populations and Transitional Justice, Institute of International Education (July 18, 2013).
Customary Law and Women, Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building (May 17, 2013).
Customary Law and Women, U.S. Department of Defense/The Pentagon (February 1, 2013).
Customary Law and Women, U.S. Department of Justice (September 14, 2012).
Gender and the Rule of Law, University of South Carolina (May 11, 2012).
SELECT GRANTS AND HONORS
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
U.S. Department of State Justice Sector Reform Research Grant (2015).
United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Public Education for Peacebuilding Grant (2013).
Georgetown Law Center Women in Law and Public Policy Fellowship (2010-2011).
Graduate Consortium of Women’s Studies at MIT Mother Board Writing Prize (2010).
Fletcher Board of Overseers Scholar (2008-2010).
Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation Fellowship (2009) (research grant).
Institute for Global Leadership, EMPOWER Program Fellowship (2009) (research grant).
The Asia Foundation Diplomatic Study Tour Fellowship (2009).
Stakeholder 100 Award (2007).
The Partnership, Inc. Fellowship (2007).
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Member, ASCL Younger Comparativists Committee Scholarship Working Group (2014-present).
Member, World Justice Project Rule of Law Research Consortium (2014-present).
Red Thread Foundation for Women, Inc.:
Board Member and Co-Founder (2011-present).
President (2011-2013).
Member, Fletcher Women’s Network Steering Committee (2013-present).
International Institute of Justice and Development, Inc.:
Advisory Council Member (2010-present).
Board Member (2007-2010).
SELECT EXPERIENCE
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER, Washington, DC
Fall 2010 – Spring 2012
Teaching Fellow and Supervising Attorney – International Women’s Human Rights Clinic
TUFTS UNIVERSITY, Medford, MA
Coordinating Instructor and Lecturer – International Law
Spring 2010
SEVOTA (Rwanda-based NGO), Kigali, Rwanda
Independent Legal Consultant
Summer 2009
EDWARDS ANGELL PALMER & DODGE LLP, Boston, MA
(CURRENTLY LOCKE LORDE & EDWARDS LLP)
Corporate Associate
2005 – 2008
3
Polavarapu CV
LANGUAGES
English (native); Written and Spoken French (advanced); Spoken Telugu (proficient).
BAR MEMBERSHIPS
Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (inactive status).
Bar of the District of Columbia (inactive status).
SERVICE
Law School
Organizer, Barnes Symposium (2015-present).
Advisor, South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business (Fall 2014-present).
Advisor, International Law Society (Fall 2013-present).
Treasurer, Order of the Coif (2015).
Alumni Engagement Self-Study Committee (AY 2014-2015).
Faculty Selection Committee (AY 2014-2015).
LLM Advisory Committee (2013).
Curriculum Committee (AY 2012-2013; Fall 2013).
University
Faculty Senate (Fall 2013-present).
Year of India Advisory Committee (AY 2012-2013).
4