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Three students of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law will receive the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science at commencement ceremonies on May 11 in the Sagamore Ballroom at the Indiana Convention Center. Mohamed Arafa; John Bowers; and Ying Chen, LL.M. ’07, successfully defended their dissertations during the spring 2013 semester.

“This is the culmination of years of intensive research and writing for each of these candidates,” said Associate Dean for Graduate Studies James P. Nehf. “The end products were superb works that are already generating publications in law journals. We are very proud to count John, Ying, and Mohamed among our distinguished doctoral alumni.”

Arafa's dissertation was titled "Towards a New Anti-Corruption Law in Egypt: A Comparative Study Between the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Egyptian Anti-Bribery Law, and Islamic Sharie'a Law." He argued that Egyptian anti-bribery and corruption laws are largely ineffective for several reasons, but such illegal practices are also taboo in Sharie ‘ a law because they are considered both grave criminal offenses and great sins. “A successful Egyptian state cannot be secured unless the nation establishes a strong economy, non-corrupt governmental and social institutions, and effective educational systems. Only then will the promises of the ‘Arab Spring’ be fulfilled,” Arafa said.

Arafa is an assistant professor of criminal law and criminal justice at Alexandria University Faculty of Law in Egypt. He taught Islamic law as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney in the fall 2012 semester.

Bowers' dissertation was titled "Slaying the Federal Monster: The Voluntary Committee of Lawyers and Their Role in the Repeal of National Prohibition." He researched thousands of archival documents about the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment that ended the Prohibition era in 1933. An essential chapter in the saga was the contribution of the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers, Inc. (VCL). The VCL evolved from a think tank of corporate lawyers in 1927 into a powerful national force that formulated and implemented the legal strategy using state conventions to repeal Prohibition. He argued that the VCL personifies the lawyer as the often necessary and practical change-agent affecting, at times profoundly, the defining issues of the day.

Bowers is a partner at Theisen Bowers & Associates in Fort Wayne, practicing in labor and employment relations law. He received his J.D. from Mercer University School of Law in 1982, and his LL.M. with distinction in labor law at Georgetown University Law Center in 1989.

Chen's dissertation was titled "Rules for International Trade in Agricultural Products and the Evolving World Food Crisis." She analyzed how trade policies (developed through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) affect world food distribution and contribute to food shortages in underdeveloped countries. She also argued that if access to food was considered a universal human right, trade policies would likely lead to more optimal food distribution.

Chen received her LL.B., summa cum laude, from Yantai University School of Law in China. Her research interests include public international law, human rights law, Chinese law, international organization law, international trade law, World Trade Organization law, food law, law and development, and democracy and justice.

This brings the total number of doctoral degrees the law school has awarded to six. Abdulrahman Abdullah Alkanhal, S.J.D. ’12; Jongho Kim, S.J.D. ’10; and Giancarlo Panagia, S.J.D. ’10; also have received their degrees from IU McKinney.