Karolina Wisniewski – the first student in the combined Juris Doctor (JD)/ Master of Arts (MA) in Philosophy program at Osgoode Hall Law School and the Department of Philosophy at York University – is the winner of the 2013 Essay 
Competition organized by the Centre for Law and Society in a Global Context (CLSGC) at Queen Mary University of London.
Karolina Wisniewski
Wisniewski presented her essay on the theme of "Authority in a Transnational Age" on Nov. 7 at the inaugural meeting of the Network on Transnational Legal and Political Theory, hosted by the CLSGC at Queen Mary. The official prize was awarded at a reception the following evening.
Osgoode Professor François Tanguay-Renaud and York Department of Philosophy Professor Michael Giudice, who are the co-directors of the JD/MA combined program, also gave papers at the conference and were on hand to congratulate Wisniewski.
François Tanguay-Renaud
"This is a matter of great pride for us, as co-directors of the JD/MA combined program," said Tanguay-Renaud. "Karolina is our first student in the combined program and she has won a major international essay competition. This certainly bodes well for the future of the program which, we hope, will continue to attract top students to Osgoode and York's Department of Philosophy."
Tanguay-Renaud added that "this recent success adds to our growing reputation as an international powerhouse in research at the intersection of law and philosophy, which no doubt results from extensive collaborations between Osgoode and York Philosophy."
Michael Giudice
Wisniewski has had a string of successes at Osgoode and York. She was awarded a Graduate Fellowship from Osgoode's Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security in 2012-2013. She works as a research fellow for the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, which is housed at Osgoode. She is also an associate editor with the Osgoode Hall Law Journal, editor-in-chief of Osgoode's student newspaper, Obiter Dicta, and she serves as a student member of the York University Tribunal.
The first and only program of its kind in Canada, the Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Philosophy program provides students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and develop skills in the related disciplines of law and philosophy. After four years of study, students graduate with both a Juris Doctor from Osgoode and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the Department of Philosophy at York.