Course Descriptions
John Doe
Administrative Law: Administrative Law examines the nature and scope of the powers vested in administrative agencies and the constitutional restraints on the exercise of those powers. Focus is on delegation of powers to administrative agencies by the legislative and executive branches of government and the processes that govern administrative investigations, rule-making, and adjudication, as well as judicial review of administrative actions.
Admiralty: Our Admiralty course covers the international regulation of maritime navigation and shipping. It examines issues ranging from vessel registration and regulation by flag state to control by port state, as well as adjudication and enforcement of judgments in admiralty actions for claims arising out of incidents such as crimes and wrongful conduct committed at sea, collision at sea, salvage, and marine pollution.
Agency and Partnership: This course discusses both the case law and statutes, as well as the general principles applicable to agency and partnership relationships. It examines the different kinds of agency relationships, zeroing in on fundamental concepts of agency law, such as the fiduciary duty of agents, indemnification, and vicarious liability. Students also benefit from an in-depth look at issues relating to partnership law.
Antitrust and Competition Law: Antitrust presents the area of law concerned with the maintenance of fair business practices and competition in the marketplace. The course exposes students to the law and economics of monopolies and cartels and how they impact the cost and quality of goods and services for consumers. It engages students in evaluating and understanding the statutes, case law, regulations and policies aimed at maintaining competitive market structures and preventing the unfair acquisition or use of monopoly power and other anti-competitive business practices.
Civil Procedure: Together, Civil Procedure I and II introduce students to the procedure that governs the adjudication of civil lawsuits, from the filing of a complaint and an answer, to pretrial procedures, trial, entry of judgment, and processes for perfecting applications for appellate review. In addition to examining the relevant procedural rules, we also introduce students to the relationship between procedure and substantive law, as well as the broad constitutional framework in which procedure operates.
Civil Society, Media, and Democracy: This course examines the role of mass media and civil society organizations in fostering democratic and accountable self-governance, particularly in developing countries. Students study laws governing media operations and civil society organizations. Drawing on practical experiences of media and civil society institutions, students also learn how to use the law to promote media independence, protect journalists in the practice of their profession, and strengthen civil society’s watchdog and activism roles.
Conflict of Laws: In this course, students learn how courts determine the set of substantive laws that apply in cases having connections to more than one jurisdiction. Students are exposed to the critical analyses that courts employ, involving factors such as the locus of conduct or injury, and the residence of party-litigants, to determine whether to exercise jurisdiction over the case and which jurisdiction’s substantive law should apply to resolve the case.
Constitutional Law: Constitutional Law puts students at the intersection of law, politics, and history, as they examine the relationship between the individual and the state and the basic social contract principles that govern that relationship. In Constitution Law I, we explore themes of judicial review, theories of constitutional interpretation, as well as the structure of the state, and the working of the branches of government. In Constitutional Law II, we focus on individual rights, including the rights to due process and equal protection, and examine the standards for determining when government actions constitute permissible or impermissible intrusions on these rights.
Contracts: In Contracts, we introduce students to an area of the law at the heart of our economic system—the formation and enforcement of legally binding agreements between two or more parties. In Contracts I, the focus is on contract formation, where we look at the requirements—and how to satisfy them—for creating legally enforceable agreements. Contracts II examines contract breach—the circumstances under which one side to a contract may seek court-ordered relief against the other side for non-performance of contractual duties. Contacts II also examines the kinds of relief or damages–monetary and non-monetary–that may arise from contract breach and potential defenses.
Corporations: This course covers the legal issues related to the formation and management of closely held and public corporate entities, including the rights and duties of shareholders, directors, and management. It also introduces students to issues surrounding corporate control and takeovers.
Criminal Law: This course surveys the fundamentals of criminal law, including the elements of and defenses to specific crimes, particularly the various types of homicide. More broadly, the course examines the purposes of criminal punishment and how the application of criminal law may implicate fundamental rights protected by the Constitution, including the right to due process and equal protection of the law.
Criminal Procedure: Our criminal procedure course focuses on the rules governing a criminal case, from investigation to trial and beyond. It covers topics that include the rights of criminal suspects and the role of the police in criminal investigation, with a constant focus on constitutional rights, including the rights to “due process of law” for criminal defendants throughout the criminal process.
Decedents’ Estates and Trusts: This course explores the basic law regarding disposition of property at death. Decedents’ Estates and Trusts I focuses on issues in estate planning, as well as the rules surrounding intestacy, execution, and construction of wills. Decedents’ Estates and Trusts II focuses on trusts and trust administration.
Environmental Law: The Environmental Law course offers students the opportunity to develop their skills and understanding of environmental law and policy and how they intersect with fields such as commercial law, corporate law, international law, energy law, and even criminal law. The course pays particular attention to the unique challenges of environmental law enforcement in developing societies and how to balance the goals of environmental law and related climate change, forest conservation, and biodiversity protection policies with the goal of poverty alleviation.
Evidence: Evidence I and II examine the rules and procedures that govern the introduction and use of proof, including testimonial and documentary evidence, at trial. They look at the policy rationales behind the various rules of evidence and how party litigants can use them to strengthen the narrative of their case for the court and jury, while exposing flaws in the other side’s narrative.
Family Law: This course explores the broad contours of family law, delving into basic issues of marriage, divorce, and child welfare, but also touching on cross-cutting criminal, constitutional, and privacy law issues.
Fundamentals of Lawyering: Students get exposure to the actual practice of law as they step into the shoes of “real lawyers,” interviewing clients, reviewing case files to determine relevant factual and legal issues, and drafting various legal documents, including client advice letters, complaints, and answers, discovery requests, as well as legal memos and briefs.
Insurance Law: This course introduces students to fundamental principles of insurance law and regulation. It surveys the nature and function of insurance, insurance contract formation and meanings, and insurance regulation. It also looks at specific legal issues relating to different lines of insurance, such as property, life, health, and liability insurance.
Intellectual Property: This course provides an overview of the fundamentals of intellectual property law, acquainting students with concepts such as trade secrets, patents, copyrights, and trademarks. The course is purposely designed both for those interested in pursuing careers in intellectual property law, and those looking only for a basic knowledge of the subject.
International Business Transactions: This course is about the law and practices that undergird the international commercial system, including rules regarding the sale of goods and services across national borders, international payment systems, and methods for settling disputes arising from such transactions.
International Law: Our International Law course offers students an introductory overview of rules, practices, and norms that regulate relations between nation-states and other subjects of international law, such as international organizations. Students learn fundamental concepts, including the nature and sources of international law, and the relationship between international law and national domestic law. Students also study the obligations international law imposes on state actors and explore cross-cutting themes involving the law of war and the use of force, respect for fundamental human rights, and other peremptory norms of international law. Additionally, students are introduced to the role and effectiveness of international organizations in tackling global challenges and shaping the international order.
Labor Law: This course discusses the body of statutory law, regulations, and judicial rulings defining the relationship between the employee and employer and their respective rights and duties. It focuses on the collective organization of workers represented by their labor unions and their relationships with employers. It also examines the procedure and substantive laws regarding resolving labor and employment disputes.
Legal Philosophy: Here, students will examine fundamental issues involving the very nature and content of the law and its relationship to morality, theories of legal interpretation, the concept of unjust law and the obligation to obey the law, as well as philosophical issues and problems associated with punishment, and the roles and rights of the individual vis-a-vis the sovereign in a free society.
Legal Research & Writing: Legal Research and Writing I & II provide students with vital legal research skills and train them to be effective communicators, enhancing their legal writing and oral advocacy skills.
Legislation: This course teaches students about the lawmaking process and examines various tools of statutory interpretation, as well as the interplay between statutory text, purpose, and history in determining legislative intent.
Negotiable Instruments: Students are given the opportunity to analyze and apply rules governing the creation, and use of negotiable instruments, including checks, money orders, and promissory notes. Emphasis is placed on explaining the processes by which negotiable instruments created by one party can be acquired by subsequent parties and the respective rights and liabilities of all such parties. Rules, practices, and procedures for preventing theft and fraud in connection with the creation and use of negotiable instruments are also a central feature of the course.
Political Parties and Elections: This course examines the role of political parties in functional constitutional democracies, and explores the links between democratic stability and strong, democratically governed political parties.
Property: Property Law provides students with a look at the principles and concepts that govern personal and real property rights. Property I deals with acquiring, owning, and transferring real and personal property. Property II also examines ownership and conveyance of property rights and the nature and character of the rights conveyed, including estates, future interests, concurrent interests, and landlord-tenant relationships. Property II further focuses on limitations on property rights, including zoning, covenants, and claims for nuisance stemming from property use.
Secured Transactions: This course surveys the law of secured transactions, exposing students to issues arising out of a creditor's retention of a security interest in personal property to secure payment or performance of an obligation, protecting the creditor's position against the debtor and subsequent creditors.
Supreme Court Practice: The course prepares students for practicing before courts of last resort. It blends lectures with practical hands-on exercises for students, including perfecting requests for appellate review, as well as preparation of appellate briefs, and mock oral appellate arguments.
Taxation: This course explains the complex issues related to corporate and partnership taxation as well as individual income taxation. Because of the important role the United States plays in the global economic system, the course also introduces students to basic principles of U.S. federal tax laws and how they operate in tandem with U.S. state tax laws.
Torts: The course examines the system for compensating individuals or entities for injury to their person, reputation, property, or economic interests resulting from the wrongful conduct of other individuals or entities. It exposes students to the various theories of tort claims and defenses while providing useful insight into the history of the tort system, its role in reducing the costs of accidents and deterring injury-causing conduct. In Torts I, the focus is on claims arising out of negligent or intentional conduct, while Torts II explores claims founded on strict liability and product liability theories. We also look at the compensation or damages—monetary and non-monetary—available to tort plaintiffs. Throughout the course, students are acquainted with the social and economic factors courts take into account in deciding issues regarding tort liability and compensation.
Traditional Legal Systems of Africa: Our Traditional Legal Systems course provides a summary of traditional justice systems, particularly in the African context, and how they coexist with the formal justice system. The course helps students think through issues related to improved access to justice for Indigenous peoples both within their customary legal systems and the formal justice system, and how to use established legal processes to protect Indigenous populations and their natural resources.