This course is designed to help students improve their ability to analyze and write about complicated legal issues. You should expect to do a lot of writing in this course. You will learn how to read and understand court opinions and how to find your way around a law library. Writing assignments include your own resume and a job application letter, case briefs, memoranda, OP-ED essays, and a research paper. These assignments are written from the perspective of a lay person writing to another lay person.

This course provides an exploration of the environmental justice (EJ) movement. Central to our study is an examination of environmental degradation, inequality in exposure to pollution in relationship to racism and poverty, and globalization's effect on international environmental injustices. We critically analyze the role of grassroots activism, the law, and alternative dispute resolution methods used to redress environmental injustices. Coursework relies on relevant interdisciplinary scholarship, case studies, and engaged in-class simulations.

This course is part of the Political Science and Legal Studies Undergraduate Research Engagement Program (UREP). When possible, student interests are paired with faculty in need of research assistance. Please visit the Political Science department website for information.

This course is part of the Political Science and Legal Studies Undergraduate Research Engagement Program (UREP). When possible, student interests are paired with faculty in need of research assistance. Please visit the Political Science department website for information.

This course is part of the Political Science and Legal Studies Undergraduate Research Engagement Program (UREP). When possible, student interests are paired with faculty in need of research assistance. Please visit the Political Science department website for information.

This course involves in-depth study of the topic of human trafficking, often referred to as "modern day slavery." The course will explore the definition of the crime of human trafficking in the United States and internationally, and study the debates surrounding anti-trafficking laws and policies. We will examine the similarities and differences between slavery and human trafficking in the popular imagination and the law.

This course examines the persistence of inequality based on race, class, gender and/or citizenship as it relates to law, both in the U.S. and internationally. We will examine the legal system from a critical perspective, incorporating material from law, history, sociology, and other disciplines.

The course will deal with issues that are unique to each of the respective trial courts. Case studies will address the manner in which disputes are resolved by trial or settlement. Some of the issues to be examined are sex offender registration requirements, termination of parental rights, sexually dangerous person proceedings and administrative agency appeals. The course will also focus on the equitable jurisdiction of the courts as well as an introduction into real property rights including the right, or lack thereof, to access beachfront property.

This course addresses the historical and contemporary intersection between criminal and im/migration law, often referred to as "crimmigration." We will discuss the use of the criminal justice system, including policing and mass incarceration, as part of the immigration enforcement apparatus.

This course examines the relationship between law and colonialism both in historical and contemporary perspectives. First, we will learn about how law has been used to justify and facilitate the projects of colonialism, imperialism, and empire. Second, we will look at examples from around the world to understand how law operated in colonial settings as a tool of domination, especially as colonizers often imposed their system of laws on peoples with pre-existing legal traditions.