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 begins from this premise: what the courts do -- or fail to do -- matters for public policy. Through this semester, we will evaluate this claim. Our focus will be on examining the complexity of the law and of the policy process, and the role of courts in the policy process. The course will start with a broad introduction to courts, their power, and limitations on their power, and will then proceed through a series of studies demonstrating the place and power of courts in the policy process.

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.

Not available at this time.

Not available at this time

Not available at this time

Not available at this time

Not available at this time

This course explores the historical origins of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in immigrant, religious, and indigenous communities in the U.S. and its development over the past 300 years. Why have advocates in the legal, commercial, labor, educational, and community sectors promoted its use? What has their impact been on the various forms of ADR? Whose interests are served by ADR? A critical analysis of mediation, arbitration, negotiation, and online dispute resolution in comparison to the judicial system include attention to how issues of power imbalances and identity impact ADR.