Course coverage emphasizes the creation of families by formal marriage and unmarried cohabitation, the legal aspects of ongoing relationships, and the dissolution of those relationships. Considerable emphasis is placed on the economic aspects of divorce (property division, spousal support, and child support), the enforcement of divorce decrees and agreements, and jurisdictional questions. New Mexico law is compared and contrasted to general legal principles.
The basic course is two credits and will meet for 10 weeks. Students will take a 2 hour exam on the material. Students may opt to work on a paper on a community property topic for the course, and may enroll for 3 credits. During the last five weeks of the course, students will work with the professor on the paper and turn it in at the end of the semester. If the paper meets the writing requirement standards, it will be certified as meeting the writing requirement.