Torts

Torts introduces the law of civil liability, where private parties bring actions against other private parties for the breach of a particular duty. This is a far reaching range of human conduct that the law attempts to address. Punch in the nose. Car accidents. Environmental pollution. Defective products. Medical malpractice. School shootings. Cyberbullying. Tort law must unpack not only a multitude of potential harmful behaviors, but must sort through limitless varieties in fact patterns.

Through tort law, we never diminish loss, we only shift it. Determining how this shift occurs and when is decided daily by judges and policymakers. Course coverage will focus on the tort of negligence, where we will consider: general and specific duty categories; standard of care; causation, both proximate and legal; damages; and defenses. We will also explore intentional torts, such as assault, battery, false imprisonment, and infliction of emotional distress, harms to property interests, and lay the foundation for strict liability and products liability. In this course, you will receive an introduction to the legal method, the tort litigation process and the social, economic, and political policy considerations and implications underlying tort law.

Family Law

The aim of this course is to introduce students to a dynamic field of law that concerns a foundational social institution: the family. Topics include defining and regulating marriage (including the evolving landscape concerning marriage, parenting, and adoption by same-sex couples); formal and informal marriage; cohabitation and alternatives to marriage; common law incidents of marriage and transformation of the common law; traditional and “no fault” divorce; property division; spousal support; child support; child custody; regulating parenthood; advanced reproductive technologies; changing structures of family life; and issues of federal and state jurisdiction over and recognition of marriage. In the course, we consider some of the most interesting and challenging questions in our society from the perspective of law, policy, and morality, examining how family law is situated within the United States’ social, economic, cultural, and political constructions.

Students will also be introduced to the role of negotiation, mediation, and other forms of dispute resolution in the practice of family law. Our readings and discussions will encourage you to look beyond doctrine and consider what role the law should play in defining and regulating our most intimate relationships, and what policies the law should effectuate.

By the end of this semester, you should be able to address and answer complex issues and important questions such as:

• What is a "family"?
• How does and how should family law address the evolving structure of families?
• What is the appropriate balance between family autonomy and state regulation?
• How do race, gender, and class affect family law?

Lawyering in the Digital Age

Please see instructor for description.

Race and the Law

This course has been developed to explore the controversial and complex topic of race through a legal lens. We will consider the historical and contemporary relationship between law and society, analyzing law as an expression of cultural values, a reflection of social, economic, and political structure, and an ideological instrument of social control and social change. We will examine the legal construction of race as it relates to individual, institutional, and structural racism. Complimenting this general perspective will be an examination of selected legal institutions, such as the court system, the police, regulatory agencies, and the legal profession.