Second-Third-Year

Animal Law Litigation, Legislation, & Policy

The animal law litigation, legislation, and policy course will illustrate how animal laws are drafted and become law, and ultimately litigated. The class will include a discussion of alternative dispute resolution, negotiated settlements, and oral and written advocacy, including appeals. “Real world” lawyering skills will be taught through writing assignments, advocacy role-playing, and mock oral arguments. Legal and political considerations will be included, as well as drafting of animal law legislation, ordinances, and legal documents.

Race, Law, and Policy

This course will examine how stereotypes, prejudice, and various forms of bias shape outcomes for marginalized groups and the role of law in protecting individuals from bias. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating perspectives from social psychology, political science, sociology, business, and law. The course covers multiple legal settings (e.g. employment, housing, criminal justice, education, health) and group memberships (e.g.

Law & Religion Seminar

This seminar will explore topics in religion and the law, with a focus on the U.S. Constitution’s Religion Clauses. Each class will be structured around short discussion papers that students will prepare in advance and present to the rest of the class. Beyond these short papers, students will also write a longer research paper.

Crime & Police Policy Seminar

The purpose of this course is to learn the basics of policy analysis, including regression analysis (focusing on causal inference), basic microeconomics, and cost benefit analysis, as they apply to current issues in crime policy. Policing in particular will receive special attention.  A final paper (reporting either a literature review or original empirical research) will be required.

The Fully Functioning Lawyer, Principles and Practices

(S/U only)

This course seeks to complement and enhance the rest of the law school curriculum by promoting students’ abilities to learn, test, support self and others, and perform to maximum capacity during law school, on the bar exam, and then as a professional. To achieve these purposes, the course provides scientifically validated principles and practices to eliminate stress and maximize mental clarity, energy, overall health, and emotional balance.  

Sexuality, Gender & Reproduction

This seminar examines the legal regulation of sexuality, gender, and, to some extent, reproduction. The questions and issues explored during the first six weeks of this seminar are more overarching and theoretical in scope. They include: 1. What is identity? How do we define it? Which aspects of identity does the law protect and why?; 2. Bisexuality; 3. Transgender Identity; 4. Disgust and the Law; 5. Polygamy and other Plural Relationships; 6. Law, Identity, and the Protection of “Choice.”  

Global Justice Seminar

This interdisciplinary seminar will focus on global justice: What do we owe the global poor? What are the causes of poverty and oppression? What are the most desirable rules for controlling borders? What makes states legitimate in international law? When is war justified? What are the optimal rules for international trade?