Curriculum
NOTE: Since curricular requirements are reviewed and
updated each academic year, you are required to complete the requirements
that were in force in the year in which you affiliated. The following
requirements apply to students who affiliate with the Center in the spring
of 2010. For students who affiliated in the spring of 2009, please
click
here to review your
requirements.
JAC CURRICULAR
REQUIREMENTS (Spring 2010 Affiliates)
To download a PDF of
the following requirements, please click
here.
The Justice Action Center curriculum is designed to
develop an interest in lawyering for justice, a sense of shared experience
among JAC faculty and students, an awareness of problems faced by lawyers
involved with social justice issues, and the ability to think critically
about them. The JAC curriculum has three components: two required courses,
a concentration in a particular area of social justice law, and a social
justice placement.
I. REQUIRED
COURSES
JAC’s required courses are
designed to develop an interest in lawyering for social justice, a sense
of shared experience among JAC faculty and students, an awareness of
problems faced by lawyers involved with social justice issues, and the
ability to think critically about them.
Justice Action
Center Gateway Course
All JAC students must satisfy
the JAC “gateway” course requirement. Day division students
satisfy the requirement by enrolling in the Colloquium. Evening division
students satisfy it by enrolling in the Colloquium or in Law, Public
Policy, and Social Change.
Justice Action Center Colloquium: Legal Practice for
Social Change (2 credits)
The JAC Colloquium is a required,
graded, two-credit seminar exclusively for JAC affiliates and taught by
JAC faculty. All day students must take the Colloquium in the fall
semester of their second year. Evening division students may take the
Colloquium in the fall semester of their third year unless they take Law,
Public Policy, and Social Change. In the Colloquium, students, JAC
faculty, and guests learn about how law can be used to effectuate social
change. We will consider different approaches to social change through
law, including class action litigation, individual client representation
in criminal and civil contexts, legislative advocacy, organizing, and
community economic development. We will consider critiques of these models
and alternative approaches. We will also study organizations involved in
social change through law.
Law, Public Policy, and Social Change (2 credits)
This course is open to all JAC students. Evening division students may
take this course to satisfy the JAC gateway course
requirement.
Justice Action Center
Capstone Experience
All JAC students must complete a
capstone experience. They can do this by enrolling in the JAC Capstone
Project or a project-based learning course approved by the Director.
Justice Action
Center Capstone Project (2 credits)
The JAC Capstone Project
is a required, graded, two-credit course exclusively for JAC affiliates.
JAC students will participate in written research projects with practical
application with practicing attorneys and JAC faculty. The Capstone is a
year-long project. Day students are required to complete and present their
project in their third year; evening students in their fourth year.
Projects can include, for example, an analysis of empirical data, a policy
paper, model legislation, regulatory comments, a practice manual, an amicus
brief, or a project developing out of a clinical course experience.
Project-Based Learning Courses
Project-based learning courses are small-group classes taught by New
York Law School faculty. Students in the courses work on a particular
project. A list of project-based learning courses that satisfy the
capstone requirement will be circulated each year to JAC students entering
their final year of coursework.
II.
CONCENTRATIONS
Each JAC student will
complete a concentration of four courses in a particular area of social
justice law. Each concentration contains a list of courses students can
select to satisfy the four-course requirement. Most of the concentrations
divide these courses into one or more courses the student must take to
satisfy the concentration (required courses) and other courses that
satisfy the four-course minimum but are not required (related courses).
Other concentrations simply list courses that would satisfy the
four-course requirement without dividing the list into required and
related courses. Required courses are introductory courses in the field.
Related courses generally cover advanced subjects in the field or other
relevant subjects or skills. Not every course listed in a concentration is
offered every year, so students should consult with faculty about course
selection. Students may also design their own concentration in
consultation with and with approval from the Director. Project-based
learning courses may also satisfy a concentration course requirement with
approval of the Director.
There are also several courses that are
relevant to any student interested in social justice law. We recommend
that you take one or more of these courses, although you may not
necessarily be required to take them or use them to satisfy part of your
concentration. The strongly recommended courses are Administrative Law,
Civil Rights Law, Remedies, and Statutory Interpretation.
Listed
below are the Center’s twelve pre-approved concentrations. These
concentrations can also be tailored to fit a student’s particular
interests or to reflect new or modified course offerings. Students must
take a total of four courses in a concentration—including the
required courses—to complete the concentration course requirements.
Not every course listed in a concentration is offered every year, so
students should consult with faculty about course selection. Please click
on a concentration for a complete list of course requirements:
Anti-Discrimination Law
Required
Courses
At least TWO of the following courses:
- Employment Discrimination Law
- Racial
Discrimination and American Law
- Sexuality and the Law
- Disabilities Law
Related Courses
- American Slavery and the Law
- The Americans with
Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
- Civil Rights
Law
- Education Law and Policy
- Externship Course
(with approved placement)
- Feminist Jurisprudence: Theory and
Application (infrequently offered)
- Gender and the Law in
American History
- Gender, Race, and Mental Disability
- Special Education Law and Practice
- Urban Law Clinic
Civil Liberties
Courses
- Civil Rights Law
- Constitutional History: Supremacy and Nullification 1776-1868
- Constitutional Law: Free Speech
- Constitutional Law:
Individual Rights, Advanced (infrequently offered)
- The
Constitution and Terrorism
- Criminal Law and Procedure: Death
Penalty
- Criminal Procedure: Investigation
- Education Law and Policy
- Externship Course (with approved
placement)
- Federal Regulation of Electronic Media
- First Amendment in the Digital Age (infrequently offered)
- International Human Rights Law
- International Human Rights
Seminar and Workshop
- Law and Technology of Electronic
Government and Electronic Democracy (infrequently offered)
- Law
of Democracy
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Religion and the Constitution
- Sexuality and the Law
Criminal Law
Required
Courses
- Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
- Criminal Procedure: Investigation
Related
Courses
- Advocacy of Criminal Cases
- Advocacy, Media, and the “Big Case”
- Criminal
Defense Clinic
- Criminal Justice Seminar & Workshop
- Criminal Law & Procedure: Criminals and Our Urge to Punish Them
(infrequently offered)
- Criminal Law & Procedure: The
Death Penalty
- Criminal Law & Procedure: Sentencing
- Criminal Law & Procedure: White Collar Crime
- Criminal
Prosecution Clinic
- Domestic Violence and the Law
- Forensic Ethics, the Role of Experts, and Forensic Evidence
- International Criminal Law
- Mental Health Issues in Jails
and Prisons
- Mental Disability and the Criminal Law
- Mental Disability Litigation Seminar & Workshop
- Professional Responsibility: Ethics in Criminal Practice
- Sex Crimes and Child Abuse
- Sex Offenders
- Sexuality and the Law
- Trial Advocacy
Economic Justice: Community
Economic Development
Required Courses
At least
TWO of the following courses:
- Affordable Housing of
Community Development
- Affordable Housing of Community
Development: Practice and Skills
- Charitable
Organizations
- Entrepreneurship for Social Change
Related Courses
- Business Basics
for Lawyers
- Business Planning for the Closely Held
Corporation
- Land Use Regulation
Economic Justice:
Advocacy
Required Courses
At least TWO of
the following courses:
- Poverty, Families, and Social
Welfare Policy (infrequently offered)
- Elder Law
- Education Law and Policy
- Entrepreneurship for Social
Change
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Special Education Law and Practice
Related
Courses
- Administrative Law
- Affordable Housing and Community Development
- American
Slavery and the Law
- Business Basics for Lawyers
- Business Planning for the Closely Held Enterprise
- Charitable Organizations
- Civil Rights Law
- Consumer Credit and Finance
- Consumer Finance and
Collection (infrequently offered)
- Elder Law Clinic
- Employee Benefits Law
- Externship Course (with approved
placement)
- Land Use Regulation
- Mediation
Clinic
- Real Estate: Landlord/Tenant Law
- Securities Arbitration Seminar and Clinic
- Urban Law
Clinic
Education Law
Required
Courses
- Education Law and Policy
- Special Education Law and Practice
Related
Courses
- Administrative Law
- The
Americans with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
- Children and the Law
- Civil Rights Law
- Constitutional Law: Free Speech
- Disabilities Law
- Externship Course (with approved placement)
- Juvenile
Delinquency
- Poverty, Families, and Social Welfare Policy
(infrequently offered)
- Racial Discrimination and American
Law
- Religion and the Constitution
- Sex Crimes and
Child Abuse
- Urban Law Clinic
Environmental Law
Required
Courses
The following course:
- Environmental Law and Policy
PLUS at least TWO of
the following courses:
- Environmental Problems in
Business Transactions
- Environmental Regulation
- Land Use Regulation
Related Courses
- Administrative Law
- Environmental Governance
Seminar
- Environmental Law and Management
- Externship
Course (with approved placement)
- Independent Study (with
approved topic)
- Real Estate Development
- State
and Local Government Law
Family Law
Required
Courses
The following course:
PLUS at least TWO of the following
courses:
- Anatomy of a New York State Divorce
Action
- Children and the Law
- Divorce: Lawyers,
Clients, and Families
- Domestic Violence Litigation Field
Placement
- Elder Law Clinic
- Family Practice
Seminar and Workshop
Related Courses
- Accounting for Lawyers: Basic Concepts
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Custody Evaluations,
Family and Juvenile Law, and Persons with Mental Disabilities
- Domestic Violence and the Law
- Drafting (with approved
topic)
- Education Law and Policy
- Elder Law
- Estate Planning
- Externship Course (with approved
placement)
- Family Formation
- Federal Income Tax:
Individual
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Marriage
- Mediation Clinic
- Memorandum and Brief Writing
- Negotiation, Counseling, and Interviewing
- Sex Crimes and
Child Abuse
- Special Education Law and Practice
- Wills, Trusts, and Future Interests
- Writing Skills for
Lawyers: Advanced
Immigration Law
Required
Courses
The following course:
PLUS at least ONE of the following
courses:
- Externship Course (with approved
placement)
- Immigration Practice Seminar and Workshop
- Refugee and Asylum Law
Related
Courses
- Administrative Law
- Constitutional Law: Individual Rights, Advanced
- Civil
Rights Law
- Education Law and Policy
- Employment
Law
- Employment Discrimination Law
- Independent
Study (with approved topic)
- International Human Rights
Law
- International Human Rights Seminar and Workshop
International Human Rights
Law
Required Courses
At least ONE of
these two courses:
- International Human Rights
Law
- International Human Rights Seminar and Workshop
PLUS the following course:
Related Courses
- Externship Course (with approved placement)
- Global Law and
Justice Colloquium
- Immigration Law
- Immigration
Practice Seminar and Workshop
- International and Foreign Legal
Research
- International Criminal Law
- International
Human Rights and Mental Disability Law
- International Law
- International Law, Advanced Topics (with prior approval)
- Law of War
- Transnational Law
- United Nations
and World Order
Labor and Employment Law
Required
Courses
- Employment Discrimination Law
- Employment Law
- Labor Relations Law
Related Courses
- Administrative
Law
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Collective
Bargaining & Labor Dispute Resolution
- Corporations
- Disabilities Law
- Employee Benefits Law
- Employment Law in the Financial Services Industry
- Employment Practice Seminar and Workshop
- Externship (with
approved placement)
- Government Workers, Unions, and the Law:
Seminar and Workshop (infrequently offered)
- Immigration
Law
- Immigration Practice Seminar and Workshop
- Labor Relations Law in the Public Sector (infrequently offered)
- Mediation Clinic
- Negotiating, Counseling, and
Interviewing
- Sexuality and the Law
- Sports
Law
- Urban Law Clinic
Mental Disability Law
Required Courses
At least ONE of
these two courses:
- Lawyering Skills in the
Representation of Persons with Mental Disabilities
- Survey of
Mental Disability Law
PLUS at least TWO of the following
courses:
- The Americans with Disabilities Act: Law,
Policy, and Practice
- Custody Evaluations, Family and
Juvenile Law, and Persons with Mental Disabilities
- Forensic
Ethics, the Role of Experts, and Forensic Evidence
- International Human Rights Law and Mental Disability Law
- Mental Disability and the Criminal Law
- Mental Health
Issues in Jails and Prisons
- Mental Illness, Dangerousness,
Risk Assessment, and the Police Power
- Race, Gender, Class,
and Mental Disability
- Sex Offenders
- Therapeutic Jurisprudence
- Trauma and Mental Disability
Law
Related Courses
- Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
- Disabilities
Law
- Elder Law Clinic
- Externship Course (with
approved placement)
- Modern Civil Litigation: Problems and
Tactics
- Special Education Law and Practice
Social Change Advocacy
Required Course
The following
course:
PLUS at
least ONE of the following substantive law courses:
- The Americans with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
- Constitutional Law: Free Speech
- Constitutional Law:
Individual Rights, Advanced (infrequently offered)
- Disabilities Law
- Education Law and Policy
- Employment Discrimination Law
- Environmental Law and
Policy
- Immigration Law
- Labor Relations
Law
- Law of Democracy
- Law, Public Policy, and Social
Change
- Mass Torts
- Mental Health Law (infrequently
offered)
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Religion and the Constitution
- Sexuality and the Law
- Special Education Law and Practice
PLUS at
least ONE of the following skills/experiential courses:
- Administrative Law
- Advanced Appellate Advocacy
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Domestic Violence
Litigation Field Placement
- Drafting: Legislation
- Drafting: Litigation Documents
- Elder Law Clinic
- Entrepreneurship for Social Change
- Federal Civil
Litigation: Discovery Process (infrequently offered)
- Judicial Externship
- Mediation Clinic
- Memorandum and Brief Writing
- Modern Civil Litigation:
Problems and Tactics
- Modern Supreme Court
- Negotiating, Counseling, and Interviewing
- Persuasion
- Pre-Trial Advocacy (infrequently
offered)
- Remedies
- Statistical Literacy
- Statutory Interpretation
- Trial Advocacy
- Urban Law Clinic
- Visual Persuasion and the Law
III. SOCIAL
JUSTICE PLACEMENTS
JAC
students are required to complete a social justice placement related to
their concentration. JAC students can complete the social justice
placement requirement through a job, an externship, a clinical course, or
a workshop course after the first year of law studies. During the semester
or summer in which a student is completing the social justice requirement,
the student must meet three times with a JAC faculty member to discuss the
placement and the student’s experience. In most instances, if a
student satisfies the placement requirement through a course, that course
will also count toward their concentration course requirements. Placements
must be pre-approved by the director or associate director.
Current Students: