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 will affiliate with the Center in the
spring of 2011. For students who affiliated in the spring of 2009 or 2010
(most current affiliates), please click
here to review your
requirements.
JAC CURRICULAR
REQUIREMENTS (Spring 2011 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. To complete the JAC affiliation
successfully, students are required to:
- Complete a JAC gateway course;
- Satisfy the concentration requirements in a
particular area of social justice law;
- Complete a social justice placement; and
- Fulfill the JAC capstone requirement in the
final year of enrollment.
These requirements are
described below.
I.
JUSTICE ACTION CENTER
GATEWAY COURSE
All JAC students must satisfy the JAC “gateway” course
requirement. The gateway course is designed to develop 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. Day division students satisfy the requirement by
enrolling in the Justice Action Center Colloquium in the fall of their
second year. Evening division students satisfy it by enrolling in the
Colloquium or in Law, Public Policy, and Social Change in any semester
before they graduate.
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 at any time before they graduate. Through
case studies including school segregation, Hurricane Katrina, the
school-to-prison pipeline, and the war on drugs, Colloquium students learn
about the potential of law 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, and community organizing. We will consider
critiques of these models and alternative approaches, and 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. This course will challenge students to consider the
various roles that lawyers play in movements for social change and the
political nature of litigation, judicial decisions, and social change.
Students will study past and present examples of lawyers working to
advance public policy, including the work conducted by lawyers to end
legal segregation of the public schools, organize the Montgomery bus
boycott, build the post–September 11, 2001 civil liberties movement,
and organize the growing movement to reform education and public safety
policies that contribute to the school to prison pipeline.
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
Related Courses
- Americans
with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
- Civil
Rights Clinic
- Civil Rights Law
- Education Law
and Policy (likely not offered in 2012–2013)
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
- Feminist Jurisprudence: Theory and Application (infrequently
offered)
- Gender in American Legal History
- Liberty and Equality
- Racial Justice Litigation
(project-based learning course)(will not be offered in
2011–2012)
- Special Education Law and Practice
- The 14th Amendment: Construing Text and Constructing
Doctrine
Civil Liberties
Courses
- Civil Rights
Law
- Constitution and Terrorism
- Constitutional
History: Supremacy and Nullification 1776–1868
- Constitutional Law: Free Speech
- Criminal Procedure:
Investigation
- Detention in the War Against Terrorism
(project-based learning course)
- Education Law and Policy
(likely not offered in 2012–2013)
- Externship Seminar
and Placement (with approved placement)
- Federal Courts and
the Federal System
- Federal Regulation of Electronic
Media
- The First Amendment
- International Human
Rights Law
- International Human Rights and Mental Disability
Law
- International Human Rights Seminar and Workshop
- Law and Technology of Electronic Government and Electronic
Democracy (infrequently offered)
- Law of Democracy
- Liberty and Equality
- Racial Discrimination and
American Law
- Racial Justice Litigation (project-based
learning course)(will not be offered in 2011–2012)
- Religion and the Constitution
- Reproductive Rights
Law
- Sexuality and the Law
- The 14th Amendment:
Construing Text and Constructing Doctrine
Criminal Law
Required
Courses
- Criminal Procedure:
Adjudication
- Criminal Procedure: Investigation
Related Courses
- Advocacy of
Criminal Cases
- Advocacy, Media, and the “Big
Case”
- Child Victims and the Law
- Criminal
Defense Clinic
- Criminal Justice Seminar and Workshop
- Criminal Law and Procedure: Death Penalty
- Criminal
Law and Procedure: Sentencing
- Criminal Law and Procedure:
White Collar Crime
- Criminal Prosecution Clinic
- Criminal Prosecution Field Placement
- Cybercrime,
Cyberterror, and Digital Law Enforcement
- Domestic Violence
and the Law
- European Criminal Law
- Federal
Criminal Law
- Forensic Reports, the Role of the Expert and
Forensic Ethics
- International Criminal Law
- The
Investigation, Prosecution, and Defense of Today’s Organized and
White Collar Crime Cases
- Mental Health Issues in Jails and
Prisons
- Mental Disability and Criminal Law
- Mental Illness, Dangerousness, the Police Power and Risk
Assessment
- Professional Responsibility: Criminal
Practice
- Sex Crimes and Child Abuse
- Sex
Offenders
- Sexuality and the Law
- Trial
Advocacy
Economic Justice:
Advocacy
Required Courses
At least TWO
of the following courses:
- Elder Law
- Education Law and Policy (likely not offered in
2012–2013)
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Special Education Law and Practice
Related Courses
- Administrative Law
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Civil Rights Law
- Consumer Credit and Financing
- Elder Law Clinic
- Employee Benefits Law
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
- Federal Courts and the Federal System
- Financial
Advocacy
- Real Estate: Landlord-Tenant Law
- Securities Arbitration Clinic and Seminar
- Workers
Compensation Law
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
Related Courses
- Business Basics for Lawyers
- Business
Planning for the Closely Held Corporation
- Land Use
Regulation
- Real Estate Development
Education Law
Required
Courses
- Education Law and Policy (likely
not offered in 2012–2013)
- Special Education Law and
Practice
Related Courses
- Administrative Law
- Americans with
Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
- Children and the
Law
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Civil Rights Law
- Constitutional Law: Free Speech
- Education Law and
Practice (project-based learning course)(likely not offered in
2012–2013)
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with
approved placement)
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Religion and
the Constitution
- Sex Crimes and Child Abuse
Environmental Law
Required Courses
Both of the
following courses:
- Administrative
Law
- Environmental Law and Policy
PLUS at
least ONE of the following courses:
- Climate
Change Issues in Real Estate and Business Transactions
- Environmental Issues in Business and Real Estate
Transactions
- Land Use Regulation
Related Courses
- Animal
Law
- Brownfields Redevelopment
- Conservation Law
and Policy (project-based learning course)
- Energy Laws and
Regulations
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved
placement)
- Independent Study: Paper (with approved
topic)
- New York City Land Use
- Preservation
Law
- Real Estate Development
- Remedies
- State and Local Government
- Law of Sustainable
Development
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
- Child
Victims and the Law
- Custody Evaluations, Juvenile and Family
Law, and Mental Disability Law
- Domestic Violence and the
Law
- Drafting (with approved topic)
- Education
Law and Policy (likely not offered in 2012–2013)
- Elder
Law
- Estate Planning
- Externship Seminar and
Placement (with approved placement)
- Family Court
- Family Formation: Adoption and Reproduction
- Federal
Income Tax: Individual
- The Guardianship Project
(project-based learning course)
- Juvenile Delinquency
- 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
Immigration Law
Required
Courses
The following course:
PLUS at least ONE of the
following courses:
- Externship Seminar and
Placement (with approved placement)
- Immigration Practice
Seminar and Workshop
- Refugee and Asylum Law
Related Courses
- Administrative Law
- Civil Rights Law
- Education Law and Policy (likely not offered in
2012–2013)
- Employment Law
- Employment
Discrimination Law
- Federal Courts and the Federal
System
- Government Immigration Litigation Seminar and
Workshop
- Immigration Law and Litigation (project-based
learning course)(will not be offered in 2011–2012)
- Immigration and Refugee Rights Field Placement
- Independent Study: Paper (with approved topic)
- International Human Rights Law (will not be offered in
2012–2013)
- International Human Rights Seminar and
Workshop
International Human Rights
Law
Required Courses
At least ONE
of these two courses:
- International Human
Rights Law (will not be offered in 2012–2013)
- International Human Rights Seminar and Workshop
PLUS the following course:
Related Courses
- The Creation of a Disability Rights Tribunal for Asia
and the Pacific (project-based learning course) (will not be offered in
2011–2012)
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with
approved placement)
- Global Justice Colloquium
- Immigration Law
- Immigration Practice Seminar and
Workshop
- International Criminal Law
- International Human Rights and Mental Disability Law
- International Intellectual Property (will not be offered in
2012–2013)
- International Law in Contemporary
Perspectives
- International Law: Selected Topics (with prior
approval)(infrequently offered)
- Legal Research: Foreign and
International
- Transnational Law: Legal Order in an Age of
Globalization
- 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
- Civil Rights
Clinic
- Collective Bargaining and Labor Dispute
Resolution
- Corporations
- Employee Benefits
Law
- Employment Law and Executive Compensation Issues in the
Financial Services Industry
- Employment Law Seminar and
Workshop
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved
placement)
- Immigration Law
- Immigration
Practice Seminar and Workshop
- Mediation Clinic
- Negotiating, Counseling, and Interviewing
- Sexuality
and the Law
- Sports Law
Mental Disability Law
Required Courses
At least TWO
of these three courses:
- Advocacy Skills in
Cases Involving Persons with Mental Disabilities: The Role of Lawyers and
Expert Witnesses
- Survey of Mental Disability Law
- Therapeutic Jurisprudence
PLUS at least
TWO of the following courses (which can include one of the three required
courses):
- Americans with Disabilities Act: Law,
Policy, and Practice
- The Creation of a Disability Rights
Tribunal for Asia and the Pacific (project-based learning course)(will not
be offered in 2011–2012)
- Custody Evaluations, Juvenile
and Family Law, and Mental Disabilitiy Law
- Forensic Reports,
the Role of the Experts, and Forensic Ethics
- International
Human Rights Law and Mental Disability Law
- Mental Disability
and the Criminal Law
- Mental Health Issues in Jails and
Prisons
- Mental Illness, Dangerousness, the Police Power, and
Risk Assessment
- Race, Gender, Class, and Mental Disability
Law
- Sex Offenders
- Trauma and Mental
Disability
Related Courses
- Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
- Elder Law
Clinic
- Externship Seminar and Placement (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:
- Americans with Disabilities Act: Law,
Policy, and Practice
- Animal Law
- Constitution
and Terrorism
- Detention in the War Against Terrorism
- Constitutional Law: Free Speech
- Education Law and
Policy (likely not offered in 2012–2103)
- Employment
Discrimination Law
- Environmental Law and Policy
- The First Amendment
- Immigration Law
- Labor Relations Law
- Law of Democracy
- Law, Public Policy, and Social Change
- Liberty and
Equality
- Mass Torts
- Racial Discrimination and
American Law
- Religion and the Constitution
- Reproductive Rights Law
- Sexuality and the Law
- Special Education Law and Practice
- Survey of Mental
Disability Law
- The 14th Amendment: Construing Text and
Constructing Doctrine
PLUS at least ONE of the
following skills/experiential courses:
- Advanced
Appellate Advocacy
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Art of the Fact
- Civil Justice Through the Courts
(project-based learning course)
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Deposition Skills
- Dispute Resolution Team (only for
a semester in which student received academic credit)(can count for no more
than one course toward the concentration)
- Domestic
Arbitration
- Domestic Violence Litigation Field
Placement
- Drafting: Legislation
- Drafting:
Litigation Documents
- Electronic Discovery
- Elder Law Clinic
- Federal Civil Litigation:
Discovery Process (infrequently offered)
- Judicial
Externship
- Mediation Clinic
- Memorandum and
Brief Writing
- Modern Civil Litigation: Problems and
Tactics
- Moot Court Association (only for a semester in which
student received academic credit)(can count for no more than one course
toward the concentration)
- Negotiating, Counseling, and
Interviewing
- Persuasion
- Racial Justice
Litigation (project-based learning course)(will not be offered in
2011–2012)
- Statistical Literacy
- Statutory Interpretation
- Trial Advocacy
- Visual Persuasion and the Law
Related Courses
- Administrative Law
- Federal Courts and the Federal
System
- Feminist Jurisprudence: Theory and Application
- Gender in American Legal History
- Modern Supreme
Court
- Remedies
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 will meet three times with a JAC faculty member to discuss the
placement and the student’s experience. In many instances, if a
student satisfies the placement requirement through a course, that course
will also count toward a concentration course requirement. Placements must
be pre-approved by the director or associate director.
Current students may download
the requisite forms by clicking the links below:
IV. JUSTICE ACTION
CENTER CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE
All JAC students must complete a capstone
experience in their final year of enrollment. There are four options for
completing the capstone: the JAC Capstone Project course; a project-based
learning course approved by the Director; a clinic or field placement
course approved by the Director; or participating in the JAC Law
Review Note Symposium. Students satisfying the capstone will make a
presentation of their project to members of the JAC community at the end
of the school year, either as part of the particular course in which they
are enrolled or through separately scheduled presentations.
Justice Action Center Capstone Project (2
credits)
The JAC Capstone Project is a two-credit
course exclusively for JAC affiliates. The Capstone is a year-long
project. Students in the course work under the supervision of a JAC
faculty member on projects including, 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 (PBL) courses are
small-group classes. Students in PBL courses work on a particular project.
The following PBL courses satisfy the capstone requirement:
Civil Justice Through the Courts
The Creation of
a Disability Rights Tribunal for Asia and the Pacific
Conservation Law and Policy
Detention in the War Against
Terrorism
Education Law and Practice
The Guardianship
Project
Immigration Law and Litigation
Racial Justice
Litigation
Clinics and Field
Placements
Students can also satisfy the capstone
requirement by enrolling in an approved clinic or field placement course.
Students satisfying the capstone through a clinic or field placement will
also submit a five-page narrative description of their experience,
including a portfolio of their work. The following clinics and field
placements satisfy the JAC capstone requirement:
Civil
Rights Clinic
Criminal Defense Clinic
Criminal
Prosecution Clinic
Criminal Prosecution Field Placement
Domestic Violence Litigation Field Placement
Elder Law
Clinic
Immigration and Refugee Rights Field Placement
Mediation Clinic
Law Review Note
Symposium
Day and evening division students completing
a Law Review note in their final year of study (the third year
for day division students and the fourth year for evening division
students) can satisfy the capstone requirement by writing their notes and
planning a symposium at which all Law Review students who elect
this option will present their notes to a general audience. Students will
plan the symposium, including developing the program, preparing an
invitation list, designing the invitation, and soliciting guests. Students
will also draft and seek to publish in an appropriate venue a short
(500–750 word) opinion piece relating to their
notes.