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 2013. For students who affiliated in the spring of 2012 or
earlier, please click
here to review your
requirements.
JAC CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS (Spring 2013
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 an annual Center community
requirement. 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;
- Participate in the Center's educational and
social activities; and
- Fulfill the JAC capstone requirement in the final
year of enrollment.
These requirements are described below. (Harlan Scholars affiliating with
the Abbey Center should reference the special requirements
listed under “Abbey/JAC Co-Curricular Requirements” at the bottom
of this page.)
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 in any semester before they graduate or by enrolling 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 division 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,
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. (Although this
course is open to all JAC students, it will only satisfy the gateway
course requirement for evening division students.)
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, and
Remedies.
Listed below are the Center’s pre-approved concentrations. These
concentrations can also be tailored to fit a student’s particular
interests or to reflect new or modified course offerings. 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
- Advanced Constitutional Law: Public Education Law (not offered
2013–14)
-
Americans with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
-
Civil Rights Clinic
-
Civil Rights Law
-
Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
-
Feminist Jurisprudence: Theory and Application (infrequently
offered)
-
Immigration Law
-
Liberty and Equality
-
Racial Justice Litigation (project-based learning course) (not offered
2013–14)
-
Special Education Law and Practice
Civil Liberties
Required Course
The following course:
- Federal Courts and the Federal System
Related Courses
- Advanced Appellate Advocacy
-
Advanced Constitutional Law: Public Education Law (not offered
2013–14)
-
Civil Rights Law
-
Constitution and Terrorism
-
Constitutional History: Supremacy and Nullification
1776–1868
-
Constitutional Law: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
-
Constitutional Law II: Individual Rights
-
Criminal Procedure: Investigation
-
Detention in the War Against Terrorism (project-based learning
course)
-
Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
-
Federal Regulation of Electronic Media
-
Immigration Law
-
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
-
Legislative Advocacy Clinic
-
Liberty and Equality
-
Racial Discrimination and American Law
-
Racial Justice Litigation (project-based learning course) (not offered
2013–14)
-
Reproductive Rights Law
-
Sexuality and the Law
-
Suspension Representation Clinic
-
Criminal Law
Required Courses
Both of the following courses:
- Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
- Criminal Procedure: Investigation
Related Courses
- Administrative Enforcement Clinic
-
Advanced Appellate Advocacy
-
Advocacy of Criminal Cases
-
Advocacy, Media, and the “Big Case”
-
Constitutional Law: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
-
Crime and Immigration
-
Criminal Defense Clinic
-
Criminal Justice Seminar and Workshop
-
Criminal Law and Procedure: Sentencing
-
Criminal Prosecution Clinic
-
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
-
Immigration Law
-
International Criminal Law
-
Mental Health Issues in Jails and Prisons
-
Mental Disability and Criminal Law
-
Mental Illness, Dangerousness, the Police Power and Risk
Assessment
-
Organized and White Collar Crime
-
Post-Conviction Innocence Project
-
Professional Responsibility: Criminal Practice
-
Sex Crimes and Child Abuse
-
Sex Offenders
-
Sexuality and the Law
-
Survey of Mental Disability Law
-
Suspension Representation Clinic
-
Trial Advocacy
Criminal Law: Prosecution
Students interested in criminal prosecution have two options. They
may take the general Criminal Law concentration (listed above), or they
may take a specialized roster of courses focusing on the role of the
prosecutor. If you are interested in taking the special Criminal Law:
Prosecution track, please contact the Center Director, Richard
Marsico.
Economic Justice: Advocacy
Required Courses
At least TWO of the following courses:
- Advanced Constitutional Law: Public Education Law (not offered
2013–14)
- Elder Law
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Special Education Law and Practice
Related Courses
- Administrative Law
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Civil Rights Law
- The Clinical Year (pending faculty approval)
- 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
- Legislative Advocacy Clinic
- Real Estate: Landlord-Tenant Law
- Securities Arbitration Clinic and Seminar
- Taxpayer Assistance Clinic (pending faculty approval)
- 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
- Small Business and Non-Profit Legal Clinic
- Tax Planning Clinic (pending faculty approval)
- Transactional Law Clinic
Education Law
Required Courses
Both of the following courses:
- Advanced Constitutional Law: Public Education Law (not offered
2013–14)
- 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 II: Individual Rights
- Education Law and Practice (project-based learning course) (not
offered 2013–14)
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Sex Crimes and Child Abuse
- Suspension Representation Clinic
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 Law
- Climate Change Issues in Real Estate and Business
Transactions
- Environmental Issues in Business and Real Estate Transactions
- Land Use Regulation
Related Courses
- Animal Law (not offered in 2013–14)
- 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
Special note to students co-affiliating with the Abbey Center: Harlan
students affiliating with the Abbey Center should review
the special Abbey/JAC Co-Curricular Requirements. Non-Harlan
affiliates pursuing a joint program with JAC and the Abbey Center should
consult with the JAC Director to devise a custom joint-curricular
program.
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
- Domestic Violence Litigation Field Placement
- Elder Law Clinic
- Family Practice Seminar and Workshop
Related Courses
- Accounting for Lawyers: Basic Concepts
- Adoption Law
- Advanced Constitutional Law: Public Education Law (not offered
2013–14)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Child Welfare Clinic (pending faculty approval)
- Community-Based Initiatives in Family Law Reform
- Custody Evaluations, Juvenile and Family Law, and Mental
Disability Law
- Domestic Violence and the Law
- Drafting (with approved topic)
- 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
- Sexuality and the Law
- Special Education Law and Practice
- Suspension Representation Clinic
- Wills Clinic
- 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
- Advanced Constitutional Law: Public Education Law (not offered
2013–14)
- Civil Rights Law
- Crime and Immigration
- Employment Law
- Employment Discrimination Law
- Family Law
- Federal Courts and the Federal System
- Federal Criminal Law
- Immigration Law and Litigation (project-based learning course)
- Immigration and Refugee Rights Field Placement
- Independent Study: Paper (with approved topic)
- International Criminal Law
- 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
- Building a Disability Rights Information Center for Asia and the
Pacific (project-based learning course)
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
- Global Law and Justice Colloquium
- Immigration Law
- Immigration Practice Seminar and Workshop
- International Criminal Law
- International Human Rights and Mental Disability Law
- International Intellectual Property
- 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
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
- Immigration Law
- Immigration Practice Seminar and Workshop
- Mediation Clinic
- Negotiating, Counseling, and Interviewing
- Public Sector Labor Law
- Sexuality and the Law
- Sports Law
Mental Disability Law
Required Courses
Both of the following courses:
- Advocacy Skills in Cases Involving Persons with Mental
Disabilities: The Role of Lawyers and Expert Witnesses
- Survey of Mental Disability Law
PLUS at least TWO of the following courses:
- Americans with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
- Building a Disability Rights Information Center for Asia and the
Pacific (project-based learning course)
- Custody Evaluations, Juvenile and Family Law, and Mental
Disability Law
- Forensic Reports, the Role of the Experts, and Forensic Ethics
- International Human Rights Law and Mental Disability Law
- Mental Disability and Criminal Law
- Mental Health Issues in Jails and Prisons
- Mental Illness, Dangerousness, the Police Power, and Risk
Assessment
- Race, Gender, Class, and Mental Disability
- Sex Offenders
- Therapeutic Jurisprudence
- Trauma and Mental Disability
Recommended Other Related Courses
- Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
- Elder Law Clinic
- Externship Seminar and Placement (with approved placement)
- Special Education Law and Practice
Social Change Advocacy
Required Course
PLUS at least ONE of the following substantive law courses:
- Advanced Constitutional Law: Public Education Law (not offered
2013–14)
- Americans with Disabilities Act: Law, Policy, and Practice
- Animal Law (not offered 2013–14)
- Child Welfare Clinic (pending faculty approval)
- The Clinical Year (pending faculty approval)
- Constitution and Terrorism
- Detention in the War Against Terrorism
- Constitutional Law II: Individual Rights
- Employment Discrimination Law
- Environmental Law and Policy
- Immigration Law
- Labor Relations Law
- Law of Democracy
- Law, Public Policy, and Social Change
- Liberty and Equality
- Mass Torts
- Racial Discrimination and American Law
- Racial Justice Litigation (project-based learning course) (not
offered 2013–14)
- Reproductive Rights Law
- Sexuality and the Law
- Special Education Law and Practice
- Survey of Mental Disability Law
PLUS at least ONE of the following skills/experiential
courses:
- Advanced Appellate Advocacy
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- 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
- Legislative Advocacy Clinic
- Mediation Clinic
- Memorandum and Brief Writing
- 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) (not
offered 2013–14)
- Statistical Literacy (not offered 2013–14)
- Suspension Representation Clinic
- Trial Advocacy
- Visual Persuasion and the Law (not offered 2013–14)
Related Courses
- Administrative Law
- Federal Courts and the Federal System
- Feminist Jurisprudence: Theory and Application
- Race, Gender, Class, and Mental Disability
- Remedies
- Trauma and Mental Disability
III. ANNUAL
COMMUNITY REQUIREMENT
JAC is more than a curricular program—it is a community of
individuals dedicated to exploring the relationship between social justice
and law. All student members are required to participate in JAC’s
educational and social activities as part of their Center requirements.
Students are required, at a minimum, to complete ten community
credit-hours each year as part of their affiliation with the Center.
Students must earn six credit-hours each year in the following
manner:
- Attend two JAC-sponsored public education events (one credit-hour
each);
- Attend three capstone presentation sessions (one credit-hour each);
and
- Meet with the Director to discuss curricular and career goals (one
credit-hour).
Students earn the remaining four credit-hours from among the following
activities:
- Write a blog post for the Center blog at www.justiceactioncenter.com (one credit-hour);
- Write an article for the annual newsletter (one credit-hour);
- Volunteer for office hours in the Center (one credit-hour per hour
worked); or
- Volunteer at a Center event (one credit-hour per hour
worked).
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
JAC-specific work accompanying a Law Review note. 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. Students co-affiliating with JAC and another
center may be able to fulfill their capstone requirement by completing the
other center’s capstone course; students who would like to do so must
receive prior approval from the JAC Director.
Justice Action Center Capstone Project (2
credits)
The JAC Capstone Project is a full-year,
two-credit, project-based learning course that satisfies the Center’s
capstone requirement. It is open only to Justice Action Center affiliates
in their final year of study. The content and focus of the course will
vary from year to year, but in general, students will work on social
justice projects under the supervision of JAC faculty members. In some
years, students will work on individual or small-group projects,
including, for example, a practice manual, model legislation, regulatory
comments, a policy paper, or an amicus brief. Although these projects
might involve different substantive areas of the law, they will all focus
on the use of law to effectuate social change. In other years, the course
might focus on one project for the entire class. Information about the
content of the class will be made available during registration. In years
when students are working on individual projects, weekly seminar sessions
will include peer review and commentary at each stage of the project
(topic selection, outline, research plan, rough draft, and presentation).
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:
Administration for Children’s Services
Building a Disability Rights Information Center for Asia and the
Pacific
Civil Justice Through the Courts
Community-Based Initiatives in Family Law Reform
Conservation Law and Policy
Detention in the War Against Terrorism
Education Law and Practice (not offered 2013–14)
The Guardianship Project
Immigration Law and Litigation
Racial Justice Litigation (not offered 2013–14)
Click
here to view the capstone syllabus for students fulfilling the
capstone requirement through a project-based learning course.
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 post about the subject matter
of their clinic for the JAC blog. The following clinics and field
placements satisfy the JAC capstone requirement:
Administrative Enforcement Clinic
Child Welfare Clinic (pending faculty approval)
Civil Rights Clinic
The Clinical Year (pending faculty approval)
Criminal Defense Clinic
Criminal Prosecution Clinic
Domestic Violence Litigation Field Placement
Elder Law Clinic
Immigration and Refugee Rights Field Placement
Legislative Advocacy Clinic
Mediation Clinic
Post-Conviction Innocence Project
Suspension Representation Clinic
Tax Planning Clinic (pending faculty approval)
Taxpayer Assistance Clinic (pending faculty approval)
Transactional Law Clinic
Wills Clinic
To view the capstone syllabus corresponding to clinics and field
placements, click
here.
Law Review Note Lunch Presentations
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 lunch presentations at which all Law
Review students who elect this option will present their notes to a
general audience. Students will plan the presentations, including
developing the program, preparing an invitation list, designing the
invitation, and soliciting guests. Students will also submit a post about
their note for the JAC blog.
To view the capstone syllabus for students using a Law Review note to
complete the capstone requirement, click
here.
ABBEY/JAC
CO-CURRICULAR
REQUIREMENTS
Harlan Scholars affiliated with the Abbey Center complete JAC
requirements by following a specialized curricular program. JAC’s four
requirements apply to these students with the following
modifications:
- Complete a JAC gateway course:
The Abbey Center Colloquium: Modern Trends in Family Law fulfills the JAC
gateway course requirement in place of the Justice Action Center
Colloquium: Legal Practice for Social Change for day division students and
Law, Public Policy, and Social Change for evening division students.
- Satisfy the concentration requirements in a particular area of social
justice law:
Students fulfill the JAC concentration requirement by completing 12
credits in Family Law–related courses.
- Complete the Center’s annual community requirement:
Students complete the annual community requirement through the “Time
Commitment to the Abbey Center” outlined in the Abbey Center’s
Associate Requirements document.
- Fulfill the JAC capstone requirement in the final year of
enrollment:
Abbey Center students complete the Abbey Center Capstone Project, a
required, graded course exclusively for Abbey Center Associates.
The above modifications do not apply to non-Harlan affiliates
pursuing a joint program. Non–Harlan Scholars interested in a joint
affiliation with JAC and the Abbey Center should consult with the JAC
Director to devise a custom joint-curricular program.