Course Descriptions
The course descriptions included here answer many of the questions you may have about course content and expectations. New courses are added from time to time and descriptions are distributed to students with registration materials and on the College of Law website. Students are encouraged to speak with faculty teaching specific courses. In some cases it is noted that a course is “offered infrequently.” This means that there has been insufficient student or faculty interest to warrant offering the course on a regular basis but that the course may be scheduled if an appropriate opportunity is presented.
A number of upper-level courses have prerequisites in addition to the Required Core Curriculum. This information is included in the course description. Occasionally, extremely important prerequisites are noted on the course schedules. However, the course schedules do not indicate all prerequisites and students should consult the Course Description section of this Handbook for complete information concerning prerequisites.
List of Courses
A | B | C | E | F | G | H | I | J | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | W
Seminars
Note that the faculty has adopted the following criteria for designation of a course as a seminar. Courses listed as seminars on the final schedule for the term will meet these requirements.
Criteria for Designation of a Course as a Seminar (passed by faculty, Oct. 21, 2004)
- A seminar is a small class, enrollment in which should normally not exceed fifteen students, that is designed to examine intensively a single topic or a limited range of topics within a general area of law. A seminar is not designed to offer a comprehensive survey of a field of law.
- A seminar is designed to foster maximum interchange in discussion between students and instructor and among students.
- A seminar shall require a substantial paper or equivalent written product.
- A grade in a seminar may be based entirely on the paper, or on some combination of a paper, class participation, final examination, or other relevant factors.
- A seminar may be given for two or three credits.
Although a seminar must require a “substantial paper or equivalent written product,” it may not satisfy the upper level writing requirement if the paper requirement is not a substantial research project as anticipated by the latter requirement. The designation {5} or {5a} in the notes column identifies those seminars that will require or provide an option to complete a paper that will satisfy the upper level writing requirement. Courses other than seminars may also satisfy the upper level writing requirement, and the designation {5} or {5a} on the schedule again indicates that a course will require or offer an option to complete a paper that will satisfy that requirement