MSW/JD Dual Degree Program Approved Advance Policy Options Legal Problems of the Elderly Seminar (3 credits)
The impact of the legal system and government programs on the elderly is studied in this seminar. Topics include medical care issues, including problems with nursing homes, income benefits, employment problems and development of legal advocacy systems. Students will participate in a project involving the drafting of legislation and position papers. Children, Parents & the Law Seminar (3 credits)
This seminar will examine the role of children and parents in the legal system. It will explore such topics as procreation and reproduction (including surrogate parenting and the new reproductive technologies), children's rights within the family, child neglect and abuse, adoption and the juvenile justice system. Legislation Seminar (3 credits)
This seminar is designed for students to develop an appreciation and understanding of the role of statutes and the legislative processes in the United States Congress and the state legislature in relationship to the legal system. The seminar devotes attention to statutory interpretation, drafting techniques, code revision, the "legislative role" of the courts, interpretation of legislative authority and legislative procedure and process. Each student is required to prepare a research paper concerning a legislative issue or problem of interest and to draft proposed legislation for its solution. Law and Psychiatry Seminar (3 credits)
The law has an increasingly important place in the practice of psychiatry. Commitment, the right to refuse treatment, release of insanity acquitees, Tarasoff warnings, and malpractice are a few of these areas. This seminar will discuss these issues in a medical-legal clinical fashion. Civil Rights of Persons with Disabilities Seminar (3 credits)
This seminar examines the rapidly changing law and policy affecting the rights of children and adults with disabilities. Major topics for discussion include the history of the disability rights movement, the right to education, the rights to treatment and to refuse treatment, residential care, civil commitment and after care, access to advocacy services, nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunity, guardianship and consent, and family law matters. Family Law (3 credits)
This course will explore legal issues relating to the formation, maintenance and dissolution of family relationships. These issues include state and federal regulation of marriage and of nonmarital cohabitation, legal and economic consequences of marriage and divorce, custody and support of children, domestic violence, and the rights and obligations of unwed parents. Special attention will be paid to the relationship between the family and the workplace and to current constitutional issues affecting family members. Law and Biomedical Sciences Seminar: AIDS (3 credits)
This seminar will explore the major legal, ethical and public policy issues raised by the AIDS epidemic. One of the goals of the seminar is to apply the major principles studied in law and biomedical sciences to AIDS case studies. Topics to be explored include informed consent and HIV testing; reproductive choice for HIV infected women; special problems of the pediatric AIDS patient; the rights and obligations of the infected health care worker; and the duty to treat persons with AIDS. Employment Discrimination Law (3 credits)
This course will survey the federal and state equal employment laws prohibiting race, sex, religion, national origin, age, and handicap discrimination. The historical development of these laws and the interpretive theories of disparate treatment and adverse impact will be examined. Selected applications, such as affirmative action, reverse discrimination, sexual harassment, reproductive health hazards and genetic screening, will be studied. The course will also provide practical guidance in prosecuting or defending discrimination claims before the EEOC and in federal court. Law and the Homeless Seminar (3 credits)
This seminar will explore the causes of, and legal responses to, homelessness in the United States. The purpose of the seminar is to examine the roles of lawyers, courts, legislatures, and executive branch agencies in alleviating or aggravating the problems of the homeless. Topics for discussion will include public policies on shelter and housing, rights to shelter and to alternative housing, zoning restrictions, income maintenance, creation of advocacy systems, deinstitutionalization and rights to aftercare, compulsory treatment and shelter, legal problems of homeless children, rights to vote, and directions for legislative and other legal reforms. Each student will prepare a paper on a topic selected in consultation with the instructor. In addition, students will visit one or more shelters and conduct intake interviews with homeless persons seeking legal assistance. Critical Issues in Health Care (3 credits)
This course will allow an interdisciplinary group of students to examine the policy, legal and ethical components of a number of critical issues in health care delivery. A variety of teaching techniques, including case studies, simulations, mock hearings, and panel discussions will be used to explore such topics as medical malpractice, rights of patients to refuse treatment, informed consent and substituted consent in medical decision making, regulation of experimental drugs and long-term care. The course will be taught by faculty from a variety of disciplines including law, philosophy, nursing, medicine, social work and economics. Law and Education Seminar (3 credits)
This seminar will analyze constitutional, statutory, regulatory and common law influences on the governance, financing and management of educational enterprises, with emphasis on "public" schools, higher education institutions, related regulatory agencies and coordinating commissions. Women and the Law Seminar (3 credits)
This seminar will provide a critical examination of the historical and contemporary treatment of women by and under the law. Areas of emphasis include the history of the women's rights movement in the United States; federal constitutional constraints on gender-based classification; federal statutory restrictions on discrimination in employment and education; and discreet issues of criminal and family law.
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