Course Descriptions
[A-B, C-D, E-F, G-H, I-J, K-L, M-N, O-P, Q-R, S-T, U-V, W-X, Y-Z]
[View All]
King Scholars Jurisprudence (2)
626C
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 359)
Prerequisite: King Scholar A course in jurisprudence available to King Scholars as part of the King Scholarship Program.
Students entering with a King Scholarship must enroll for the King Scholars Jurisprudence class during their third semester at the Law College. Matriculating students receiving a King Scholarship must enroll for the King Scholars Jurisprudence class in their next regular semester.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
King Scholars Program (0)
626B
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 191) Students who have a King Scholarship will be enrolled for King Scholars each semester by the Office of the Registrar.
Prerequisite(s):
-King Scholars Program
Prerequisite(s):
-King Scholars Program
Top
King Scholars Seminar (2)
626D
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 404)
Students who have a King Scholarship must enroll for the King Scholars Senior Paper course in their last regular semester at the Law College.
Prerequisite(s):
-King Scholars Jurisprudence
Top
Labor Law (3)
511D
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 382)
This is a basic labor law course exploring the application of the National Labor Relations Act as amended. Subjects include the jurisdiction, organization and procedures of the National Labor Relations Board; the protection of the right of self-organization; company domination of or assistance to the union; discrimination against employees; remedies for unfair labor practices; review of the procedures for selection of representatives for the purposes of collective bargaining; securing bargaining rights through unfair labor practice procedures; and the law concerning negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, including the subjects of collective bargaining, strikes, boycotts and picketing under the common law and the act.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Land Use Planning (3)
566B
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 401)
THIS COURSE MAY BE OFFERED AS EITHER 2 OR 3 CREDITS.
Explores the principal methods of local government control of land use, with special emphasis on the theory and practice of zoning and eminent domain. Analyzes judicial response, through the use of nuisance and "takings" doctrines, to local land use planning efforts.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Law and Economics (3)
515
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 443)
Law and Economics, (alternatively named “the economics of legal relationships” or perhaps more accurately, “the economic analysis of law”) is defined as the application of economic theory (primarily microeconomics and the basic concepts of welfare economics) to examine the formation, structure, processes, and the economic impact of law and legal institutions. The purpose of this course is twofold. It is intended to (1) provide a review of microeconomic theory sufficient to (2) undertake a survey of various schools of thought that now comprise the field of Law and Economics. Specifically, this course will explore the various schools of thought that compete in this rich marketplace of ideas, including Chicago law and economics, public choice theory, institutional law and economics, and the new institutional economics. In addition, we will review the literature on social norms and Law and Economics. As time permits we will explore the principal contours of the New Haven school, modern civic republicanism, and Austrian law and economics. Each of these schools of thought place a significant emphasis on the interrelations between law and economy.
Prerequisite: an understanding of the principles of microeconomics.
Textbook and Reader: i) Nicholas Mercuro and Steven Medema, Economics and the Law (draft of 2nd edition - Princeton University Press, forthcoming 2006) and ii) Collection of Readings. Evaluation: class participation 10points [no one is allowed to miss more than two classes] three exams each worth 30% / questions will cover the assigned chapters in the text and all readings - questions may take the form of graphical essay; short essay (identify & describe its significance); true / false & why; and multiple choice. If you are uncertain as to "what the course is about" and therefore "whether this is something you want to do," please take a look at the two very short articles that are on reserve in the law college library: Paul Burrows and Cento G. Veljanovski, "Introduction:The Economic Approach to Law," in The Economic Approach to Law, P. Burrows and C.G. Veljanovski,eds.,(London: Butterworths,1981), pp. 1-17. Cento G. Veljanovski, The Economics of Law: An Introductory Text, (Institute of Economic Affairs, 1990), pp. 11-27. Together, they describe the subject matter of this course. If the ideas expressed in these articles are of interest to you, I can assure you that you will enjoy this course; if on the other hand, you are not interested in analyzing the law from the perspective of economics ... this course is not for you.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Law and Gender (2)
541N
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 386)
This course will concern itself with aspects of the following: protective labor legislation, employment discrimination, sex role discrimination in the law of the family, women and the criminal law, the right of women to equal educational opportunity and the right to choose whether to bear children. A short paper will be assigned on a topic dealing with present and proposed legislation affecting the status of women. There will be a consideration of the theoretical and legal issues associated with the category of gender.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Law and Interpretation (2)
579R
Concentration(s):
This course will explore the ways in which judges and other legal actors interpret the law. Anyone who has studied law for even a short period of time quickly becomes aware that there are a variety of legal and jurisprudential tools that judges can use in interpreting the law. In this course we will explore the various tools judges use in interpreting cases, as well as a number of the theoretical schools that influence or help us understand judicial decision-making. We will do this by analyzing cases and by studying the various tools/theories relevant to legal interpretation. The course will cover legal interpretation in the contexts of constitutional, statutory, and common law. The hope is to look underneath the cases and try to understand how great legal minds (judges, lawyers, and scholars) can look at the same or similar facts and law, yet reach significantly varied interpretative results.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Law and Literature (3)
548T
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 462)
In this course, students will read works from American and world literature that examine issues such as the conflict between a legal system and other norms, legal treatment of the enemy and the conquered in times of war, and due process issues as a human right. The works chosen (plays, novels, and short stories) will also give rise to a discussion of literary techniques and devices and to an examination of the use and re-use of literary themes. Each student will choose and read another work for purposes of a paper (two drafts) and a class presentation. In Spring 2005, works to be read in the class include Antigone by Sophocles; Antigone by Jean Anouilh; The Island by Athol Fugard; The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark; The Trial by Franz Kafka; Translations by Brian Friel; Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson; a selection of short stories; and various essays on the relationship between law and literature.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Law and Policy of Corrections (0)
579T
Concentration(s):
This course could be offered for 2 or 3 credits.
This is a course on applied or advanced constitutional law in the context of prisoners and pretrial detainees. The first part of the course will provide an introduction to punishment and sentencing. The second part of the course provides a survey of the constitutional law of incarceration, including materials on procedural and substantive due process, equal protection, the ban on cruel and unusual punishment, First Amendment protections, and rights of access to the courts and attorneys. The final section considers the mechanics of prisoners' rights litigation under Section 1983.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Law and Religion (3)
579K
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 530)
May be taken concurrently with Constitutional Law II. This course will focus on church/state law -- the legal doctrines that have arisen in cases under the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The course will explore the role of law in various religious traditions and the role of religion in law and public discourse. Topics addressed include school prayer, government aid to religious institutions (including school vouchers and charitable choice), government endorsement of religious symbols, the role of public forum doctrine in religion cases, freedom of religious expression, and the freedom to practice one's religion.
Prerequisite(s):
-Constitutional Law II
Top
Law Externship (3)
625A
Concentration(s):
An externship is a voluntary, for-credit opportunity with government agencies, judiciary, and non-profit or public interest agencies. Students are able to complete two 3-credit externships during their law school careers, if desired, after earning 24 law school credits. Externships require a minimum of 12-15 hours per week, for the duration of the semester, a bi-weekly report of legal work performed, a mid-semester seminar, and a final paper. The Career Services Office holds informational meetings each semester about the Externship Program. Additional information regarding externships is found at http://www.law.msu.edu/career/externships.html
Students who have earned six (6) credits in the Canadian Summer Externship Program in Ottawa (course 634) are not eligible to enroll in another externship.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Law Practice Management (2)
592
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 309)
This course is designed to provide an overview of the issues involved in managing a law office. These include forms of practice (partnership, professional corporation, sole practitioners), personnel issues, physical requirements, computers, financial management, practice development and ethical issues. Also covered are various law office systems: docket, tickler, trust accounting, timekeeping, etc. It is recommended that students take the Professional Responsibility course before or concurrently with Law Practice Management.
Prerequisite(s):
-Professional Responsibility
Top
Law Review (4)
628
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 790)
Prerequisites: RWA I and II, credits completed and GPA
Participation is by invitation or writing competition upon satisfactory completion by full-time students of two full semesters and by part-time students of three full semesters. Four semester hours of ungraded credit earned upon successful completion of a casenote, a comment and all required production work.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Laws of War (2)
548M
Concentration(s):Int'l & Comparative Law
(Formerly DCL 548)
This course will examine the origins, purpose, content, development and the impact of the laws of war in light of the changing nature of armed conflict. At its core, the primary purpose of the laws of war is to limit the
suffering caused by war and armed conflicts. Accordingly, the course seeks to develop a better understanding of the need for and the existence of the laws of war; to determine whether the laws of war are effective in limiting the suffering of combatants and noncombatants during armed conflicts and to evaluate whether the laws of war have been applied, observed, enforced or ignored by policymakers, military officials and international institutions
in modern armed conflicts. Since the laws of war have not uniformly applied, observed or enforced, the course will emphasize the contradictions, successes and failures of the laws of war.
Some of the issues that will be examined throughout the course include: where are laws of war found? Is it really possible to introduce rules to warfare? From where do laws of war arise, and how do they become "law"? Is
"just war" a relevant concept in today's world? How successful have past international regulatory efforts been concerning limiting warfare? What is permissible conduct in combat and what is not? What do the Nuremberg trials of World War II tell us about warfighting today? Was My Lai the result of criminal behavior by individual soldiers or a logical result of the military policies pursued in Viet Nam? Was the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki a war crime? Do the laws of war apply to the current war on
terrorism?
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Legal Analysis, Practice Application and Writing (1)
600B
Concentration(s):
The course format focuses on teaching analysis and writing skills for answering Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions and drafting legal documents for the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Students will work on the skills necessary to organize and present answers to maximize points awarded by the examiners. Students will do simulation questions with answers graded by former bar exam graders. Additionally, random student answers will be critiqued with the class to identify strengths and weaknesses. The course is recommended to students taking the bar exam where both exams are administered (e.g., Illinois, Colorado, District of Columbia Missouri, Utah and Wisconsin). It will also be helpful to students taking the bar exam where the MPT is administered (e.g., New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, and Nevada). Attendance and participation in all sessions is required to obtain credit for the course. Only graduating third year students are eligible to enroll in this course.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Legislation (3)
579P
Concentration(s):
(Formerly DCL 329)
This course starts with the premise that understanding the legislative process is important for sophisticated legal analysis in an age of legislation. The course therefore studies different theories of the legislative process, as well as the accompanying doctrines and theories of statutory interpretation. It also examines structures of representative democracy and deliberative decision making, including the principle of "one person, one vote," reapportionment of legislative districts, term limits, the line-item veto, and regulations of campaign finance. Finally, the course considers the use of direct democracy as an alternative to republican government and examines the role of administrative agencies in the implementation and interpretation of statutes. By the end of the semester, students will have a greater understanding of the various public law institutions in the United States, their relationships to one another, and how this knowledge can be used to construct persuasive arguments regarding the application of positive law to particular legal problems.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
Licensing Intellectual Property (2)
533F
Concentration(s):Intellectual Property
(Formerly DCL 516)
The class focuses on managing an intellectual property portfolio to maximize a client’s return on investment in intellectual property assets. Unlike other intellectual property courses that focus on obtaining intellectual property rights, the scope of those rights, and the remedies for infringing, this course emphasizes the identification, valuation, and management of intellectual property assets both as a source of revenue and as part of a larger offensive or defensive litigation strategy. Topics covered also include intellectual property assets, management, and licensing in the context of tax and antitrust law. Students will be required to draft part of a license agreement or agreement to transfer ownership of an intellectual property asset. Time permitting, this course will also cover cross-border intellectual property transactions. At the conclusion of this course, a student should appreciate the role of intellectual property as part of creation and management of a larger enterprise.
Prerequisite(s):
Top
[A-B, C-D, E-F, G-H, I-J, K-L, M-N, O-P, Q-R, S-T, U-V, W-X, Y-Z]
[View All]