This course will examine and explore these and other contemporaneous education-related issues through a law and policy lens. It will focus in particular on the role education both can and should play in American society and, in turn, the legal framework that can and should support such a system. Topics to be discussed include, among others, the legal and political design of America’s K-12 public education system; the contours of legally provided rights to educational access; federal and state constitutional and statutory dimensions of school structure, governance, and funding; educational equity and equal educational opportunity; school choice and privatization; religion in schools; the relationship between education and democracy; curricular control; the intersection of education and the First Amendment; and others. Course readings will include federal and state judicial decisions, statutes, and constitutional provisions, as well as law review articles, journalistic reports and analysis, curricular standards, and other literature. The course will culminate with a final paper on a student-chosen topic arising out of the course materials.

Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: Yes
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Limited Enrollment Number: 16
Final Exam Given: No
Paper Or In-Class Presentation: Yes, paper
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
Teaching Method: In Person

* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.