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Legal Studies Course Listings
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41.103 Introduction to Paralegal StudiesCredits: 3
Familiarizes students with the role of a paralegal in both the public and private sector. Other topics will include principles of jurisprudence and basic legal concepts and terminology.
41.210 Restorative JusticeCredits: 3
This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles and practices of restorative justice as a method of building positive peace. Students will develop a working knowledge of the general theories of restorative justice, as well as practical hands-on experience with peacemaking circles traditional assumptions about justice and the adversarial legal process will be explored and challenged. The relationship between restorative justice, restorative practices, and other conflict resolution methods such as meditation will be discussed. Practical challenges in implementing restorative justice on the ground will also be examined.
41.234 Criminal LawCredits: 3
Studies substantive criminal law, with emphasis on general principles of criminal culpability, such as the act requirement, the mens rea requirement, and causation. The course will also cover the law of attempted crimes, accomplice liability, and defenses. The elements of specific crimes, such as homicide, burglary, robbery, and larceny will be studied in depth.
An examination of the history and progress of the disability rights movement in America, the current state of the law and trends ad prospects for the future, with particular focus on those laws designed specifically to address the needs of people with disability.
41.262 Introduction to Business LawCredits: 3
Introduces the student to the fundamentals of criminal and tort law. The main emphasis is on all aspects of contract law including the agreement consideration, writing third-party rights, illegality, performance, and remedies. Also covered is agency law concerning all situations where one party is working for another in the business world. This course is highly recommended for pre-law students, CPA's, and paralegals.
41.360 Legal Issues in RacismCredits: 3
A study of racial discrimination in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on relevant constitutional provisions, statutory provisions, and on United States Supreme Court cases.
41.363 Corporate and Property LawCredits: 3
Studies the law and its impact on the business world. Partnerships, limited partnerships, and joint ventures are studied at the outset of the course. The main emphasis is on elements of the corporate structure. The last part of the course deals with personal and real property with coverage of wills and trusts. This course is highly recommended for pre-law students, CPA's, and paralegals.
41.364 Law for the CPA and Pre-Law StudentCredits: 3
This course is recommended for the senior level student, especially those students studying for the CPA exam and for those students preparing for law school. The course deals exclusively with the Uniform Commercial Code, including sales, bills, notes, secured interests, and bulk sales.
Pre-Req: 41.262 Business Law.
41.365 The Legal Environment of BusinessCredits: 3
This class explores the intersection of business and the law in American society in the 21st century. This class builds on the concepts covered in Business Law and Explores current legal topics that affect doing business in the United States and abroad. Topics covered include: The U.S. Constitution and the court system, white collar crime, cyberlaw, the laws of intellectual property, international trade, consumer protection, bankruptcy, product liability, administrative law and labor and employment law.
41.366 International LawCredits: 3
Introduces the body of international rules, customs, and regulations which are in force between nations. Specific legal issues involving a study of multinational, cultural, political, economic, and ethnic perspectives are addressed. Topics covered include human rights, war prevention, foreign policy, tort and criminal liability, business trade practices, and dispute settlement. Recommended at the senior level.
41.367 Environmental LawCredits: 3
Examines the legal and administrative problems of protecting the quality of the human environment. Federal and state legislation on environmental policy is studied. Public interest litigation as a supplement to the enforcement of environmental law is discussed. Places emphasis on the law as a means of protecting the environment.
41.370 Real Estate LawCredits: 3
Examines contracts for the sale of real estate, deeds, title examinations, security for real estate transactions, methods and problems of co-ownership, zoning ordinances, brokerage contracts, leases and landlord and tenant rights and liabilities.
41.372 Sports, Entertainment and Art LawCredits: 3
The purpose of this course is to challenge students to engage in analytic reading, critical thinking and problem solving as it relates to the legal issues facing the sports, entertainment and art worlds.
41.376 Family LawCredits: 3
Studies the critical family law issues facing society today. Subject matter examined includes the law of marriage, custody, adoption, divorce, child support, juveniles, right to die, fetal tissue transfer to prolong the life of another, reproduction control, and surrogate parenting. This course is taught from a legal and human values perspective.
This course introduces the student to the major architectural components of the legal environment of the elderly, including Medicare, Medicaid, SSI, pensions, nursing homes, assisted living and related issues.
41.381 Women and the LawCredits: 3
Presents issues that particularly affect women. Topics include: sex discrimination, sexual harassment, marriage, divorce, reproductive control, surrogate motherhood, and custody.
41.386 Intellectual PropertyCredits: 3
Surveys the law of the protection of ideas, trade secrets, inventions, artistic creations, and reputation. The course will briefly review the bases for patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection, the distinction between the various forms of intellectual property, and the statutory and common law methods of enforcing rights.
41.387 Legal Research MethodsCredits: 3
Designed to introduce the student to the fundamentals of legal research and writing. The student will gain hands-on experience in legal research and in the reporting of such research in case briefs and memoranda. Emphasis will be placed on the case law and statutory law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
41.388 Directed Study: LawCredits: 3
41.390 LitigationCredits: 3
Examines the practices and procedures involved in the litigation process. Topics include: legal research, courts and jurisdictions, evidence and discovery, pleadings, motions, depositions, trials and appeals, and federal rules of procedure.
41.392 Wills,Trusts and EstatesCredits: 3
Introduction to the law of wills, trusts, and estates. This course covers the fundamental legal concepts and vocabulary necessary to understand, draft, and work with the core estate planning tools. Practical examples and sample legal cases and materials will be provided and discussed. No prior legal knowledge is required, though some familiarity with the United States legal system or case law will be helpful.
41.481 Legal Study PracticumCredits: 3
41.488 Directed Study in LawCredits: 1-3
Permits superior students to engage in specialized study.
41.489 Seminar in LawCredits: 3
Provides opportunity for small groups of advanced students to study selected topics.
41.490 Legal Aspects of CyberspaceCredits: 3
The growth of the Internet has created two parallel universes each with its own set of rules and reality: real space and cyber space. Traditional notions about privacy, defamation, contracts, freedom of expression, pornography, stalking, jurisdiction and intellectual property are challenged by the latest cyberspace technology. Much of the debate about control, which leads to questions about rights and responsibilities, centers around who, if anyone, should design the architecture of cyberspace, i.e., the "code". These and other topical subjects serve as the focus on the study of legal issues in cyberspace.
41.497 The Paralegal PracticumCredits: 3
Assigned fieldwork under the supervision and with the permission of the coordinator. This course is designed to broaden the educational experience of paralegal students by providing exposure to selected legal environments such as corporate legal departments, financial institutions, law firms, real estate departments, banks, and government agencies. This course is intended to provide a correlation of theoretical knowledge with practical experience in an area of particular interest to students.
