Course Descriptions

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Judicial Externship (LWVL598)

Instructor(s): M. Margaret McKeown, Shaun Martin

1 - 6 credit(s), P/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Children's Rights (JD), Civil Litigation (JD), Criminal Litigation (JD), Employment and Labor Law (JD), Environmental and Energy Law (JD), Intellectual Property (JD), International Law (JD), Public Interest Law (JD)
Prerequisite(s): Preferred: First-Year Curriculum, Trial Advocacy- (trial-court placements), Criminal Procedure (appellate-court placements), Criminal Procedure (magistrate judge placements), Criminal Procedure (criminal-dept. placements)

The Judicial Internship Program allows students to receive academic credit for work in a judge's chambers in San Diego. Students must work 50 hours per unit of credit. In addition to the work component of the Program, students enrolled in the program will have regular contact with the Program's instructor, Professor Martin, who will meet with students individually, and review samples of the student's reflective and written work from the internship. Students can secure their own internship position or can meet with Professor Martin for guidance in securing a placement. The internship is graded on a pass/fail basis. Students must receive approval from Professor Martin to register for this program.

Note:

There are limitations on JD concentration eligibility. Please check the concentration web pages for more information.

This course is co-taught by Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Margaret McKeown.

Jurisprudence (LWJT530)

Instructor(s): Horacio Spector

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Requirement(s): Writing

This is a course in contemporary legal philosophy. We will discuss questions about the nature and existence of law and its relationship to morality, social norms, and political decision-making. We will take legal positivism, especially in its Hartian version, as our starting point, and then address various metaphysical and metanormative questions concerning legal facts, legal language, legal reasoning, and legal interpretation. We will also examine fundamental legal concepts such as rights, powers, and liberties. Other approaches to law, including natural law theory and legal realism, will also be considered. The ultimate goal of the course is to prepare students to discuss hard and complex cases rigorously and to contribute to institutional reform. Each student will be required to write a 20-page paper. Successful completion of this course satisfies the written-work requirement.