Family Law

2 credits · Law

The course will examine how the law regulates a range of major life decisions: entering or ending adult intimate relationships, marrying (or choosing not to marry), deciding to bring children into one's life, and whether one has a legal relationship with those children. These laws, a mix of constitutional and statutory, state and federal, touch all of our lives. In addition to exploring the existing legal doctrine, we will also grapple with normative questions undergirding it: how should the law regulate these relationships, and why? Class sessions will be discussion oriented. Throughout the course, we will use problem scenarios as a basis for discussion and as a means to more deeply understand the doctrine we are learning. Grading is based on a final exam, with minor adjustments possible related to class attendance and participation.