Master of Legal Studies Law (MLSLW)

This course provides an introduction to the legal framework of American constitutional and administrative government. This course will cover the development of constitutional structural protections such as separation of powers principles (separated legislative, executive, and judicial functions) and federalism (division of power between federal and state governments), and a close examination of how those constitutional structures, separation of powers and federalism, function in the modern administrative state. Key inquiries will focus on how administrative decision making impacts due procedural due process; and how the judiciary and the political branches have responded to continuing questions of the constitutional legitimacy of the administrative state. Special emphasis in this course will be placed on statutory interpretation and judicial review of administrative actions by federal courts. The course will be divided into roughly four topical components: (1) Legislation and Statutory Interpretation; (2) Executive Power & Delegation of Legislative Power; (3) The Administrative State & The Regulatory Process; and (4) Judicial Review of Agency Rules.

This course provides an introduction to private law and key concepts in business law. In the United States, there are many sources and classifications of law. This course is designed to integrate the various fields of private and business law. The first half of the course focuses on private law including an introductory survey of the law of property, contract, and torts. The second half explores business law in corporate contexts. Business law will be taught through case law, the structure of business organizations, and corporate practice.

This course is divided into two parts. First, it introduces legal research skills: the basic skills necessary for identifying, locating, and effectively utilizing legal resources. This will include understanding distinctions among legal resources: primary sources of case law and federal/state statutes; sources of secondary legal authority; and research reference tools, to including online legal research tools, commonly used in the practice of law. The course will also introduce citation rules, including an overview of the basic Bluebook citation method. The course will explore the process of legal analysis to better understand sources of legal authority, legal issues, assess credibility and accuracy of primary and secondary sources, and tools for legal analysis and legal reasoning through the application of multiple sources of law. This introductory course will emphasize how legal research can play a critical role legal problem solving and effective legal writing.

In the Independent Study course the MLS student, under the supervision of faculty, will be permitted to do research and write a paper of a substantial nature on a significant subject.

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.