LAW 7019: Employment Discrimination
This course will examine legal responses to the barriers to workplace equality that are faced by minority groups. The course will survey the relevant doctrine, focusing primarily on federal employment discrimination statutes, but also addressing more expansive antidiscrimination protections under some state statutes, and local ordinances. Covered topics include sexual and racial harassment, sexual orientation discrimination, and affirmative interventions aimed at increasing the minority group and/or female representation in certain job categories or segments of the labor market. In addition to surveying the doctrine as it stands and as it has developed over time, we will also explore the doctrinal and conceptual difficulties inherent in identifying invidious discrimination and in devising appropriate remedies. The elements used in grading will be class participation, and, at the student's option, either a series of reflection papers or a single final paper on a topic to be determined i
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This course will examine legal responses to the barriers to workplace equality that are faced by minority groups. The course will survey the relevant doctrine, focusing primarily on federal employment discrimination statutes, but also addressing more expansive antidiscrimination protections under some state statutes, and local ordinances. Covered topics include sexual and racial harassment, sexual orientation discrimination, and affirmative interventions aimed at increasing the minority group and/or female representation in certain job categories or segments of the labor market. In addition to surveying the doctrine as it stands and as it has developed over time, we will also explore the doctrinal and conceptual difficulties inherent in identifying invidious discrimination and in devising appropriate remedies. The elements used in grading will be class participation, and, at the student's option, either a series of reflection papers or a single final paper on a topic to be determined in consultation with Professor Ford. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer, with consent of the instructor, from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement. If more than 35 students wish to enroll, students should contact instructor to be placed on a waitlist. Instructor will determine final enrollment.
Last offered: Autumn 2024
| Units: 3
LAW 7020: Ethics On the Edge: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, Government, and Individuals
The objective of the course is to explore the increasing ethical challenges in a world in which technology, global risks, and societal developments are accelerating faster than our understanding and the law can keep pace. We will unravel the factors contributing to the seemingly pervasive failure of ethics today among organizations and leaders across all sectors: business, government, non-profit, and academia. A framework for ethical decision-making underpins the course. There is significant space for personal reflection and forming your own views on a wide range of issues. Prominent guest speakers will attend certain sessions interactively. The relationship between ethics and culture, leadership, law, and global risks (inequality, privacy, financial system meltdown, cyber-terrorism, climate change, etc.) will inform discussion. A broad range of international topics might include: designer genetics; civilian space travel (Elon Musk's Mars plans); social media (e.g. Facebook Cambridge A
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The objective of the course is to explore the increasing ethical challenges in a world in which technology, global risks, and societal developments are accelerating faster than our understanding and the law can keep pace. We will unravel the factors contributing to the seemingly pervasive failure of ethics today among organizations and leaders across all sectors: business, government, non-profit, and academia. A framework for ethical decision-making underpins the course. There is significant space for personal reflection and forming your own views on a wide range of issues. Prominent guest speakers will attend certain sessions interactively. The relationship between ethics and culture, leadership, law, and global risks (inequality, privacy, financial system meltdown, cyber-terrorism, climate change, etc.) will inform discussion. A broad range of international topics might include: designer genetics; civilian space travel (Elon Musk's Mars plans); social media (e.g. Facebook Cambridge Analytica, on-line sex trafficking, monopolies); new devises (e.g. Amazon Alexa in hotel rooms); free speech on University campuses; opioid addiction; AI (from racism to the work challenge and beyond); corporate and financial sector scandals (Epi pen pricing, Theranos, Wells Fargo fraudulent account creation, Volkswagen emissions testing manipulation); and non-profit sector ethics challenges (e.g. NGOs engagement with ISIS and sexual misconduct in humanitarian aid (Oxfam case)). Final project in lieu of exam on a topic of student's choice. Attendance required. Class participation important (with multiple opportunities to earn participation credit beyond speaking in class). Strong emphasis on rigorous analysis, critical thinking and testing ideas in real-world contexts. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Attendance, Written Assignments, and Final Paper. Cross-listed with Public Policy (
PUBLPOL 134,
PUBLPOL 234). CONSENT APPLICATION: Interested SLS students may apply to enroll in this class by sending a request to Dr. Susan Liautaud at susanliautaud@googlemail.com. Please CC the course TA, Allie O'Keefe, at aokeefe@stanford.edu. NOTE: This course does NOT meet the SLS Ethics requirement.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 2
LAW 7021: Family Law
This course will explore how the law regulates intimate relationships among adults and parent-child relationships. These laws, a mix of constitutional and statutory, state and federal, touch all of our lives, when we marry or divorce, or decide not marry an intimate partner, when we become parents, or decide not to become parents. Family Law provides the legal context, the background rules, pertaining to what are unquestionably the most important decisions in our lives-- the choice of a life partner, and whether to become a parent. In probing this body of law, we will also explore big questions about how the government should regulate people with respect to their intimate lives. Our first question: If marriage did not exist as a legal institution, would there be any good reason to create it as one? The class will be very interactive, with many actual and hypothetical problem scenarios providing a basis for discussion. Elements used in grading: Exam, with minor adjustments for class participation.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
Instructors:
Banks, R. (PI)
LAW 7022: Federal Habeas Corpus
This course covers the history of the Great Writ and the evolution of the scope of federal habeas corpus review and relief; the Suspension Clause; habeas review in capital cases including stays of execution; alternatives to habeas review; state post-conviction proceedings; the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA); and jurisdictional issues in both the trial and appellate courts. The course will be valuable to students seeking federal judicial clerkships as well as those interested in prosecutorial work or post-conviction representation. Elements used in grading: Exam
Last offered: Autumn 2016
| Units: 2
LAW 7023: Federalism
(Formerly
Law 742) This course is an overview of legal and policy issues connected to federalism. We will examine a set of core theoretical questions - the values federalism serves; the relationship of federalism and individual and minority rights; and the role of judges in enforcing federalism through judicial review - across a wide range of contemporary legal debates (e.g., same-sex marriage, health care, immigration, voting rights). While much of the seminar will focus on the United States, we will also consider federalism in comparative context by examining the constitutions and legal doctrines of other regimes. Special Instructions: After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Written Assignments or Research Paper.
Last offered: Winter 2017
| Units: 3
LAW 7024: Food Law and Policy
This seminar explores legal and policy issues related to our food system, including the regulation of food supply, food safety, nutrition / obesity, marketing / labeling, security, and animal treatment. We will examine how laws and regulations affect the production, distribution, sale, and consumption of food and whether particular regulatory approaches (e.g., product bans, product standards, government subsidies, taxes, information disclosure, or labeling) are more effective in achieving public goals. The course can be conceived of as a form of applied administrative law and regulation, but no background is necessary. Instructions: Grades will be based on class attendance, class participation, and either several short reflection papers (section (01)) or an independent research paper (section (02)). After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Students taking the
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This seminar explores legal and policy issues related to our food system, including the regulation of food supply, food safety, nutrition / obesity, marketing / labeling, security, and animal treatment. We will examine how laws and regulations affect the production, distribution, sale, and consumption of food and whether particular regulatory approaches (e.g., product bans, product standards, government subsidies, taxes, information disclosure, or labeling) are more effective in achieving public goals. The course can be conceived of as a form of applied administrative law and regulation, but no background is necessary. Instructions: Grades will be based on class attendance, class participation, and either several short reflection papers (section (01)) or an independent research paper (section (02)). After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Students taking the course for R credit can take the course for either 2-4 units, depending on paper length. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS website (Click Courses at the bottom of the homepage and then click Consent of Instructor Forms). See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
LAW 7025: Employment Law
Workplace issues have become one of the fastest-growing areas of state and federal law. Employment-related lawsuits filed in federal court have tripled in volume in the past decade, and now account for a tenth of all civil cases. Many state courts have experienced a similar burgeoning of their employment law caseloads. This course examines this diverse, rewarding, and rapidly evolving area of legal practice by considering the diverse array of laws and institutions that regulate the employment relationship. The focus of the course is on laws that affect employees in non-unionized settings, such as protections against dismissal without cause, wage and hour restrictions, workplace privacy, covenants not to compete, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and mandatory arbitration of employment disputes. The course does not cover either Employment Discrimination or Labor Law, both of which are offered as separate courses. Special Instructions: Regular, punctual attendance is required. If you exp
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Workplace issues have become one of the fastest-growing areas of state and federal law. Employment-related lawsuits filed in federal court have tripled in volume in the past decade, and now account for a tenth of all civil cases. Many state courts have experienced a similar burgeoning of their employment law caseloads. This course examines this diverse, rewarding, and rapidly evolving area of legal practice by considering the diverse array of laws and institutions that regulate the employment relationship. The focus of the course is on laws that affect employees in non-unionized settings, such as protections against dismissal without cause, wage and hour restrictions, workplace privacy, covenants not to compete, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and mandatory arbitration of employment disputes. The course does not cover either Employment Discrimination or Labor Law, both of which are offered as separate courses. Special Instructions: Regular, punctual attendance is required. If you expect (or are unexpectedly forced) to miss more than two classes, please consult with the instructor as soon as possible, as exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Early Add/Drop Deadline: Add/Drop decisions must be made the first week of class. Exceptions are at the instructor's discretion and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Elements used in grading: Final Exam.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
Instructors:
Morantz, A. (PI)
LAW 7026: Immigration Law
This survey course provides a foundation in the constitutional principles and statutory framework governing the regulation and rights of noncitizens and the immigration admission and removal process. The course also explores selected contemporary issues related to immigrants' rights and immigration reform. These may include topics such as asylum and refugee protection, due process safeguards, border enforcement, immigration detention, immigrant workers' rights, state citizenship status discrimination, judicial review by Article III courts, and current policy debates. The course draws on the instructor's decades of experience litigating constitutional and civil rights cases on behalf of noncitizens as founding director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project and his senior positions in the Biden and Obama administrations at the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Guest speakers may be invited for some topics. No prior course or background in immigration law is expected. Elements used in grading: Class participation and attendance (15%), final exam (85%).
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
Instructors:
Guttentag, L. (PI)
LAW 7027: Critical Race Theory (Reading Group)
This reading group will investigate unresolved issues in Critical Race Theory. Questions explored will include: What exactly are advocates for racial justice fighting for? That is, what does racial justice look like? What is the place of "culture" in our racial present and in a racial utopia? What are the roles of agency and structure -- individuals and institutions -- in perpetuating, and remedying, racial inequality? What is the role of law in undermining and/or entrenching racial stratification? Readings will be highly varied, coming from the fields of law, psychology, sociology, and anthropology, among others. Meeting Dates: This class will meet 4:15PM - 7:15PM on Thursday, September 29, October 27 and November 17. Elements used in grading: Grading will be based on participation, short reaction/response papers, and a final paper.
Last offered: Autumn 2016
| Units: 1
LAW 7028: Lawyers and Leadership
This course will examine the responsibilities and challenges for those who occupy leadership roles, with particular emphasis on those seeking to use law as a vehicle for social and organizational change. Topics will include characteristics and styles of leadership, organizational dynamics, forms of influence, decision making, conflict and crisis management, innovation, diversity and inclusion, ethical responsibilities, scandal, civil and human rights, and public interest law. Materials will include cutting-edge research, case histories, problems, exercises, and media clips. Class sessions will include visitors who have occupied leadership roles. Requirements will include class participation, and either a few short written weekly reflection papers (2 to 3 pages and a short research paper (about 3-5 pages) or (2) a long paper (approximately 26-30 pages). After the term begins, students can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Attendance, Written Assignments, Final Paper.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 3
