Schedule of Classes
281.3 sec. 1 - Children and the Law (Fall 2009)
Instructor: Joan Heifetz Hollinger (view instructor's teaching evaluations | profile)
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Units: 3
Meeting Time: MW 11:15-12:30
Meeting Location: B-1, Hearst Field Annex (HFA)
Course Control Number (Non-1Ls): 49775
Main Section Enrollment:
Enrolled: 12
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 28
As of: 11/25 06:43 AM
What is the status of children in our legal system? What are the legal and psychosocial principles that govern the creation, regulation, and termination of the relationship between children and their parents? How does a child differ from an embryo or a fetus? Who is a "parent"? Do the “rights” of children differ from those of adults? Does the State have an obligation to protect the liberty, privacy, and autonomy interests of children? How should the law resolve conflicts between a child’s "best interests" and "parental rights"? How should the law treat adoptive, foster, psychological or intended parents as distinguished from biogenetic parents or sperm and egg providers? Should all children be treated equally without regard to the circumstances of their birth and without regard to the marital status, gender or sexual orientation of their parents? Should social science and child development research influence legal determinations of parentage?
This course explores the historical, common law, statutory, and constitutional doctrines of “children’s rights,” "parental autonomy," and "parens patriae" in the context of disputes about legal parentage, the use of assisted reproductive technology to produce children, the status of children raised by same sex parents, domestic and intercountry adoption, adolescents’ access to health care, and children’s quest for identity and citizenship. Several case files are studied in
There is a take-home exam or optional paper for students who have the instructor’s permission to begin or complete their Writing Requirements in conjunction with this course.
Prerequisites:
No prerequisites.
This course may satisfy the Writing Requirement.
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Exam Notes: TH/P
Course Category: Family Law
Course Subcategories:
Social Justice and Public Interest
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Books:
No books found for this course. Please always double check with your instructor.
