Course Description

601:706 CHILDREN, PARENTS AND LAWYERING FOR CHANGE (3) WI

Freedman


Limited Enrollment = 20


Prerequisites: None. Students who take this course may also take other child related courses, including Child Abuse and Neglect and Juvenile Law.

This course uses a critical and anti-racist perspective to explore new approaches to law and public policy about childhood, parenthood, and family law. We will examine a series of contemporary challenges, including 1. the epidemic of family separation – including through the child protection system, in immigration and of Native American children; 2. school culture, school discipline, juvenile courts, and the school to prison pipeline; 3. adolescent social, sexual, and reproductive activity and choices, including those of LGBTQ youth; 4. child support and government benefits; 5. education for children with disabilities. State and federal law and constitutional and international human rights norms will be considered. Students will be exposed to best practices for representing children, parents, and the state, including family defense, as well as other forms of advocacy on behalf of children and families. Students will have opportunities to engage with issues arising in Camden City and in the state of New Jersey, in partnership with community organizations, as a form of engaged civic learning. Students will be required to spend some time outside of class hours on this work. Final papers or projects may but need not be connected to the community engagement aspect of the course. This course does not have a final examination.