Course Descriptions for New Spring 2023 Courses

Course descriptions for new Spring 2023 courses (GDPR Practicum; Startup Lawyering; Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity; Laws of Retirement; and Legal Theory) are available below.

GDPR Practicum (2 credits)
Prof. Goldstein
Description: The European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has become the model for many countries’ privacy/data protection laws. This course provides a basic, practical understanding of the requirements and the practice of the GDPR through the content of the GDPR itself, a few cases interpreting the GDPR, and a case study. The case study, as the facts develop throughout the course, calls for the drafting of documents often used when personal data is processed in the EU. An important goal of the course is to provide practical experience in implementing the requirements of the GDPR. Having taken previous courses in privacy/data protection is helpful but not required. The course will be taught online.

Startup Lawyering (3 credits)
Prof. N. Kim
Description: In this course, students will work closely with students in the Start-Up Accelerator Program at the Kaplan Institute to identify legal and ethical issues and reduce risks for emerging companies. Students will learn and apply legal concepts regarding the formation of business entities, the protection and preservation of intellectual property and other rights, and employment and contract issues.  Students will gain a practical understanding of business law, particularly as it pertains to start-ups, and develop problem solving skills
to prevent and resolve legal issues faced by entrepreneurs. Each student team will select a start-up “client” from the Start-Up Accelerator Program. Students will be expected to meet weekly with their start-up clients and submit regular written reports and presentations regarding assigned topics as they pertain to their client. Each group will be expected to tailor legal analysis and problem solving for their particular client. Class sessions will entail an overview of specific legal issues (e.g. business formation) and student presentations of how that particular legal issue applies to their client (e.g. selecting the appropriate business form for the client).

Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity (2 credits)
Prof. Weber
Description: This course explores the commission of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity across the world.  We will discuss the origins of the crime of genocide and historical evolution of war crimes and crimes against humanity; the perpetration and development of policies leading to mass atrocity crimes and ethnic cleansing; and the attempts by the international community to prevent and punish those most responsible for these crimes with the broader goal of ending impunity for serious violations of international humanitarian law.  The class sessions will cover major trials from Nuremberg, the United Nations ad hoc Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and the International Criminal Court.  May be taken either for regular course credit or for seminar credit.

Laws of Retirement (2 credits)
Prof. Shadid
Description: "Not less than ten percent of every dollar you earn should be yours to keep forever." Despite this simple rule of thumb, data indicates that less than half of working age Americans actively save for retirement, and that white males have access to, and take advantage of, retirement savings opportunities at a greater rate than other demographic groups. Through reading about the laws that govern saving for retirement, this class is structured to explore one central question: can the law be used to diminish this retirement gap? The class will analyze the simple concepts and behavioral patterns that constitute saving for retirement, as well as the history of retirement plans and the laws that govern them. The goal of the class is to provide students with the language they need to not only intelligently discuss retirement issues but also view them through a lense of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Legal Theory (3 credits)
Prof. Donelson
Description: This is a theoretical course about the law, divided into two parts. In part one, we explore general jurisprudence (or sometimes “analytic jurisprudence”), the field of inquiry where thinkers try to determine what makes a norm a law and what makes some social arrangement a legal system. In part two, we explore approximately one dozen highly influential concepts for contemporary legal thought. These concepts were first developed in diverse fields such as social theory, political science, philosophy, economics as well as the legal academy. The course may be taken either for regular course credit, or for seminar credit. All students will be required to submit regular short response papers. Those taking it as a regular course will also write a 12-15 page paper due at the end of the semester. Those taking it for seminar credit will write a paper meeting the seminar requirements.

The Role of State Attorneys General (2 credits)
Co-taught by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Prof. Carolyn Shapiro
Description: This class will focus on the myriad powers and responsibilities of state attorneys general, including how they differ from state to state. Because most AGs are popularly elected statewide, they operate more independently of the rest of the executive branch than does the federal attorney general, who reports to the president, and the class will explore the implications of that independence. Substantive topics may include AGs roles in law enforcement and criminal justice reform, consumer protection, and environmental enforcement. The class will also discuss the increasingly significant role of state AGs in national litigation as they have spearheaded litigation involving such highly politicized issues as student loan forgiveness, health care reform, and immigration law. The class will not have an exam, and students will be assessed based on a series of assignments during the semester.