Course Descriptions

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* Property AB
* International Human Rights Law
* Constitutional Law I
* Advisees (and Potential Advisees) for Writing Requirement, Individual Research, and Law Review Notes and Comments
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Property AB
Semester: Fall 2005
Credits: 4
Meeting Times: Wed. & Thu., 4:35-5:55 p.m.; Fri. 10:15-11:35 a.m.
Office Hours: See the Office Hours page.
Meeting Room: Room E352
Method of Evaluation: There will be an exam at the end of the course, which will be blind graded. See the Exam Schedule for the time and place. The exam will be closed book. Your final grade for the course will be the grade on the exam, except that I can raise (but not lower) the exam grade by half a grade (e.g., from B to B+) for class participation.
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory, as is preparation. Class discussion is crucial to your understanding of the materials. No more than five unexcused absences are permitted. I will circulate an attendance sheet each class once the seating chart is complete. Please make sure you are familiar with the Ground Rule for the course. You can find them in the Assignment Sheet or here.

I will be holding class on the last day of Rosh Hashanah (Wednesday, October 5) and on Yom Kippur (Wednesday, October 12, and Thursday, October 13). Absence for religious observance will be excused if you file a form with the Dean of Students Office so indicating. I will have the classes taped.
Assignments: I will e-mail the class each Friday to confirm the assignment I've given out at the end of class, and will also post it on this page. The e-mail list I use sends the mail to your official law school account. If you don't plan to check it regularly, because you have another e-mail account you prefer to use, you should click here to set up forwarding of law school e-mail to your preferred account. That way you will get not only e-mail from me, but also the Registrar, Dean of Students Office, Financial Aid, and other departments.

Assignment Sheet No. 2 (with additional pages for the Supplement) is available here.

For Wednesday, September 28, 2005, we will discuss Hathcock (from II.A.4.b) and II.B.1. For Thursday, September 29, 2005, please read II.B.2.a and II.B.2.b. For Friday, September 30, 2005, please read through II.B.2.c.1.

As you know, there will be a practice mid-term exam on Sunday, October 9, 2005. I have posted some general advice about writing the exam. You can find it here.

Course Description: Property focuses on basic principles governing private and public control over tangible and intangible resources, especially land. The course addresses concepts and policies concerning property and special concepts concerning real estate, such as estates in land, future interests, and the rule against perpetuities. the course also studies real estate transactions, recording methods of title assurance, easements, covenants, and land use controls.
Links: Follow-up reading on eminent domain (optional)

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International Human Rights Law
Semester: Fall 1999
Credits: 3
Meeting Times: MonW 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Meeting Room:  
Casebook: Forrest Martin et al., International Human Rights Law & Practice (1997), with Documentary Supplement
Prerequisite(s): None
Method of Evaluation: There will be an exam at the end of the course, which will be blind graded. The exam will be open book; you may bring into the examination room any written materials you wish.
     Your final grade for the course will be the grade on the exam, except that I can raise (but not lower) the exam grade by half a grade (e.g., from B to B+) for class participation.
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory, as is preparation. Class discussion is crucial to your understanding of the materials. No more than five unexcused absences are permitted.
Menu Requirement: Group III
Course Description: A study of the international legal system for promoting and implementing human rights. Major topics include (1) a brief introduction to public international law; (2) theoretical issues in human rights norms, e.g., universalism versus cultural relativism, and the status of economic rights as rights; (3) implementation of human rights norms by the various UN bodies, as well as regional bodies such as the European and Inter-American systems; (4) international humanitarian law; (5) human rights in U.S. foreign policy; and (6) the role of human rights law in U.S. courts.
Links: Links. 
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http://library.law.miami.edu/federallinks.html

Constitutional Law I
Semester: Spring 2004
Credits: 4
Meeting Times: Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 8:00 a.m. to 9:20 a.m.
Meeting Room: F309
Course Description: Constitutional Law I is a study of the American constitutional system, concentrating on the idea of judicial review, relationships among the three branches of government, and allocations of responsibility between federal and state governments.
Casebook: GEOFFREY R. STONE ET AL., CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (4th ed. 2001), with 2003 Supplement. There is also material you need to purchase at the Distribution Center.
I do not require or recommend any additional reading, but if you want additional explanation on some subjects, you might consult either Laurence H. Tribe, American Constitutional Law (3d ed. 2000), or John E. Nowak and Ronald D. Rotunda, Constitutional Law (6th ed. 2000). Both are on reserve at the Circulation Desk.
Assignment Sheets and Supplement:  
Exam Review: Grades are available on EASY as of June 9, 2004. I will be happy to review your exam with you if you would like. I have some sample "A" answers for your review. (They are in a PDF file.) If you would like to make an appointment, I would appreciate it if you would follow this procedure:
  • Call my assistant, Pat Santa-Coloma, at 305-284-3978, or e-mail her, to make an appointment.
  • Before the appointment, please pick up a copy of your bluebook, a copy of the exam (PDF file), and a copy of the sample "A" answers, and read them. I will also re-read your answers so that they are fresh in my mind. You can get them from this website or pick them up from Ms. Santa-Coloma.
  • When we meet, I'll give you a sense of which were your stronger and weaker answers and whether there are things that you could do on future exams to improve your performance. The website of the Academic Achievement Program also some general information on the ways that exam reviews can help you.
The first appointment time will be the week of June 28th. I've blocked some times in weekday mornings and afternoons over the next several weeks; Ms. Santa-Coloma can let you know what the times are. If you received a grade of C- or lower, I will be happy to meet with you earlier than that; just call my Ms. Santa-Coloma.

If you would like to review your bluebooks without making an appointment with me you may do so, but you should be aware that I do not write comments in the bluebooks. I keep separate grading sheets which I use to keep track of performance.

The grade distribution in the class was:
A 11
B+19
B 25
C+24
C 13
C- 7
D  1
F  0
The first-year curve requires that at least 20 percent of all grades be B+ or A, and at least 45 percent of all grades be B, B+, or A, with 5 to 15 percent of all grades being C- or lower.

Links:The Federal Sites page on the Law Library's Internet Resources page has links to many helpful sites on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The U.S. Government Information page maintained by the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law also has some useful links.
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