Required and Elective Courses for the Certificate

U.S. Legal System 

3.0 Credits

This course will begin to help students to “think like lawyers.” Students will gain experience in reading and analyzing cases and statutes in order to begin to understand how to use the law to predict answers to legal questions. The course will also include a sampling of legal readings and guest lectures in the various areas of substantive law.

 

Law of Disability Discrimination (The)

2.0 Credits

This course will provide in-depth analysis and discussion of the major federal disability discrimination statutes, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Readings and class discussions will focus on the application of these laws to issues such as employment, public accommodations, education, architectural barriers, transportation and insurance. The course will explore how disability discrimination statutes interact with other statutes, such as the Social Security Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

 

Torts

4.0 Credits

This course explores the methods and policies for allocating losses from harm to one’s person, property, relations, and economic and other interests. The study of Tort Law is particularly useful for a number of reasons. First, it demonstrates how judges make law, as almost all of tort law is judge-made, or “common,” law. Second, it teaches you how to read cases using fact situations that are easily understandable, such as automobile accidents, medical malpractice, and defectively dangerous manufactured items. Finally, Tort Law is an important basis for recovery for individuals who are injured by the actions of others, which is what some of disability law is about.

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Health Law & Policy

3.0 Credits

This is a survey course of fundamental issues, covering a broad range of topics, in health law and policy intendedboth for students who merely wish to become acquainted with the field, and for those who plan on concentrating in the field. For those planning on concentrating, this course provides a foundation for in-depth courses such as Health Care Business Transactions, Health Care Fraud and Abuse, Health Care Antitrust, and Financing in the Healthcare Industry. For students not concentrating in health law, it provides an introduction to the multitude of issues with which lawyers working with clients in the health care industry need to be familiar.

The course examines the role that law plays in achieving three societal goals: increasing access to health care, controlling health care costs, and assuring quality of health care. Specific topics are the structure of the health care system(including integrated health care delivery systems); regulating quality through licensing, staff privileges, and accreditation; labor and employment issues; the legal obligation to provide treatment, including EMTALA); tax exemption and charitable purposes; health care reform; state and federal regulation of health insurance and managed care (including ERISA); federal initiatives to expand private insurance coverage(including HIPAA, COBRA and ADA); Medicare/Medicaid eligibility, benefits, and reform efforts; health care fraud and abuse (False Claims Act, Antikickback statute, Stark); and antitrust issues in the health care industry. This course does not examine issues of professional liability, and it does not cover ethical issues in health care (covered in , which is the subject of "Bioethics and Law").

 

Choose from among the following electives to complete your 15 credit requirement for the certificate:

Or select another course of interest that would complement this certificate.