Health Law IV: Bioethics available for fall registration

I am pleased to announce that one of our new Health Law courses, Health Law IV – Bioethics, is now open for registration for this Fall. Bioethics is one of the 5 required core offerings in the Health Law Certificate program. It is recommended that students who wish to complete the Health Law Certificate take this course in the Fall of their second year as it is necessary to complete this course prior to starting the required Health Law Externship in the third year. This Course will only be offered in the Fall of every school year.

The course will be taught by Dr. Julie Aultman, Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Director of the Bioethics Certificate Program, College of Graduate Studies, at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. Dr. Aultman serves on several hospital ethics committees in Northeast Ohio, and acts as a consultant on bioethics issues for healthcare professionals, patients, and their families. She will offer this three-credit course on Friday afternoons, 2:00-5:00 p.m.

Here is the course description:

Health Law IV: Bioethics: This course examines the emerging legal concepts reflecting the rapid developments in modern medicine and the moral concerns of society. Emphasis is on judicial decisions and philosophical analyses dealing with issues such as genetic manipulation (treating disease, creating super-humans), novel modes of procreation (cloning, IVF), maternal-fetal conflicts, human experimentation, the nature of consent regarding medical procedures, control of drugs and organs, definitions of death, and the implications of euthanasia.

New Fall 2013 Course Offering – Race, Civil Liberties, and National Security

Race, Civil Liberties, and National Security – Professor Lee
(78463) 9200:684-801
Thursdays 6:40 – 9:40 P.M.

 This seminar explores the intersection of a kind of profiling that is considered wrongful—race discrimination—with a kind of profiling that is considered not only appropriate but essential—profiling in support of national security efforts. We will focus in particular on an extended case study of one of the most notorious incidents in American history that combines both features: the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Although the general facts are broadly known, the particulars are not well understood. Rather than being an isolated idiosyncratic event, the internment had both historical antecedents and an extensive legacy that continues into modern controversies, especially in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. We will compare and contrast these historical materials with more recent issues culled from current sources. In the context of racial justice, the course addresses a serious question raised by recent events: What rights must we sacrifice in order to keep us safe?

July 1, 2013 Graduation Application Deadline

Planning to Graduate this Fall? All Fall 2013 Degree Candidates must submit an application by JULY 1, 2013!

Monday, July 1, 2013 is the graduation application deadline for law students planning to graduate at the end of the 2013 fall semester. Late applicants will need to obtain the dean’s permission.

Students must apply for graduation through ‘My Akron’ (formerly ‘Zipline’). Step-by-step instructions for submitting a graduation application in ‘My Akron’ are available by clicking the Graduation Services link in the “Quick Links for Students” section of ‘My Akron’.

Please note that, per University policy, all obligations to The University of Akron must be reconciled prior to degree candidacy (i.e., commencement program notation, ceremony attendance and degree conferral).

Summer I Intersession Course Opportunity

You have the opportunity to pick up 3 credits of a very interesting course during the Intersession between spring semester and the beginning of Summer I:

Space still available in a fun 2-week biodiversity/climate/energy course this May

Professor Robbins is offering a fun (low-intensity) 3-unit course this May 13-25 that will provide the basics of biodiversity law, the impact of climate change on biodiversity (not covering emissions regulation, which is too complex for a mini-course), and the impact of biodiversity law on the development of renewable energy and hydraulic fracturing. The course is offered M-F 1pm to 5pm for those two weeks, with an 8-hour take-home exam on Saturday the 25th (no more material than a 3-hour exam, just more time to think it through, with word-limits so you don’t feel like you have to race to write the most in all 8 hours). Due to the daily class timing, reading will be constrained to about a 1-1 ratio (hours reading per hours class time, which is traditionally 3-1), and thus far lighter than usual for a 3-unit course. Professor Robbins will cover the readings in a classroom setting (lecture/discussion) in the first half of each day, provide a short break, and then engage the class in practical group exercises for the remainder of the time. Weather permitting, the latter portion will take place outside. The course offers a pleasant, brief, and informative (must-know material in this changing world) way to earn 3 units.

Here is the listed course description:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Renewable Energy: Emerging Legal Issues
Professor Kalyani Robbins

What do lawmakers, real estate developers, energy companies, urban planners, land managers, and industrial regulated parties all have in common? They all face a major turning point in our relationship with the planet – changes in the climate, sea level rise, rapidly evolving biodiversity needs, and a boom in renewable energy and natural gas extraction, both of which face conflicts with endangered species protection – a turning point that is beginning to alter the options available to each within their respective fields. This course will cover biodiversity law, climate change law, and the emerging relationship between the two. We will then proceed to review the various areas of renewable energy (which, of course, is a favored avenue toward climate mitigation), as well as the newly revamped hydraulic fracturing technology, all through the lens of conflicts with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that are hindering development in these areas. We will discuss ways in which the move toward renewable energy might be accomplished without butting heads with the rather fierce ESA. The text for the course is The Law of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management (Foundation Press University Casebook Series, Third Edition, 2013, John Copeland Nagle, J.B. Ruhl & Kalyani Robbins, eds.).