WCL Gender Resources: Academic Offerings
LL.M. Specialization in Gender and the Law WCL established the specialization in Gender and the Law, the first LL.M. in the world to focus on gender, within the International Legal Studies Program in 1997. Students specializing in Gender and the Law can pursue a course of study that incorporates international, comparative, and domestic approaches to legal issues related to gender. The program also assists students in securing internships and independent study opportunities, organizes events and enables students to present their expertise to the WCL and Washington, D.C. communities. Students may opt to receive a certificate in Gender and the Law through the International Legal Studies Program. To qualify for the certificate, the student must complete 16 credit hours of courses on relevant subject matter and write a research paper of publishable quality on a relevant topic. A FAQ sheet detailing the certificate requirements may be obtained at the International Legal Studies Program Office. For more information about the International Legal Studies LL.M. and the specialization in gender and the law, please contact the International Legal Studies Program at llminfo@wcl.american.edu.
LL.M. Program on Law and Government The LL.M. Program, which was founded in 1998, offers students an opportunity to pursue graduate legal work on U.S. public law. It is a 24-credit degree program which students can choose to pursue full-time (and complete in one year) or part-time (and complete at their own pace). The flexible LL.M. curriculum encourages students to design courses of study in the broad areas of civil and constitutional rights, business and financial regulation (including banking, trade, securities, tax, and antitrust law and policy), and administrative law and regulatory practice (including health law and policy, labor and employment law and policy, intellectual property and information policy, environmental law and policy, and immigration law and policy). For more information on opportunities with the LL.M. Program on Law and Government, please contact Maryam Ahranjani at mahranjani@wcl.american.edu.
S.J.D. Program
The S.J.D. Program selects outstanding students prepared to write a doctoral-level thesis in law, who will make original contributions to legal literature, and who have a strong intellectual commitment to advanced legal study. S.J.D. applicants are expected to hold an advanced law degree (LL.M. or equivalent) from a U.S. law school accredited by the American Bar Association, or from a foreign law school with equivalent standards. In exceptional cases, the S.J.D. Committee may consider candidates who do not hold an advanced law degree, but who have an impressive publication record and significant legal teaching experience. For more information, please see the International Legal Studies Program website: http://www.wcl.american.edu/ilsp/sjdoverview.cfm.
Course Offerings
Each semester, interested J.D. and LL.M. students can choose from a variety of courses relating to issues of gender and the law. Course offerings may include such courses as: Family Law; Battered Women and the Law; Gender and the Law; Feminist Jurisprudence; Gender, Cultural Difference, and International Human Rights; International Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons; Gender, Race and Ethnicity in International Human Rights; Sex-Based Discrimination; and Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. WILP has updated lists of course offerings per semester. Please contact afehling@wcl.american.edu for information on current courses.
This year the Women and International Law Program will launch this new one-credit seminar to integrate experiential learning with gender analysis. The course, taught by Claire Smearman, Practitioner-in-Residence, is designed primarily for LL.M. students studying in the International Legal Studies specialization in gender and the law, but all students are eligible. The seminar integrates theories of gender and cultural difference with experiential learning, and students will develop and participate in presentations based on their experiences and research about gender issues in their home countries. In addition, site visits to local women's rights organizations and agencies planned by students will provide an opportunity to explore the world of gender advocacy and to see how legal institutions affect the lives of women. The seminar will also encourage student writing on gender and the law. Please see the online class schedule for details.