Studying Gender and Law at WCL

Gender cuts across many of the traditional boundaries that separate legal disciplines.  At Washington College of Law, we take multiple approaches to integrate gender throughout the entire curriculum.  We offer basic and advanced upper level courses in gender and law (such as Feminist Jurisprudence or Gender, Cultural Difference and Human Rights).  Many professors include significant components on gender in more general courses (such as Human Rights or Employment Law)  Finally, many professors integrate a gender perspective into courses where students might not expect it (such as Tax or Environmental Law), which is a wonderful reminder that there is no area of the law that is not affected by gender.

The Women and the Law Program serves as a resource for students interested in taking gender and the law classes.  The program circulates a list of gender and law classes each term, hosts a Q&A session each semester with faculty who teach gender and law classes and holds weekly office hours for students who want informal advice on selecting their courses.

Electives and Seminars in Gender and Law

At the Washington College of Law, we take multiple approaches to the study of gender and law in the classroom.  In many general courses, such as Torts or Legal Ethics, our professors select materials and cases that highlight how gender interplays with that specific area of law.  In other classes, such as Family Law and Employment Discrimination, the study of gender forms a key component of the course. 

Clinical Programs Focused on Gender and Law

WCL has one of the most highly regarded programs in clinical legal education in the nation.  All of the teachers in the clinical program are attentive to how gender operates in each case.  We also offer two clinical programs that are specifically focused on the interaction of gender and law. 

The Domestic Violence Clinic
Students in the Domestic Violence Clinic examine the relationship of civil and criminal approaches to domestic violence.  Student attorneys in the Domestic Violence Clinic (DVC) represent victim/survivors of domestic violence seeking civil protection orders and/or self-petitioning to change their immigration status.

The Women and the Law Clinic
In the Women & the Law Clinic, students represent indigent women in the District of Columbia courts in three types of cases (child support, domestic violence, and child neglect) and in the many related legal matters affecting a woman's ability to bring about change in her life. Students examine the effects of the legal system on women as they confront problems in their economic security, personal safety, and relationships with their children.

Externships in Gender and Law

Washington, D.C., provides many options for field placements in which students can examine how the law affects women's lives. In recent years, students have obtained placements for academic credit at organizations such as the Women's Legal Defense Fund, the National Women's Law Center, the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, and the EEOC. 

Graduate Certificate in Women, Policy and Political Leadership

In addition to the many course offerings at the Washington College of Law, our students have the option of obtaining a Graduate Certificate in “Women, Policy and Political Leadership” from the American University School of Public Affairs, Women and Politics Institute. 

For mor information on this program, contact Women and the Law Program Coordinator, Angie McCarthy, at angiem@wcl.american.edu.