For students interested in a career in Tech, Law & Security, below is a list of Washington College of Law courses that TLS highly recommends. Feel free to contact us at techlawsec@wcl.american.edu.
TLS Curriculum - Foundational & Key Courses
Foundational Courses - Spring 2026 Schedule
Cyber Law
Law-667-001, Michael Carroll
W 4:00-5:50pm, 2 Credits
This class is a survey of legal issues that impact individuals, businesses, and public entities in their use of the Internet and related digital technologies. It addresses questions such as: [1] Whose law[s] apply to Internet conduct? [2] When can governments regulate online speech? [3] What are the rules that apply to social media and other providers of services on the Internet? [4] How should we understand cybersecurity risk and mitigate it through law? [5] What is the current state of privacy law? [6] How does the law regulate cryptocurrencies and other forms of digital property? and [7] What is artificial intelligence and how does or should the law regulate its use?
Cybersecurity Law
Law-666-001, Matt Bodman
M 6:00-8:50pm, 3 Credits
This course will explore cybersecurity technology and law beginning with a brief introduction to the basics of the Internet, core concepts and terms of cybersecurity, and an overview of the current cybersecurity threat landscape. Following a review of foundational legal principles, the coverage will shift to anti-hacking laws, government institutions with cybersecurity authorities, state breach notification laws, industry-specific cybersecurity requirements, privacy, network monitoring, public-private cybersecurity partnership, vulnerability disclosure programs, and incident response.
Key Electives - Spring 2026 Schedule
Privacy & Emerging Technologies
Law-795PV-001, Sylvia Lu
W 1:00-3:50pm, 3 Credits
The law and policy surrounding information privacy has become one of the most hotly debated and rapidly evolving areas of modern law. Legal expertise on this subject is increasingly essential for companies, government agencies, and individuals. Although American privacy law originated from the foundational concept of a "right to be let alone," contemporary business practices, governmental needs, and our digital conduct continuously challenge frameworks premised on seclusion or secrecy. This course examines how U.S. and European privacy law has developed and addresses the difficulties of regulating information technologies in an age characterized by continuous data collection, dissemination, and disclosure. Our focus centers on the field's intricate architecture-a fragmented framework constructed from common law principles (including the four privacy torts), selected federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and key topics from Europe's regulatory regime designed for emerging information technologies.
Law & Emerging Technologies
Law-920-001, Ken Anderson
TTh 4:30-5:50pm, 3 Credits
Emerging technologies across a wide range of areas - from Artificial Intelligence to Genetic Engineering - pose many novel questions for appropriate regulation. Such questions as algorithmic bias, as well as basic questions of safety in areas such as self-driving vehicles or commercial drones, create new challenges for regulation. This course offers a survey that studies the law and theory of regulation as applied to different emerging technologies.
Technology & Privacy in Global Perspective
Law-795TP-001, Alex Joel
Tu 6:00-7:50pm, 2 Credits
New technologies have created a tidal wave of data that, depending on how they are collected and analyzed, could deliver important societal benefits, or pose critical risks to privacy. Such data could be essential for protecting national security and public health, developing innovative products and services, and generating breakthroughs in scientific research. At the same time, they could reveal more personal information about our private lives than at any time in history. The private sector is moving forward quickly to develop and deploy new technologies, while legal frameworks lag, and develop in different and inconsistent directions around the world. This seminar will explore the regulatory and oversight structures that countries are putting in place to ensure that society realizes technology's promise while managing its privacy risks.
AI Regulation: Comparative Perspective
Law-795AX-001, Sylvia Lu
M 1:30-3:30pm, 2 Credits
This seminar will provide a comparative view of the issues confronting legal professionals in today's AI era. Through this seminar, students will learn about the dynamic interactions between AI innovations and their surrounding regulatory landscape. Toward that goal, the core curriculum will revolve around how law and policy should be amended or formulated to shape the deployment of AI technology. The topics center on legal challenges faced by policymakers, regulators, and lawyers, such as facial recognition and its data privacy concerns, biased and discriminatory algorithmic decisions, and accountability regimes for AI harms. Throughout the seminar, classes will discuss how AI innovations create legal issues, why they are regulated differently across different jurisdictions, and how regulatory gaps should be filled. The discussions will span selected legal regimes, including those in the United States, the European Union, and Asia. Class readings include legal instruments, research articles, and media coverage in legal and other fields. No technological background is required.
Topics in Cybersecurity Law
Law-795TS-001, Veronica Miranda
TBC, 2 Credits
Despite decades of work and billions of dollars of investment, our nation's cybersecurity problem is getting worse, not better. Cyberthieves, hacktivists, and nation-state actors-most notably Russia, China, Iran and North Korea-routinely leverage our cyber vulnerabilities to steal valuable data and intellectual property, disrupt key infrastructure, and disseminate disinformation. Our nation is struggling not only to address the serious technical challenges of cybersecurity, but also to develop the comprehensive legal and policy frameworks necessary to keep our computer systems and electronic data safe. This weekly two-hour Tech, Law & Security seminar will challenge students to address some of the most pressing cybersecurity law and policy questions facing our nation today. Using a combination of lectures, class discussions, case studies, and student presentations, we will critically examine key cybersecurity law topics of consequence to our national and economic security, including the legal and policy frameworks governing: critical infrastructure cybersecurity; defense industrial base cybersecurity; the U.S. response to the Chinese cyberespionage threat; ransomware response; botnet investigation and disruption; supply chain cybersecurity; the cybersecurity of cryptocurrency and other digital assets; and digital identity. This course is part of the Tech, Law & Security Program (TLS) curriculum at AUWCL that explores the challenges and opportunities posed by rapidly changing technology. With the professor's permission, this course may be used to meet the WCL upper-level writing requirement. No prior technical knowledge is required for this course.
Virtual Currency Law
Law-857-001, Gerard Comizio
M 4:00-5:50pm, 2 Credits
This course explores the emerging legal and regulatory framework governing virtual currency and other digital asset activities. In a relatively short period of time digital assets have quickly exploded into an emerging global financial ecosystem. Against this backdrop, the course will analyze how federal and state regulators are increasingly focused on how virtual currency activities generally fit within the framework of "traditional" corporate, commercial, financial services, tax, anti-money laundering and other laws, regulations and policies.
Foundational Courses - Fall 2025 Schedule
National Security in Digital Age: Cyber & Information Conflict
Law-635C-001, Gary Corn
TTh 1:30-2:50pm, 3 Credits
The legal and policy frameworks for governing state behavior in cyberspace have not kept pace with the threat. Lawyers charged with advising on the legality of cyber operations are continuously called on to address difficult issues of first impression. This course identifies and considers some of the more challenging domestic and international legal issues raised by the conduct of cyber operations both in the gray zone between peace and war, and in the conduct of hostilities.
Key Electives - Fall 2025 Schedule
National Security Law: Surveillance & Secrecy
Law-635B-001, Alex Joel
T 6:00-7:50pm, 2 Credits
The role of lawyers in national security has never been more important, nor more challenging. Democracies around the world face a myriad of ever-changing threats, and governments must find innovative ways to counter those threats. Yet as intelligence and other national security organizations develop and implement measures to protect the nation's security, they run the risk of undermining the nation's core values. The United States has developed a complex legal framework to regulate and oversee how the government conducts national security activities. This framework must both protect the nation's security and the privacy and civil liberties of its people. This course will examine that framework, focusing on the Intelligence Community, surveillance and secrecy.
Law of Information Privacy
Law-805-001, Kirk Nahra
MW 4:00-5:20pm, 3 Credits
This course will provide a survey of the primary privacy and data security laws and principles in the United States and other parts of the world. We will focus on laws that address specific industries and particular practices, as well as the broad principles that help define the policy of privacy law. Topics include litigation, enforcement, data analytics, and vendor management.
Law Policy & American Intelligence Activities
Law-822-001, Dana Dyson
Th 6:00-8:50pm, 3 Credits
Examines the legal controls on the conduct of foreign intelligence activities by the United States, beginning with a review of what intelligence is and how it is obtained. The seminar also considers the history of United States intelligence activities in war and peace. Selected competing policy interests are identified and discussed as well. Litigation concerns inherent in national security cases also are examined.
Internet Technology & Governance for Lawyers
Law-836A-002, Kathyrn Kleiman
W 4:00-5:50pm, 2 Credits
The Internet connects over five billion people, yet few know how it works or who governs it. This course will focus on the infrastructure of the Internet - the layers of the Internet used for sending data packets around the world and yes, figuring out where a webpage is located in the world. While helpful for everyone, the class is ideal for students preparing for a practice in cyberlaw, technology and intellectual property law, and Internet policy. No previous technology background is required. This is a hands-on course: Every student will interview a senior Internet technologist, write a comment on policy matters, and prepare and present a simulated Internet policy panel. Every student will come away with knowledge of the Internet infrastructure important to their future firms and organizations, and ready to participate in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
Space Law & Satellite Communication
Law-828-001, Pamela Meredith
M 3:00-5:50pm, 3 Credits
Provides an overview of international and U.S. domestic law applicable to satellite communications, satellite remote sensing, launch vehicles, the space station, and other space projects. The focus is on international treaty interpretation, domestic licensing procedures for satellites and launch vehicles, launch service agreements, and satellite procurement contracts.
Video Game & Immersive Technology
Law-795, Ross Dannenberg
Condensed Course - 1 Weekend - Nov. 7-9, 1 Credit
Other Courses (See Course Catalog for Availability)
President & the Constitution
Law-795PY, Mark Rotenberg
The constitutional and legal order of our nation has been under stress related to the president's exercise of authority and judicial responses to it. This course carefully examines the constitutional authority of the president, particularly when it conflicts with prerogatives of the legislative and judicial branches. Topics include checks and balances and separation of powers principles; presidential authority over executive departments and "independent" agencies; appointments and removals of executive officials; presidential authority over immigration; executive privilege; qualified and absolute immunities of the president and executive officials; impeachment; and war powers and targeted killings.
Administrative Law
LAW-601-001, Andrew Popper and LAW-601-002, Jeffrey Lubbers
A study of the structure, powers, and processes of administrative agencies that are the source of much of our nation’s law. Topics include the delegation of power to agencies, the constitutional right to a hearing, agency procedures of adjudication and rule making, information law debates, judicial review of agencies, and administrative reform.
Health Information Privacy and Data Security
LAW-719F, Kirk Nahra
The law of information privacy and data security is growing at enormous rates around the world. Virtually every industry is impacted. Nowhere is the set of legal and business challenges more complicated and important than in the health care industry. This course will review the core elements of the emerging law of information privacy and security, through the lens of the health care industry. We will review not only the law but also the core policy issues affecting health care businesses as well as the key strategic issues for businesses that use or share health related data. We also will explore emerging areas for privacy and information security, including new enforcement principles, issues related to security breaches and breach notification, and the emergence of "non-HIPAA" data as a new challenge to the privacy and data security regulatory structure. The goal for the class is to understand the key principles of the developing law in this area, but also to teach what a lawyer actually does on these issues and the need to combine legal knowledge with practical analysis and an understanding of business implications.
International Law
Law-660, Robert Goldman (Spring) and Rebecca Hamilton (Fall)
The rules governing the conduct of states inter se and their relations with individuals and legal entities; jurisdictional concepts; the status, application, and litigation of international law rules in U.S. courts; sovereign's immunity; recognition; international agreements; the Law of the Sea; human rights; and international claims and adjudications.
Programming for Lawyers
LAW-897
Programming for Lawyers teaches computer programming as a legal skill. Students will learn to code (no prior experience necessary) using the Python programming language, and write software aimed at improving legal practice. Students will gain a practical skill that may improve their practice of law and make it more efficient, as well as an understanding of software from an implementer's perspective, which will aid in the legal analysis of emerging technology issues.
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