Spring 2019 Course Schedule

Supervised Externship Seminar: Civil Rights/Public Interest (LAW-769-002)
Arusha Gordon, Natasha Quiroga

Meets: 06:00 PM - 07:50 PM (W) - Yuma - Room Y249

Enrolled: 6 / Limit: 14

Administrator Access


Notices

To register for this class, please do the following: (1) Register on-line for the seminar as you would for any class, and (2) register for the field placement by going to the Externship Page www.wcl.american.edu/externship and submitting a Request for Approval, which generates the necessary forms.

Description

This seminar will provide students with an opportunity to discuss civil rights and public interest lawyering through their experiences externing at organizations in the Washington DC area. While many students in the class will extern at a non-profit organization, government agency or other entity serving the public interest, students are not required to have an externship at a traditional civil rights or public interest organization. The class will benefit students who are interested in learning more about the civil rights field and work/organizational management issues. The overarching goal is to provide students with tools to get the most out of their externship experience. In addition, the seminar will provide students with an opportunity to learn about and build substantive skills used in public interest lawyering – from drafting a complaint and other briefing, to writing op-eds and educating the public, to finding funding for specific projects. Readings, lectures and class discussion will explore topics such as: organizational management theory (e.g., how to “manage up”); the different strategies and challenges of different types of civil rights lawyering (including a comparison of policy work, direct services, and impact litigation); legal ethics in theory and practice; issues of gender, race, and diversity in the legal profession; coalition and relationship building; and differences in advancing civil rights through private, government, and non-profit means. In addition, students will share best practices for work place efficiency and effectiveness. Students will have the opportunity to explore their own professional development, the transition from school to work, and career goals and career planning.

Textbooks and Other Materials

The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.

First Class Readings

Not available at this time.

Syllabus

Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):