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Williams Project Spring 2004 CLE Credit Courses

This spring, the Williams Project in conjunction with UCLA Extension is offering two on-line CLE courses related to sexual orientation law and public policy.  We invite you to enroll in these courses, which are described below. 

Also, be sure to register for this year's annual update, Sexual Orientation Law 2004, at UCLA School of Law on Friday, February 6, 2004 -- if you haven't already.  You can register via our web form for Sexual Orientation Law 2004.

UL 708.85: Sexual Orientation and the Law

Description: The United States Supreme Court's recent decision in Lawrence and Garner v. Texas has brought gay rights to the forefront of the nation's consciousness, galvanizing people with respect to gay rights issues. In this six-hour self-study online course, participants read two timely and compelling articles authored by UCLA School of Law Professor and Williams Project Faculty Chair William Rubenstein, a leading scholar of sexual orientation law.  
Fee: $150
MCLE Credit: 4 hours of MCLE credit available, including 1 hour of Elimination of Bias
Enrollment Deadline: Enroll anytime between now and March 27, 2004

UL 708.86:  Hate Crimes: An Empirical Analysis

Description: In the news, we frequently hear the statistics concerning the commission and frequency of hate crimes in the United States, but does the information presented tell the whole story about the nature of the rate of these crimes? In this insightful four-hour self-study online course, UCLA School of Law Professor and Williams Project Faculty Chair William Rubenstein analyzes the data for reported hate crimes and reveals a much more nuanced account than what typically is presented (and often obfuscated) by news coverage. 
Fee: $100
MCLE Credit: 4 hours of MCLE credit available, including 1 hour of Elimination of Bias
Enrollment Deadline: Enroll anytime between now and March 27, 2004

Enroll for the on-line courses at http://www.uclaextension.edu.  To enroll in the courses, from the UCLA Extension website, 

• choose "legal studies" from the Field of Study menu

• then click on "on-line studies" 

• then click on "professional development for the legal profession" 

Courses on Sexual Orientation Law - UCLA Law School

Law 318: Sexual Orientation and The Law
William Rubenstein
Next offered Fall Semester 2004 (taught by Zachary Kramer)

Open to graduate students from all disciplines; course is on the UCLA Law School semester schedule.

This course explores the relationship between sexual orientation and the law. The first few sessions consider the concept of sexual orientation: What are we talking about when we talk about sexual orientation? What is meant by that conversation? What are the relationships between sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender? After initial consideration of these questions, the course is then organized according to the life experiences of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. We will consider how the legal system regulates: sexuality; expressions of identity (the "coming out" process); the workplace; same-sex relationships; and queer parenting. Much of the legal doctrine considered in the course is constitutional in nature, including in-depth studies of the right to privacy, the First Amendment, and the equal protection clause; the course also encompasses basic employment (e.g., Title VII) and family law doctrines. The course’s legal readings are placed within a historical framework and are supplemented by fiction, psychology, sociology, oral history, and journalism, as well as readings from the emerging field of "queer theory."

Law 592: Sexual Orientation Scholarship Seminar
Brad Sears
Next offered Spring semester 2005

This seminar is limited to 16 students and students must apply in writing to Professor Sears. Students should have taken the basic sexual orientation law course (see above, Law 318 Fall 2003) to be admitted to this seminar. If they have not done so, they need to explain in their application why they did not take that course and why they have the substantive background to participate in the course. Course is on the Law School semester schedule.

This course examines and accesses recent scholarship in the field of sexual orientation law. Each week, students will read and discuss several recent law review articles in the field. In reading these articles, students will gain in-depth knowledge of a wide variety of legal fields subsumed within sexual orientation law, ranging from constitutional law, to anti-discrimination statutes, to family law and to more theoretical frameworks. In analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the articles, students will also learn to think rigorously about scholarship itself, considering whether articles make substantive contributions to the field, whether they are convincing in their arguments, well-supported by their authorities, and well-crafted. Students will be expected to analyze each week's articles through specific written assignments, as the course will fulfill the law school's writing requirements. Ultimately, the seminar will culminate with the selection of the best articles of the year, which will be published in the Williams Project's prize journal, The Dukeminier Awards.