The course will be taught jointly by a visiting ANU academic and an academic from the University of Alabama Law School. (While the specific subject area of the course will varies from year to year, depending on the particular field of interest of the ANU/UA visitors, it will involve a comparative study of Australian and US approaches to the particular subject matter. Assessment details, teaching methods and type of course materials will vary from year to year depending on the subject matter and personnel involved in each offering of the course, but will be specified prior to student enrolment in the course.) 

In 2011, the course will involve a comparative study of Australian and US approaches to Race Law.

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

• identify similarities and differences between the Australian and US law on 'race'
• distinguish different socio-historical policies and understandings about 'race', and how they are drawn upon and used by the law
• identify, articulate and debate contemporary issues relating to 'race' by drawing upon the selected legal topics studied in the course as examples
• hypothesise any contextual factors which might contribute to the commonalities and divergences between the Australian and US race law
• analyse particular legal material discussed during the course to generate a written argument which compares how the two legal systems frame issues about race.

This course will require participation in seminar activities at the University of Alabama throughout the intensive teaching period.  The course will be primarily assessed by a 5,000-6,000 word comparative research essay due after the end of the course.  Further details of the final assessment will be provided on the course home page by the first week of the course.

Taught at the University of Alabama Law School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in January-February.  This course is run in intensive format with approximately 9 hours of lectures/seminars per week.

Completed or completing five LAWS courses at 1000 level.

Enrolment in this summer course is restricted to the students who have been accepted in the 5-week intensive ANU/US Joint Teaching Program. Priority will generally be given to later year students (12 or less semester courses left to complete). Subject to this priority, students will be selected on a first-come first-served basis, as enrolment will be strictly limited (10 students in 2010).  Where appropriate, academic merit may be taken into account.

A reading guide will be available on the course web page.

To derive maximum benefit from the course, it is suggested that students undertake it in the latter part of their studies, when they have achieved a reasonable degree of familiarity with law in general and with the particular subject area of the course in any given year.

University of Alabama Law School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in January-February.  Applications must be submitted in early August of the preceding year.