Jurisdiction, Judgments, and the Family Seminar
Prof. Rhonda Wasserman
Course Information and Requirements
Prof. Wasserman Fall 1997
Office: Room 321 Office Telephone: 648-1338
Fax: 648-2648 E-mail: rsw5+@pitt.edu
or wasserman@law.pitt.edu
REQUIRED MATERIALS: There is no casebook required for this course. I have prepared a set of materials (the "Supp."), entitled Jurisdiction, Judgments and the Family Seminar Materials, which are available from the Copy Cat.
CLASS SCHEDULE: I will assume primary responsibility for the following classes:
August 25: Personal Jurisdiction in Divorce Cases
September 8: Interstate Enforcement of Ex Parte Divorce Decrees
September 15: Durational Residency Requirements for Divorce
September 22: Personal Jurisdiction in Child Custody Cases
September 29: Interstate Enforcement of Child Custody Decrees
October 6: Domestic Relations Exception to Federal Jurisdiction
Depending upon enrollment, the last 3 or so classes will be dedicated to student presentations. The remaining weeks (in the middle of the semester) will be unscheduled, assuring sufficient time and energy for completion of a thorough first draft and careful comments on the draft of a fellow student.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES: The final grade in the course will be based on five factors: (1) the first draft of the paper [30% of grade]; (2) the final draft of the paper and the quality of the improvements from the first draft [40%]; (3) the presentation [10%]; (4) the written comments provided on the draft of another student's paper [10%]; and (5) classroom participation and attendance [10%].
DEADLINES: I have set the following deadlines to ensure that everyone is able to complete the course requirements in a timely fashion:
Selection of paper topic (with my approval) Monday, September 15
Submission of one-page outline Monday, September 29
Submission of first draft by 10:00 A.M. on Monday, October 27
Submission of written comments on by 10:00 A.M. on another student's first draft Monday, November 3
Submission of final draft by 5:00 P.M. on Thursday, December 4
***Please note: Late papers will not be accepted unless the student has received an extension from me prior to the due date. Extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances.***
POTENTIAL PAPER TOPICS:
1. Interstate Enforcement of Child Support Orders
2. Hague Convention on International Child Abduction
3. Indian Child Welfare Act
4. Interstate Recognition of Same-sex Marriages
5. Uniform Adoption Act (1994)
6. Transracial Adoption
7. International Adoption
8. Interspousal Tort Immunity
9. Parent-Child Tort Immunity
10. Marital Rape and Spousal Sexual Assault
11. Other Intra-Family Crimes
12. Domestic Violence and Custody litigation
13. Marital Testimonial Privilege
14. Conflict of Laws regarding the Enforceability of Pre-nuptial Agreements
15. Conflict of Laws regarding Marital Property
16. Conflict of Laws regarding Legitimacy
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