Barco Law Library: Legal Research Classes
Each semester the Barco law librarians teach several for-credit courses in the law school. These classes teach a variety of beginning and advanced skills in legal research.
Spring 2008
5069 Effective Research Strategies for the Practitioner - 1 Credit
This course will take a very pragmatic approach to research. Students will learn the most effective and efficient methods for locating legal and other information typically sought by practicing attorneys, including fact research, business research, marketing and client development tools as well as legal research. The emphasis will be on locating information as quickly and cheaply as possible using whatever print, Internet, database or Lexis/Westlaw resource is most applicable to the information. Several guest lecturers including local practitioners and law firm librarians will be providing real-world research examples and solutions. The course is graded and evaluation is based on three research projects, there is no exam. The course will be taught in two class sessions per week during the first five weeks of the spring semester.
5993 Legal Research Practice - 1 Credit
PREREQUISITES: LEGAL WRITING AND ANALYSIS
This course will sharpen and refine the basic research skills the students learned in the first year legal research and writing course into those of an advanced legal researcher. The participants will develop their research skills by providing research services on legal and relevant non-legal issues to faculty. They will also learn to efficiently communicate their search results through discussions with assigning faculty and/or written correspondence such as spreadsheets and memos. Students will work closely with the course instructor and learn to evaluate the research problem, identify and use the appropriate research tools, and present the search results clearly. Instead of working with just one professor as the average Research Assistant does, the Research Fellow will work with the diverse assignment styles and research requests of different professors just as they would as a new associate in a law firm setting. The one credit course is pass/fail based on the student's attendance, research diligence, and performance on a paper journaling their research activities. Students must complete 52 hours of research including weekly 30 minute meetings with the course instructor to earn 1 credit. Enrollment is limited to 10 students.
Prof. Silverman
5863 Information Privacy Law Seminar - 3 Credits
Economic interests, the Internet and national security concerns have resulted in personal information becoming a commodity to be gathered, packaged, marketed, or used for investigative purposes often without regard for, or even the participation of the information subject. New mechanisms for both gathering and disseminating personal information, and new technologies that can both reduce and increase informational privacy have been developed ahead of the ability of the law to effectively regulate these activities. This three credit seminar will explore a number of the law and policy issues in the gathering and use of personal information and the protection of privacy. We will explore these issues in a number of contexts, including privacy and public records, privacy of health and genetic information, database development, privacy and law enforcement, anonymity, workplace privacy, and international privacy law. We will look at privacy-related legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act, HIPPA, and the CAN-SPAM Act, and the technology of privacy including RFID and other chip technologies, data mining, and the Human Genome project. Students will complete and present an extensive research paper and complete other assignments on the use and misuse of personal information. Papers written for this course may be used to satisfy the upper-level writing requirement. Enrollment is limited to 12 students. Prof. Pike.
Fall Courses
5386 Foundations of Legal Research - 1 credit
Foundations of Legal Research is a one-credit concentrated course that will provide students with foundational legal research skills in caselaw, statutes and legislative history, administrative materials, use of secondary sources, shepardizing, and will integrate traditional print resources with online, CD-ROM and Internet resources. This course will be taught in two class sessions per week for the first five weeks of the Fall Semester. The course is open to both second- and third-year students and does not have an enrollment limit. Evaluation is through in-class participation, handson exercises and short research assignments leading to a letter grade, there is no exam. By completing the course early in the semester, students will have the opportunity to get a head start on research intensive activities such as Law Review and Journal, moot court competitions, seminar papers and part-time employment. Additionally, the early completion will not interfere with final exams.
5275 International and Foreign Legal Research - 1 Credit
Finding the law of foreign places, knowing the resources produced by international entities, and searching within the variety of documents that govern our world can qualify you for some of the best jobs in the legal market. In this one credit course you will acquire those skills while completing five short research projects and compiling your own vade mecum for future reference. The class meets once a week throughout the Fall Semester. Evaluation is through a series of research projects and in-class reports, leading to a letter grade.