Parent, Child, and the State

This course examines the legal rights of parents and children, and the state's authority to define and regulate the parent-child relationship. Among the topics discussed are children's and parent's rights of expression and religious exercise, termination of parental rights and adoption, paternity rights, the state's response to child abuse and neglect, the role of race in defining the family, and the legal issues raised by the development of new reproductive technologies. The student's grade is based on a take-home examination.