Property (530-2)

Instructors

Kimberly A Yuracko
312 503 3466

Meeting Info

Rubloff 150 - Aspen Hall: Thurs, Fri 8:50AM - 10:15AM

Overview of class

The textbook for the course is my own adaptation of CLOWNEY, GRIMMELMANN, GRYNBERG, SHEFF, & TUSHNET, OPEN-SOURCE PROPERTY: A FREE CASEBOOK (2015-2017), which I will abbreviate as "OSP." All assigned readings will be made available as PDF files on Canvas. There is no need to purchase a casebook!

Registration Requirements

In this course, students will gain an understanding of substantive property law by surveying a wide range of topics within the field.

By the end of the term, students will be able to analyze basic doctrinal issues in property law, such as adverse possession, future interests, chain of title, and easements.

Students will be able to express their views in writing, using idiomatic legal language from the field of property law.

Students will gain a deeper understanding of private law by noting various interactions among property, tort, and contract.

Students will get an introduction to the economic analysis of law throughout the term as various topics in property law surface classic law-and-economics concepts.

Students will study the competing philosophies and policy justifications for various statutes and judicial doctrines within property law, with attention to inequality and civil rights.

Evaluation Method

The final grade will be based on approximately these components and the more detailed descriptions that follow: (1) 20% 1st journal installment; (2) 20% 2nd journal installment; (3) 10% journal on which you do the best; (4) 25% class workshop; and (5) 25% class attendance and participation. You will write reflective journal entries analyzing your work experiences and different class topics and responding to prompts. You will submit your journal two times over the course of the semester. After you hand in the 1st journal installment, I will provide you with feedback to help you improve on your 2nd journal installment. You will give a workshop to the class on a topic of your choosing towards the end of the semester. As part of the workshop, you will present your research on that particular topic in an engaging, interactive way and facilitate a brief discussion. Class attendance and participation will be graded based on efforts, not on whether answers are right or wrong. In addition, successful compliance with the externship requirements and the expectations of your placement supervisor are essential. Although the field placement experience will not be graded directly, I will be in contact with your supervisor during the semester to discuss your work. Failure to comply with the requirements and expectations of your externship may have an impact on your grade. You will get individual feedback and guidance from me on your journals, workshop topic and outline, and anything else that relates to the class through conferences during the semester, and you can meet with me more, as needed.

Class Materials (Required)

Class Notes

The exam will only cover material from the reading assignments or from classroom discussion. You are not expected or required to do outside reading, especially given the highly intensive format of the course. Commercial outlines, workbooks, or hornbooks, however, might help you—it depends on how you learn and study. If you do use outside study aids, you should beware of inaccurate or oversimplified sources. I generally recommend the treatise by Joseph William Singer & Nestor M. Davidson, Property (6th ed. 2022), which the organization of our course will track pretty well. I recommend a workbook by John Makdisi, Estates in Land and Future Interests: Problems and Answers (7th ed. 2017) to practice the particular topics named in that title. The volume by Burke and Snowe on Property in the Examples and Explanations series (6th ed. 2019) could also be helpful, because of its similar focus on problems and answers, but its coverage does not match what we do in the course.

Class Attributes

First Year Students only
Registrar enrollment; not a biddable class
Intellectual Property Practice Area present
Property Practice Area present in course

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: MSL Students are not eligible to enroll
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required