Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professor Erin Leveton

J.D. Practicum 1073 | 3 credit hours

This class will give a detailed overview of the complex laws that govern the rights and restrictions of people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with a focus on the laws of the District of Columbia. According to the World Health Organization, up to three percent or almost 200 million people of the world’s population have intellectual disabilities, making it the largest disability category in the world. The course materials will cover substantive law, theory, and real world advocacy methods beyond those practiced in the courtroom. Students will develop practical legal and advocacy skills while working directly with and for people with developmental disabilities in the District through field placements at organizations like the Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities.

The seminar component in this class is offered for two credits. To allow all students maximum flexibility, the field placement work can be taken for one credit (requires 5 number of hours of field placement work), two credits (requires 10 number of hours of field placement work), or three credits (requires 15 number of hours of field placement work). Thus, the total credits awarded for the course will be three, four, or five credits. Students will have the ability to choose the credit option that best fits their schedules. All students will initially be registered for a total of three credits, which is the two-credit seminar plus the one-credit field placement section. Once the preregistration results are released, Leslie de Leon in the Office of Clinical Education will contact the enrolled students to confirm the number of credits they wish to receive in the field placement and will inform the Office of the Registrar of any changes. If you enroll after the preregistration period and wish to enroll for additional field work credits, contact Leslie de Leon at ldl333@law.georgetown.edu. All requests for additional field placement credits beyond the one credit that is automatically assigned must be received by 5:00 p.m. on September 9, 2013.

Prerequisites: Students must complete the required first-year program prior to enrolling in this course (part-time and interdivisional transfer students may enroll prior to completing Criminal Justice, Property, or their first-year elective).

Students may not concurrently enroll in this practicum and an externship or a clinic (except Street Law) or another practicum course.

Students who wish to receive credit for the Externship Seminar and a practicum course that has the same field placement may do so only if: (1) the practicum course is taken in a semester following the Externship Seminar; and (2) the student receives permission from the Assistant or the Associate Dean for Clinical Programs. To receive such permission, the student must explain in writing how the practicum course field work would serve substantially different learning goals than did their externship field placement.

THIS IS A PRACTICUM COURSE.

Students will earn 2 credits for the 2-hour weekly seminar, and 1 credit (requires 5 hours of field placement work), 2 credits (requires 10 hours of field placement work) or 3 credits (requires 15 hours of field placement work), for a minimum of 11 weeks, to be arranged with the faculty member teaching the course. The total credits awarded for the course will be 3, 4 or 5 credits. Students will have the ability to choose the credit option that best fits their schedules. All students will initially be registered for a total of 3 credits, which is the 2 credit seminar plus the 1 credit field placement section. Once the preregistration results are released, Leslie de Leon will contact the enrolled students to confirm the number of credits they wish to receive in the field placement and will inform the Office of the Registrar of any changes. If you enroll after the preregistration period and wish to enroll for additional field work credits, contact Leslie de Leon at ld333@law.georgetown.edu. All requests for additional field placement credits beyond the 1 credit that is automatically assigned must be received by 5:00 p.m. on September 11, 2013.

Students who enroll in this course will be automatically enrolled in both the seminar and practicum components and may not take either component separately. A student wishing to withdraw from the course will be withdrawn from both the seminar and field work components.