SMNR: Selected Topics in Admiralty and Maritime Law

• Semester: Spring 2027
• Course ID: 397S
• Credit Hours: 3
• Unique: 30169

Registration Status: Open

Sign in to see meeting information.

Description

This seminar will examine selected topics of student interest regarding all aspects of maritime law ranging from commercial law to “torts at sea.” The field of maritime casualties and transactions involves issues ranging across much of the basic law school curriculum including civil procedure, comparative law, conflicts of law, constitutional law, contracts, creditors’ rights, environmental law, federal courts, insurance, international law, legislation, products liability, property, remedies, torts and workers’ compensation.

In the early weeks of the semester students will be introduced to the broad legal background in this field. Thereafter emphasis will be placed on analytical research and writing skills with maritime law as the subject matter. Guidance will be provided regarding paper topic selection – topics will be suggested, but students may select their own topic subject to approval. Subsequent sessions will consist largely of discussions of ongoing student research, draft paper preparation and review with feedback, and student presentations of the results of their original research.

What appears below is a fairly standard description of an admiralty and maritime law writing seminar. Regrettably, it does not convey the uniqueness and excitement of this intellectually challenging area of the law. It has been written that maritime law should be mandatory in the first year of law school since it will excite students about law and introduce them to every subject they will study at the law school. And a national humor magazine, in a pseudo law review article concerning the Law of the Jungle, declared that “nothing…begins to compare in complexity and sheer orneriness with aquatic law.” This writing seminar will examine selected topics of interest regarding all aspects of maritime law ranging from commercial law to "torts at sea." The field of maritime casualties and transactions involves issues ranging across much of the basic law school curriculum including civil procedure, comparative law, conflicts of law, constitutional law, contracts, creditors' rights, environmental law, federal courts, insurance, international law, legislation, products liability, property, remedies, torts and workers' compensation. In the early weeks of the semester students will be introduced to the broad legal background in this field. Thereafter emphasis will be placed on writing skills with maritime law as the subject matter. Guidance will be provided regarding topic selection - topics will be suggested, but students may select their own topic subject to approval. Subsequent sessions will consist largely of discussions of ongoing student research (regarding which use of AI is allowed), draft paper review and their presentations of the results of their original research. A traditional seminar paper will be required. This class is predicated on the importance of thinking and legal writing. Use of AI post-research is strictly prohibited. During the semester students will present rough drafts of the paper for discussion, analysis and feed back. Class presentation of the paper will be an important aspect of the learning experience. Students will be assigned a letter grade based on the quality of the paper and participation in class. Prior study or experience regarding maritime law will afford some advantage, but such is not a prerequisite.