Artificial intelligence, Chinese law and police powers will be among the topics discussed in new courses being offered at the University of Virginia School of Law during the fall semester. Here are five new courses that aim to give UVA students unique perspectives on the law.
Students will be introduced to the legal and political systems of the People’s Republic of China in Chinese Law, co-taught by Professor David S. Law and lecturer Nestor Gounaris ’01. Law, who edited the new handbook “Constitutionalism in Context,” is an internationally recognized expert in the comparative study of public law and courts. Gounaris is founding partner of China Solutions, has 20 years of in-country experience in China and has taught Negotiating a Joint Venture in China for many years at UVA.
Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination Law, taught by Professor Joy Milligan, will introduce students to federal law and equip them to grapple with questions about the real-world consequences and limits of current legal frameworks. Milligan studies the intersection of law and inequality, with a particular focus on race-based economic inequality.
Taught by Professor Lawrence B. Solum, topics in Law and Artificial Intelligence will include algorithmic bias, AI and privacy, tort liability for self-driving cars, autonomous weapon systems and the laws of war, and legal personhood for artificial intelligences. Solum is an internationally recognized legal theorist who works in constitutional theory, procedure and the philosophy of law, as well as problems of law and technology.
Property, the Police Power and Emergencies, co-taught by Professors Julia Mahoney and Cynthia Nicoletti, will examine the contours of the police power — “the foundational government power to regulate health, safety and morals.” Mahoney teaches courses in property, government finance, constitutional law and nonprofit organizations. Nicoletti is a legal historian and author of the award-winning book “Secession on Trial: The Treason Prosecution of Jefferson Davis.”
Sports and Games, taught by Professor Richard Re, will explore “normative and adjudicative systems” associated with sports and games, including how these topics cast light on legal rules and practices. For example, do the rules of sports evolve in a manner akin to common law? Should referees “swallow the whistle,” and let the play unfold, in crunch time? And is competitive hot dog eating a sport? Re’s primary research and teaching interests are in criminal procedure, federal courts and constitutional law.
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.
