Real Property I

LAW 109E

Real Property II

LAW 110

This course explores the legal analysis of real property interests; freehold estates and future interests; the landlord and tenant relationship; concurrent land ownership; adverse possession; methods of transferring title to land; recording statutes; easements and profits; covenants running with the land; equitable servitudes; and lateral and subjacent support.

Religion & State: Comparative Perspectives

LAW 936

This course examines the relationship between the state and religion in various legal systems. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of religion and religious institutions in the legal system and legal structures of the State of Israel. The course will examine how Israel, created as a state for the Jewish people, has handled the tensions between maintaining Israel as a state with a Jewish identity and at the same time a liberal democracy. As we will see, over the past several years once latent disagreements over matters of religion and state have become a major source of political and cultural tensions in Israeli society. The first part of the course will be dedicated to conceptual analysis and presentation of various models for the legal role of religion in various national legal systems, including models found in states based upon Christianity and Islam. In the second part, we will take a closer look at several specific religious disputes arising in Israeli law, including rights of citizenship, family law disputes, and Sabbath and dietary law observance. The course will conclude with a comparison between the arrangements made in Israel and in the United States as to the legal status of religion.