TEACHING
As a teacher, I emphasize both substantive knowledge and practical skills. My methodology combines class discussion that encourage questions from students and exercises to facilitate active learning. I teach both in-person and online courses, synchronous and asynchronous, and use LMS platforms such as LexisClassroom and Blackboard.
All of my courses engage a public interest perspective, inviting students to consider the social implication the law has on disadvantaged groups. To evaluate these questions, the discussion may rely on supplementary interdisciplinary written, audio and visual materials in social sciences, medicine, economics, and current events. I use these to prompt class discussions and tie the materials to the actual lived experiences of potential clients.
My teaching methodology employ different pedagogical tools that develop critical professional skills, including lectures, PowerPoint presentations, question and answers sessions, free-flowing discussions, and role-playing exercises. All such tools emphasize the legal “take-aways” of each topic that drive the doctrinal matters home, as well as provide students with a big-picture overview of the legal field and the themes of the course. I use questions and answers to evaluate students’ knowledge and understanding of the doctrine and to clarify any points that students struggled with. I use the Socratic method sparingly, to include less-active students in the conversation. Once I have established a solid understanding of the doctrine, I either turn to an exercise or initiate a free-flowing discussion. These are designed to encourage analysis, critical thinking and integration of the materials; to facilitate students’ presentation of diverse view points and their ability to make counter arguments; and to push students’ creative problem-solving skills through lawyering or policy development.
I thoroughly enjoy getting to know students and working with them collectively and individually, particularly on their writing.
Health Law
Over the last decades, health care has become one of the most important social issues in the United States, and as a result, health law has become one of the fastest growing and most intriguing areas of the law. This course introduces students to the law governing issues of health, and the relationship between law and medicine. The course will be divided into three primary parts. The first part will review the structure and regulation of health care provision in the United States. We will consider whether the current system adequately serves all stakeholders and meets the needs for equitable access to care. We will then discuss possible avenues for reform. The second part will explore the role of the law in shaping and monitoring the relationship between health care professionals and patients from contracts and torts perspectives. The third part will cover substantive topics in law and health such as public health, reproduction and birth, medically assisted death and others. These topics are illustrative of the concerns of health law, rather than cover the scope of the field. The materials, which comprise of a casebook and supplemental sources, enables students to develop a fuller appreciation of the intricacies of the legal and regulatory structure affecting provision of health care and the contemporary concerns in particular fields within health care. Students will be required to participate in online discussions and write four reaction papers.
Mental Health Law
This course introduces students to the law governing issues of mental health and the relationship between law and psychiatry. We consider whether the law adequately reflects psychiatric approaches to mental health and whether and how the law should meet the needs of people struggling with mental disabilities. We will also examine the role of the law in the social attitudes toward mental health and people with mental disabilities as a minority group. After providing an overview of mental disabilities and their treatment, the seminar will cover topics such as access to care, civil commitment, criminal liability and the death penalty, anti-discrimination protections, and the impact of mental disability on families. These topics are illustrative of the concerns of mental health law, rather than cover the scope of the field. In addition to case law and legal scholarship, reading materials may cover other disciplines, primarily psychiatry.
Disability Law
For dacades, American law has developed to advance the civil rights of underprivileged groups. While classifications such as race, religion and sex have been most prominent, disability is increasingly salient to our rights and interests in public spaces. This course introduces students to the law governing issues of disability, and the relationship between law, medicine and social justice. Throughout the term, students will be encouraged to problematize the adequacy of legal tools that aim to serve all relevant stakeholders to meet the financial, social, medical and emotional burdens of disability marginalization. The topics covered in the course are illustrative of the concerns of disability law, rather than cover the scope of the field. The materials, which comprise of a casebook and supplemental sources, enable students to develop a fuller appreciation of the intricacies of the theory and jurisprudence affecting the rights and lived experiences of people with disabilities.
Sexuality and the Law
This seminar explores the role of the law in constructing identity and conduct around sexuality, particularly for women, children and sexual minorities. The course covers a variety of legal issues at the forefront of the feminist and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) rights movements. These include criminalization of sexual activity, discrimination and harassment in employment and education, and family relationships, as well as distinct challenges to the trans community and to children. Discussions are framed by both theoretical approaches to sexuality and sexual identity and the politics of LGBTQ advocacy work. We consider the ways in which assumptions about morality, gender, and race shape the law’s approach to sexuality; examine the relationship between feminism, sexual orientation and gender identity, and sexual rights; and re-evaluate the goals and strategies of the LGBT movement. There is an emphasis on constitutional doctrines, including equal protection, due process, privacy, and freedom of speech and association.
Law, Reproduction and Sexual Health
This course explores the law’s impact on our reproductive and sexual health, as well as our conduct around sexuality – particularly for women, children and sexual minorities. Specific topics include: access to abortions, contraceptives or assisted reproductive technologies; prevention and care for sexually transmitted diseases, the debate over legal responsibility for their transmission, and the uneven burden litigation may put on men; and sexual minorities’ health concerns, with an emphasis on the medicalization of gender identity and youth’s sexual education. Discussions are framed by theoretical approaches to sexuality and health as civil and human rights, as well as the politics of advocacy work in the field. Students examine the ways in which assumptions about morality, gender, and race shape the law’s approach to reproduction and sexual health; consider the universality of sexual health concerns beyond women and sexual minorities; and re-evaluate the health related goals and strategies of sexual rights movements. In addition to case law and legal scholarship, reading materials will cover a range of disciplines, including the social sciences.
Proposed Courses*
*Dr. Rachmilovitz is also available for speaking engagements related to any and all of her areas of expertise.
