Touro Law Develops Course “Structural Barriers and the Pursuit of Equity”

Touro Law Develops Course “Structural Barriers and the Pursuit of Equity”

Online, 13-Week Elective Open to Touro Law Students as well as Touro College & University System Graduate and Undergraduate Students

Dean Elena Langan is pleased to announce the creation of a new 13-week interdisciplinary elective course titled “Structural Barriers and the Pursuit of Equity.” The course, which will be offered online in asynchronous format, is open to Touro Law students as well as Touro College & University System (TCUS) graduate students and undergraduate students who have completed at least 2 years of undergraduate studies.

This timely course is designed to encourage students to critically evaluate structural barriers and equity around them on a daily basis. It will run from January 26-April 30, 2021. 

“This course is groundbreaking for the law school,” stated Dean Langan. “The course content will have a profound impact for all students and the enrollment itself is unique, allowing law students, graduate students, and undergraduate students to come together to examine structural discrimination and the impact of inequality.” Dean Langan continued, “The approach to having multiple instructors from across various Touro Colleges and the law school cover a variety of subjects each week allows students to benefit from multiple perspectives and experiences first-hand throughout the duration of the course.”

Structural Barriers and the Pursuit of Equity will be taught by 14 faculty members from across TCUS, each of whom will individually or jointly teach one weekly module during the  13 weeks in this online, asynchronous course. The instructors will provide a high-level overview of the problem of structural discrimination as it manifests in a variety of issues across multiple disciplines. Topics covered in this course will include identity construction, examining the impact of race and civil rights on child welfare decisions, the impact of poverty on educational outcomes for minority students, the Holocaust, the remedial focus on distributive justice, and many others. Throughout the course, students will develop the analytical tools they need to evaluate some of the structures that produce discrimination so they can understand the impact of these barriers on policy and law.

Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law is located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning experience for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law is dedicated to providing hands-on learning that enables students to gain experience while offering much-needed legal services in the community.

Touro Law, which has an alumni base of more than 6,500, offers full- and part-time JD programs where students can earn a degree in 2, 3 or 4 years and provides four areas of concentration Additionally, Touro offers a hybrid, four-year FlexTime JD Program combining online and on campus learning. Touro Law offers several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates. Touro Law Center is part of the Touro College system.

About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 34 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: www.touro.edu/news