Course Descriptions T-U

Course Credit Information

A – Usually offered during alternate years
CR/NC – Credit if course is passed; no credit if course is not passed
N – Not regularly offered
S – May be offered as a seminar
2-3 – Credit may vary between 2 and 3 credits
SK – Skills course
*New course

107. TORTS. 4
The study of the civil justice system's mode of compensating persons who are injured as a result of the negligence or the intentional acts of others.

271. TRADEMARK AND UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW. 2-3
This course will introduce students to U.S. trademark and unfair competition law under the federal Lanham Act and related common law doctrines designed to protect against consumer confusion and appropriation of commercial goodwill. In addition to the technical requirements for trademark eligibility, registration, and infringement, the course will consider the constitutional and economic underpinnings of trademark protection and evaluate current trends toward the "propertization" of trademark law.

563. TRANSNATIONAL CIVIL LITIGATION-FRANCE.1
With expanding globalization, it becomes very important for American lawyers to become familiar with the procedures for litigating disputes involving parties from outside the United States.  In this course, we will survey some of the recurring issues that arise in transnational civil litigation in United States courts.  The class sheds an international perspective on materials covered in Civil Procedure I and II.  Topics considered may include personal jurisdiction over foreign defendants, choice of law, service of process abroad, discovery, parallel litigation, and the enforcement of foreign judgments

050. TRIAL ADVOCACY. 3 SK
The study and practice of trial techniques, motions, voir dire, opening statements, direct examination, cross-examination, instructions, closing argument, courtroom courtesy, and professional responsibility. Moot trial method is used. Prerequisite: Evidence (LAW 113).

628. UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE INTERNSHIP. 3 CR/F
Students work with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Des Moines, participating in the development, preparation, and litigation of federal criminal or federal government civil actions. Students must have completed both Evidence (LAW 113) and Criminal Procedure I (LAW 236) prior to enrollment in the internship. Trial Advocacy is listed as a preferred credential but is not absolutely necessary. All U.S. Attorney’s Office interns must also pass a government background security check and meet the U.S. Attorney’s Office residency requirement.

099. U.S. SUPREME COURT. 2
This course focuses on the United States Supreme Court from an institutional perspective.  It emphasizes the forces and factors that have shaped the Court’s decision-making over the years.  Special attention is paid to changes in the Court’s composition, and to the views and personalities of individual justices, as well as the Court’s changing role in our political system.  Excerpts from about a dozen of the Court’s most consequential decisions are read closely and analyzed.  Accompanying commentary illuminates the historical backdrop, and the social and political milieu, against or within which each case was decided.  The focus or subject matter of the course changes from year to year to keep pace with the Court’s jurisprudential evolution.

611. USDA INTERNSHIP. 1-2 CR/F
Students will receive real-life practical experience in the operation of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies and implement various federal programs relating to agriculture and rural issues. The agencies involved with the internships include the state or regional offices located in Des Moines for Rural Development (RD), Farm Services Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).