LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY PROGRAM PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Bryn Mawr College established the Law and Social Policy Program in 1976 as a post-masters degree program for professionals in social work, in other human service professions, or in public administration and policy analysis related to social welfare. The MLSP degree is awarded upon successful completion of all requirements. The degree is administered by the College's Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, which also awards the Masters of Social Service (MSS) and Ph.D. degree in social welfare. Students in Bryn Mawr's MSS program may simultaneously complete the MSS and MLSP degree requirements.
The program consists of eight courses, including field instruction, which convey basic knowledge about the law and legal system and basic skills of legal analysis, legal research, advocacy, and mediation. The central purpose of the program is to apply this knowledge to substantive and administrative problems in all human service fields including mental health, family and child welfare, income maintenance, race relations, criminal justice, dispute resolution, or education. The program encourages students to identify and work critically with fundamental values underlying all levels of policy and practice in the human services-- fair procedure, equal treatment, and personal liberty.
Students may register for part- or full-time study. Courses are taught in the late afternoon (2:10 - 4:00 or 4:10 - 6:00) during the academic year and during a four-week summer session, which runs from mid-May to mid-June, during which classes are held in the morning.
MLSP COURSES
Eight courses, including field instruction are required:
401 Introduction to Legal Processes
402 Social Functions of Law
404 Advocacy & Negotiation
406 Equality & the Law
407 Personal Rights & the Public Interest
408 Special Topics in Law and Social Policy
409 Legal Writing & Research
410 Principles of Constitutional Law
462 Field Instruction: In conjunction with the field placement,
all students also complete a Special Project: a research paper
that demonstrates mastery of knowledge acquired in the MLSP Program.
(Post-masters students may satisfy this substituting current or
prior professional experience, or by completing an approved one-semester
field placement, while joint-degree students meet this requirement
in connection with their second year MSS Field Instruction.)
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
401 Introduction to Legal Processes: An introduction to
the American legal system and to legal method. It concentrates
on fundamental skills of legal analysis and legal reasoning, the
processes by which courts, legislatures and administrative agencies
resolve problems, and the interdependence of legal institutions.
402 Social Functions of Law: An exploration of the strengths
and limits of legal processes in promoting, controlling, or otherwise
changing personal and social behavior. Students gain an appreciation
of the conditions for legal effectiveness and the factors that
contribute to the multiple tasks law performs in American society.
404 Advocacy and Negotiation: This course has two foci:
First, we focus on advocate roles in setting where social work
and law converge. We examine advocacy opportunities in courts,
legislatures, and regulatory agencies and in each explore the
implications for law reform. The second focus is dispute resolution
and the civil process. We examine the American alternative dispute
resolution movement and concomitant theory and tactics associated
with negotiation and mediation.
406 Equality and the Law: An indepth examination of equality
as a central value of the legal and social system. Students learn
to appreciate the factors that contribute to equal treatment and
how questions of equality are dealt with in American society.
407 Personal Rights and the Public Interest: A discussion
of the legal and social consequences of defining, protecting,
and challenging the rights of individuals in the modern regulatory
state. Students learn the types of interests that must be balanced
when there is a conflict between individual and societal rights.
They also gain an appreciation of how the law addresses this delicate
balance.
408 Special Topics in Law and Social Policy: An exploration
of the law's impact on an array of social relationships, such
as children and families, as well as its influence on various
substantive problems, such as mental health, homelessness, and
poverty.
409 Legal Writing and Research: An extensive focus on some
of the distinctive forms of legal writing and provides practical
experience writing case analyses and drafting legal arguments.
The course also provides guidance in conducting basic legal research,
using a law library, and citing legal materials according to conventional
protocols. The ultimate aim is to deepen students' understanding
of the legal dimensions of professional practice and prepare them
to research practice-based issues.
410 Principles of Constitutional Law: A survey of United
States constitutional law and its role as a source of principles
for addressing social problems and an examination of the United
States Supreme Court as a socio-legal institution.
462 Field Instruction: This requirement emphasizes
interdisciplinary
skill development and the completion of a Special Project -- a
research paper based on topic related to the field setting.
ADMISSION PROCEDURE FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY PROGRAM
Students may apply for admission MLSP program (1) after completing
a MSW, MSS, or related master's degree program, or (2) concurrently
with their application to the Bryn Mawr's MSS program; or (3)
after successful completion of one year in the MSS program. All
applicants submit an application fee and a completed application,
along with appropriate supporting materials, such as references,
academic transcripts, and personal essays. All applicants must
schedule an interview with the Director of Admissions to discuss
their professional work and their career goals and to explore
the School's capacity to meet these goals. The interview is considered
along with the applicant's materials in making an admission decision.
Applications are available from the Admissions Office, (610) 520-2601.
For more information contact:ralbert@brynmawr.edu
Raymond Albert, Director
SELECTED LAW RELATED RESOURCES:
Center for Law and Social Policy
(CLASP)
Community Legal Services (on Handsnet)
Cornell Law School:
Legal Materials Organized by Type and Source
Department of Health and Human
Services
Government Accounting Office (GAO)
University of Southern
California Law Library
Return to Bryn Mawr College Home Page
Law and Social Policy Program
Bryn Mawr College
Graduate School
of Social Work and Social Research
300 Airdale Road,
Bryn Mawr,
PA 19010.