Summer Session 2008

March 1, 2008

TO: Rutgers School of Law Students and Other Eligible Applicants

Summer Session 2008 - Introductory Information

Each year Rutgers University School of Law - Camden offers an eight-week summer session which is designed to allow both full- and part-time students flexibility in planning their academic programs. For example, enrolling in summer session provides students the opportunity to earn credit towards their graduation requirement of 84 credits. Students who are employed not more than fifteen hours per week during the summer may register for six to eight credits in the summer term. Attending two summer sessions thus enables students to accelerate their course of study, if desired.

Another example of the flexibility provided by summer session attendance is that Rutgers-Camden students may earn writing credits towards the graduation requirement of three writing credits in any of the following courses: Advanced Legal Research, Civil Practice Clinic, Comparative Law, Directed Research, Disability Law, Domestic Violence Practice & Procedure, Persuasion in Legal Writing, and Professional Responsibility. They may also satisfy the lawyering skills requirement by taking any of Civil Practice Clinic; Negotiation; Advanced Legal Research; Interviewing; Counseling and Negotiation; and Persuasion in Legal Writing. Please check the course schedule for enrollment limits and other restrictions on these offerings.

This summer, the law school will again offer a six-credit, limited-enrollment Externship Program. Qualified students who have completed their second year of law school, who have fulfilled the appropriate prerequisites, and who are approved by selected civil and criminal supervising agencies will complete 336 hours of work on a schedule suitable to their needs. Students will also participate in class meetings approximately once every two weeks and will submit to the Externship Program Director reports and journals related to their experience. Interested students must contact Externship Director, Professor Harriet Katz, to review options and be referred to a placement.

Part-time students who have completed their first year may take any summer session course, except Civil Practice Clinic, the Externship Program (for which there are prerequisites), and Directed Research. Please note that students may take Professional Responsibility as an alternative to completing this required course in the fall or spring semester.

Another benefit of the summer program is that students who may feel constrained by the maximum-credit-load restrictions of the regular academic term have the chance to broaden their curricular experience by attending summer classes. Courses are offered in both day and evening time slots to allow flexibility in attendance options. A final advantage of enrolling in summer session is that it offers Rutgers-Camden students the opportunity to meet and interact with other law school colleagues, because we welcome summer session candidates from other institutions.

In the summer, three-credit courses meet six hours each week; two-credit courses, four hours per week (and four-credit first year courses meet eight hours per week). Eight credits is the maximum credit load. There is no minimum credit load requirement. In all limited-enrollment courses, Rutgers-Camden students are given first priority for available seats. Please do not hesitate to contact me (Room 202, 211 North Fifth Street, telephone 856-225-6546, or e-mail: john.beckerman@camden.rutgers.edu) if you have additional questions about Summer Session 2008.