FAIR
HOUSING/ FAIR LENDING COURSE FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY
STUDENTS
FAQs
for Students:
What
is Fair Housing Law?
Fair Housing Law is a
cornerstone of civil rights law. The
Fair Housing Act prevents
housing providers from
discriminating against people in access to housing based on race, color,
religion, national
origin, sex, disability and familial status. Additional classes are protected
under
state and local laws.
Housing is fundamental to all other human rights and liberties.
What
are the benefits of this course for me?
Students selected to
participate in the Fair Housing/Fair Lending Course will:
• Learn
about fair housing and related civil rights issues from an experienced law
professor;
• Make a
presentation at their home college or university or in the community about fair
housing or fair lending
issues;
• Meet
with experts in the field and attend events sponsored by local fair housing
agencies
and organizations;
• Learn
about careers in civil rights and fair housing;
• Learn
how the law interacts with other social science disciplines;
• Experience
how a law school course is conducted;
• Enhance
interpersonal and group presentation skills;
• Receive
three (3) semester hours of academic credit if allowed by your home
institution.
Do I
have to be interested in law school to participate in this course?
The course is modeled
after the Fair Housing Law course offered by UIC John Marshall
Law School to its law
students. Students interested in law school may benefit from the program.
However, the course
will be of benefit to all students who are interested in civil rights and
liberties.
Is
this course limited to specific majors?
The course is not
limited to specific majors. The topics
covered and experiences
provided in the course
may be familiar to students majoring in political science, sociology, social
work, urban planning or
pre-law, but all interested students are encouraged to apply regardless of
their major.
Will I
get credit for this course at my college or university? Will the credits count
toward
my
major?
UIC John Marshall Law
School will award a total of three (3) semester hours of credit for
the program. The “home” institution will review the
transcript and make a determination of
transferability of
credit and also determine whether the course can be counted toward the
student’s major or
minor or can only be counted as a general elective.
Will I
get credit that can be counted toward a law degree?
The course will not
count toward a law degree. The Juris Doctorate program at John
Marshall Law School is
accredited by the American Bar Association.
Law school credit can be
granted only to
students who have taken the LSAT and been admitted to the law school. In
addition to the
academic credit, John Marshall will award a certificate to students who
complete
the course.
Do I
have to pay tuition?
No tuition or fees are
charged to students selected to participate in the course. The
program is funded by a
grant awarded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), the
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), and the Fair
Housing Initiative
Program (FHIP) and in-kind funds of John Marshall Law School.
Where
does the class meet?
The class will meet at
UIC John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Clinic located at 300
South State Street, in
downtown Chicago.
When
does the class meet?
The class will meet on
Tuesday from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., tentatively beginning midJanuary
2020 and ending early May
2020. Final exam date TBD.
Who
teaches this class?
The Executive Director
of the program, Michael P. Seng, teaches the course. Professor
Seng is also Director
of the UIC JMLS Fair Housing Legal Support Center. The program
manager, Tiffany
Hughes, will also contribute to instruction.
She is a graduate of UIC John
Marshall Law School, a
practicing attorney, and served as a clinical intern at the UIC John
What
is the textbook for this course?
The primary text for
this course is a casebook on fair housing/fair lending law compiled by
Professor Seng. Students will also read The Integration
Debate: Competing Futures for
American Cities by
Chester Hartman and Gregory D. Squires, People Wasn’t Made to Burn by
Joe Allen, and Family
Properties by Beryl Satter.
Who do
I contact for further information about this program?
Tiffany Hughes, Esq.
Project Manager and
Attorney
The John Marshall Law
School
Fair Housing/Fair
Lending Course
315 South Plymouth
Court, Suite CBA-800
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 847-630-0228
FAX: 312.427.9438
E-Mail:
hughest@jmls.edu
Web:
www.jmls.edu/fairhousing
