PLST 340 Family Law

This course provides a balanced introduction to the theories, doctrines, and practice of family law. Students will learn the fundamental principles of family law, discuss important policy issues, learn practical skills and consider the ethical issues confronted by those who help process legal documents in family law.

With the downward shift in hiring patterns in traditional industries, many workers have decided to return to school and obtain a degree to pursue a new career. One recent news article reflected the demand for paralegals noting that some older students are exploring new career options. Some people come in and have gone to our paralegal program because the demand for paralegals is high. Additionally, the paralegal degree through Liberty University Online would offer two distinctive, a uniquely Christian perspective as well as the convenience of being online thereby allowing the student the opportunity to complete the work on their schedule and from anywhere in the world.

Textbook reading and presentations when available

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

There will be four Discussions, each taking place over a two-week period. A minimum of two sources must be cited for each initial thread. A minimum of one source must be cited for each reply post. The initial thread should be 250–300 words. There should be two replies of 100–150 words each.

Short Answer Assignment

Students will be assigned two homework questions that require short answers. The assignment should be 300-600 words in length. 

Short Essay Assignments (3)

There will be three short essays that are to be 500-1000 words. 

Quizzes (4)

There will be three open-book/open-note quizzes containing 30 multiple choice and true/false questions. Students will be given 1 hour to complete each quiz. Each quiz will cover course material; specific modules will be noted in the quiz description in Canvas.

• Quiz: Marriage, Parenthood, and Dissolution
• Quiz: Discovery, Child Custody, and Child Support 
• Quiz: Dissolution and Cohabitation 

Quiz: Final will cover the course material from all modules. Students will answer three short essay questions. There is not a minimum or maximum length requirement. However, the student will need to explain their responses fully with well-reasoned explanations, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the topics as explained throughout the course. The student may also incorporate additional research.  The content must be the students own and should not be comprised of more than 25% quotes.

Each short essay response must cite a minimum of two scholarly sources using in text Bluebook citation format.  Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, and scholarly articles.