Few, if any, American law schools require or encourage students to "major" or to elect a structured series of courses in some particular field of law. A student's interests may come to lie in some broad area, such as constitutional, international, or tax law. However, effective specialization first requires a broad understanding of legal doctrine and theory, and students are encouraged to cover much of the standard subject matter of law before concentrating their studies in any area of interest. For second- and third-year students, the School of Law-Newark offers extensive opportunities to work in depth in many fields, and the teaching resources of the school are continually being developed to encourage more diversity and more opportunities for study of areas where the legal order is particularly challenged by new problems and conditions. The seminar, independent research, and clinical programs (described later in this chapter) and the expanded opportunity for interdisciplinary study can be used, on a flexible basis, to gain both practical and theoretical knowledge in fields of particular interest.
