Required Casebook
Singer, Joseph William. Property Law: Rules, Policies and Practices. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Aspen Law & Business, 2002. ISBN: 0735524920.
| SES # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| Part I: Property, Justifications and Competition | ||
| 1 | Introduction to the Course | |
| 2 | Background | Singer, pp. xlv-lxvi, 98-104. Horwitz, Morton. The Transformation of American Law, 1780-1860. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1977, chapter 2. ISBN: 0674903714. Recommended Nedelsky, Jennifer. Private Property and the Limits of American Constitutionalism: The Madisonian Framework and Its Legacy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1994, introduction and conclusion. ISBN: 0226569713. |
| 3 | First Possession and Conquest | Singer, pp. 3-35, 1183-1200. Williams, Robert Jr. The American Indian in Western Legal Thought. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1990, chapter 7, pp. 246-51. ISBN: 0195080025. |
| 4 | First Possession and Labor | Singer, pp. 82-89, 35-50. Rose, Carol M. "Possession as the origin of property." 52 University of Chicago Law Review 73 (No.1, Winter 1985). Coontz, Stephanie, and Peta Henderson, eds. Women's Work, Men's Property: The Origins of Gender and Class. London, UK: Verso, 1986, pp. 108-155. ISBN: 086091819X. Recommended Hirschon, R., ed. Women and Property, Women as Property. New York, NY: St. Martins Press, 1984, introduction. ISBN: 0312887302. |
| 5 | Competition versus Property Including Corporations | Singer, Re-read pp. 35-50, 51-60, 1216-1229, 1247. Demsetz, Harold. "Toward a Theory of Property Rights." 57 American Economic Review Papers & Proceedings 347, 347-358 (1967). Ellickson, Robert C. "Property in Land." 102 Yale Law Journal 1315, 1322-1335, 1341-1344 (1993). Recommended Field, Barry C. "The evolution of property rights." 42 Kyklos 319 (1989). |
| 6 | Courts, Policy and Flexibility | Singer, pp. 294-305, 260-272. Rose, Carol. "Crystals and Mud in Property law." 40 Stanford Law Review 577, 1-6, 19-30 (1988). Kennedy, Duncan. A Critique of Adjudication: fin de siecle. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997, chapter 2. ISBN: 0674177606. Recommended Galanter, Marc. "Justice in Many Rooms: Courts, Private Ordering, and Indigenous Law." 19 Journal of Legal Pluralism 1 (1981). Kennedy, Duncan. A Critique of Adjudication: fin de siecle. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997, chapter 6. ISBN: 0674177606. |
| Part II: Property, Fairness and Access | ||
| 7 | Security of Property and Adverse Possession | Singer, pp. 199-221, 226-232, 240-252. Ellickson, Robert C. "The untenable case for an Unconditional Right to Shelter." 15 Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 17, 20-28, 32-34 (1992). |
| 8 | Public Policy Limits on Trespass | Singer, pp. 105-127. Recommended Intel Corp. vs. Hamidi, 71 P.3d 296 (CA, 2003). United Food and Commercial Workers' Union, Local 919 AFL-CIO v. Crystal Mall Associates L.P., 852 A.2d 659 (CT, 2004). |
| 9 | Public Accommodations, Antidiscrimination and Access Rights | Singer, pp. 128-151, 160-181. Crenshaw, Kimberley Williams. "Race, Reform, and Retrenchment: Transformation and Legitimation in Antidiscrimination Law." 101 Harvard Law Review 1331, 1-7, 16-20, 48-70 (1988). Michelman, Frank. "Possession vs. distribution in the constitutional idea of property." 72 Iowa Law Review 1319, 1-5, 26-42 (No.5, July 1987). Recommended Singer, Joseph W. "No right to exclude: Public accommodations and private property," 90 Northwestern University Law Review 1283, 6-29, 242-301 (1996). |
| 10 | Public Trust and Private Property | Singer, pp. 182-195. Rose, Carol. "The Comedy of the Commons: Custom, Commerce, And Inherently Public Property," 53 University of Chicago Law Review 711, 711-723, 727-730, 773-781 (1986). Recommended Delgado, Richard. "Our Better Natures: A Revisionist View of Joseph Sax's Public Trust Theory of Environmental Protection, and Some Dark Thoughts on the Possibility of Law Reform." 44 Vanderbilt Law Review 1209, 1209-1227 (1991). |
| 11 | Fair Use of Property, Support Easements and Nuisance | Singer, pp. 272-282, 305-357. District of Columbia v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 872 A.2d 633 (DC, 2005). |
| Part III: Property, Planning and Public Regulation | ||
| 12 | Land-use Planning and Zoning | Singer, pp. 1043-1055, 1030-1042. Zuckerman v. Town of Hadley, 813 N.ED.2d 843 (Mass, 2004). Village of Willowbrook v. Olech, 528 U.S. 562 (2000). Mandelker, Daniel R. and Roger A. Cunningham. Planning and Control of Land Development. 3rd ed. Charlottesville, VA: Michie Co., 1990, pp. 1-24. ISBN: 0874736692. Recommended Cappel, Andrew J. "A Walk along Willow: Patterns of Land Use Coordination in Pre-zoning New Haven (1870-1926)." 101 Yale Law Journal 617, 617-637 (1991). Note. |
| 13 | Land-use Planning, Limits to Zoning and Environmental Regulation |
 Singer, pp. 1055-1081.Palazzolo v. Rhode Island, 533 U.S. 606 (2001). Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 535 U.S. 302 (2002). Schelling, Thomas C., ed. "Prices as Regulatory Instruments." In Incentives for Environmental Protection. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1983. ISBN: 0262192136. |
| 14 | Property, Slavery, Race and Discrimination | Singer, pp. 492-511, 939-962, 997-1008, 1263-1278. Arguello v. Conoco Inc., 330 F.3d 355 (5th Cir, 2003). Recommended Ford, Richard T. "The Boundaries of Race: Political Geography in Legal Analysis." 107 Harvard Law Review 1841, 1841-47, 1860-1885, 1918-1920 (1994). |
| 15 | Property and Sex-based Discrimination | Singer, pp. 962-987, 1008-1019. Recommended Rose, Carol. "Women and property: Gaining and losing ground." 78 Virginia Law Review 421, 421-459 (1992). |
| 16 | Property and Economic Discrimination | Singer, pp. 993-997; re-read pp. 1030-1042, 770-781. |
| 17 | Property, Sovereignty and Takings | Singer, pp. 1085-1148, 1174-1182. Kelo, et al v. City of London et al, Supreme Court of the U.S., Decided June 23, 2005. Lingle v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., 2005 LEXIS U.S. 4342 (2005). Michelman, Frank. "Property, Utility and Fairness: Comments on the Ethical Foundations of "Just Compensation" Law." 80 Harvard Law Review 1165, 1165-1169; 1214-1238; 1245; 1253-1258. (1967). |
| Part IV: Property, Land-use and Private Restraints | ||
| 18 | Servitudes, Licenses and Easements | Singer, pp. 359-400, 413-414. |
| 19 | Covenants | Singer, pp. 414-442, 461-467, 476-482, 483-492. |
| 20 | Common Ownership and Housing | Singer, pp. 639-646, 483-492, 511-512, 518-536. Kennedy, Duncan. "Neither the Market nor the State: Housing Privatization Issues." In A Fourth Way?: Privatization, Property and the Emergence of New Market Economies. Edited by G. Alexander and G. Skapska. New York, NY: Routledge, 1994, pp. 253-266. ISBN: 0415906989. Recommended Alexander, Gregory S. "Dilemmas of Group Autonomy: Residential Associations and Community." 75 Cornell Law Review 1, 1-6, 33-61 (1989). |
| Part V: Comparative Law of Property and Land Use and International Development Policy | ||
| 21 | Redressing the Legacy of Apartheid in South Africa: Rural Land Restitution | Constitution of South Africa (relevant provisions). 1994 Restitution of Land Rights Act 22. 1996 Land Reform (Labor Tenants) Act 3. 1997 Extension of Security of Tenure Act 62. Jaichand, Vinodh. The Restitution of Land Rights. Johannesburg, South Africa: Lex Patria, 1997, pp. 1-76. ISBN: 0628036523. Alexor Ltd. And the Government of the Republic of South Africa v. Richtersveld community, CCT 19/03, 2003. (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). Recommended City Council of Springs v. Occupants of the Farm Kwa-Thema, LCC R10/98 (September 2, 1999) (same as above). (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). The Minister of Land Affairs of the Republic of South Africa and another v. Omar Slamdien and others, LCC 107/98 (February 10, 1999). (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). Former Highlands Residents: Ash and others v. Department of Land Affairs, LCC116/98 (March 10, 2000). (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link, especially paragraphs 21-38). Roux, Theunis. "Pro-poor Court, Anti-poor outcomes: Explaining the performance of the South African Land Claims Court." South African Journal of Human Rights 20, no. 511 (2004). (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). |
| 22 | Urban Dilemmas: Land Invasions, Housing Rights and Evictions | 1998 Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful occupation of land Act No. 19. Government of R.S.A. v. Grootboom, CCT 11/00 (4th October 2000, Constitutional Court of South Africa). (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). Port Elizabeth Municipality v. Various Occupiers, CCT 53/03, 2004. (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). President of the Republic of South Africa and another v. Modderklip Boerdery and Another, CCT 20/04, 2005. (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). Recommended Huchzermeyer, Marie. "Land invasions, evictions and the law in South Africa." unpublished draft, 2002. Wesson, Murray. "Grootboom and Beyond: Assessing the Socio-Economic Jurisprudence of the South African Constitutional Court." South African Journal of Human Rights 20, no. 284 (2004). (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). Minister of Public Works and others v. Kyalami Ridge Environmental Association and others, Constitutional Court - CCT55/00, May 29, 2001. (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). Jeanette Harksen v. Michael Lane NO and Others, CCT 9/97 (October 7, 1997, Constitutional Court of South Africa). (Go to Wits Law School and then click on the relevant link). Berrisford, Stephen. "Law and Urban Change in the New South Africa." In Illegal Cities: Law and Urban Change in Developing Countries. Edited by Edesio Fernandes and Ann Varley. New York, NY: Zed Books, 1998, pp. 213-230. ISBN: 1856495507. |
| 23 | Contestation Over Property Rights in India | Kumar, Dharma. Colonialism, Property and the State. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998, pp. 135-170, 311-327. ISBN: 0195641728. Constitution of India (relevant provisions). Golak Nath v. State of Punjab, AIR 1967 SC 1643 (excerpts). State of Gujarat v. Shantilal Mangaldas, AIR 1969 SC 634. Keshavananda Bharati v. State of Kerela, AIR 1973 SC 1641 (excerpts). State of Maharashtra v. Kamal Durgule, (1985) I SCC 234. Recommended Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 and The Urban land (Ceiling and Regulation) Repeal Act, 1999. Perry, Amanda. "Law and Urban Change in an Indian City." In llegal Cities: Law and Urban Change in Developing Countries. Edited by Edesio Fernandes and Ann Varley. New York, NY: Zed Books, 1998, pp. 89-103. ISBN: 1856495507. Agarwal, Bina. A Field of One's Own: Gender and Land Rights in South Asia. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1994, chapter 5. ISBN: 0521429269. |
| 24 | Development Displacement, Contests Over Land and Housing Rights |
Olga Tellis and others v. Bombay Municipal corporation, AIR 1986 SC 180. Narmada Bachao Andolan vs. Union of India and others, (2000) 10 SCC 664 Rajagopal, Balakrishnan. "Limits of law in counter-hegemonic globalization: The Indian Supreme Court and the Narmada Valley struggle." Law and Globalization from Below: Towards a Cosmopolitan Legality. Edited by Boaventura de Souza Santos and César A. Rodríguez-Garavito. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN: 0521607353. Cernea, Michael. "Public policy responses to development-induced population displacements." Economic and Political Weekly 31, no. 24 (1996): 1515-23. |
| 25 | International Development Policy Prescriptions of Property | World Bank. "Legal Institutions and the Rule of Law." In World Development Report: From Plan to Market (1996). (PDF - 19.1 MB) World Bank. "Introduction." In World Development Report: Building Institutions for Markets New York, NY: Published for the World Bank, Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN: 0195216067. Feder, G., and D. Feeny. "Land tenure and Property rights: Theory and Implications for Development Policy." World Bank Economic Review 5, no. 1 (1991): 135. Payne, Geoffrey. "Urban land tenure policy options: titles or rights?" 25 Habitat International 415-429 (2001). World Bank. "Can there be growth with equity: an initial assessment of land reform in South Africa." Policy Research Working Paper, September 30, 2001. |
| Part VI: Conclusion | ||
| 26 | Summing Up; Questions | Durand-Lasserve, Alain. "Law and Urban Change in Developing Countries: Trends and Issues." In llegal Cities: Law and Urban Change in Developing Countries. Edited by Edesio Fernandes and Ann Varley. New York, NY: Zed Books, 1998, pp. 233-257. ISBN: 1856495507. |