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National College Credit Recommendation Service

Board of Regents  |  University of the State of New York

Domestic Relations Law - LawShelf Educational Media

Descriptions and credit recommendations for all evaluated learning experiences

Length:

Various (self-study, self-paced).

Dates:

December 2021 - Present.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: identify the variety of domestic relations laws that come into play when a marriage legally ends to determine the disposition of the marital property; differentiate among the different types of spousal support; identify and analyze the factors used in calculating spousal support; describe how the federal government enforces child support orders across state lines;  explain the differences between physical and legal custody and how and why they are bifurcated; articulate the “best interests of child” standard and explain how it is applied; discuss the differences between sole custody and joint custody and learn about how each are determined and awarded by the court; analyze a non-custodial parent’s visitation rights and describe how a court sets a visitation schedule; and explore interstate and international child custody cases and apply federal laws that address child abduction.

Instruction:

This course looks at the history of alimony and child support and the evolution of both concepts over time. The course covers jurisdiction and at federal and interstate support mechanisms and institutions that have been developed to make enforcing support orders easier. Other topics include the basics of child custody and visitation rights awarded to non-custodial parents, detailing the definitions and ramifications of sole custody and joint custody, enforcing and modifying custody orders and the mechanisms of preventing parental kidnapping on the state, federal and international levels.

Credit recommendation:

In the associate/certificate degree category, 3 semester hours in Paralegal Studies, Legal Studies, or Family Law (6/21).

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