LAW455
Legal Seminar: Housing, Homelessness & Law
(Lund)
Prerequisite courses:
Prerequisite for:
Instructor(s): Professor Anna Lund
Course credit: 3
Method of presentation: Seminar
Teamwork: Yes
METHOD OF EVALUATION
A major research paper OR a major project (70%)
Research presentation (5%)
Class engagement (25%)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This 3-credit seminar critically examines issues relating to housing, homelessness, and the law. Housing is a fundamental human need, but affordable, secure housing remains elusive for many. International, federal, provincial, and municipal laws and policies shape housing realities and experiences, and housing also engages multiple substantive areas of law including contract, property, criminal, administrative, commercial, human rights, and family law. The seminar introduces students to the context and policy debates around housing and homelessness in Canada, and examines issues relating to housing and homelessness through multiple legal and interdisciplinary lenses. Seminar topics may include housing for Indigenous peoples on and off-reserve, the international human right to housing, Canada’s federal housing legislation, issues relating to the financialization of housing, issues concerning housing and people with disabilities, legal approaches to homelessness, and law and practice relating to residential tenancies and residential mortgages. Finally, the seminar explores policy and law reform proposals for the future of housing justice in Canada.
This course also provides students with support to improve their writing processes at all stages from project planning, through research and writing, to editing.
SPECIAL COMMENTS
Description updated 2025-26. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.
REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY):
A course reading list will be provided. All readings will be freely available through the University of Alberta library.