653Z Winter 2026 Modern Coupling: Marriage and Divorce

This course is a modified version of the Family Law class that the instructor teaches at George Mason University. There will be detailed discussions of marriage, annulments, and divorce laws in the United States. Various legal principles in family law will be presented as well as landmark decisions and cases some would consider weird or out of the norm. Our discussion will include some Virginia laws regarding intrafamilial marriages. There will also be a discussion about modern day trends regarding societal behavior regarding marriage and divorce and how this trend is affecting the intimate relationships of Millennials (1981-1996) and Gen Z’s (1997-2012).

Lillian Brooks, JD, practiced criminal and family law in Atlanta, Georgia, before coming to Virginia in 1984.She then became director of juvenile and domestic relations court services, retiring in 2012.She is a former president of OLLI. She is also an adjunct professor at George Mason University.