CULJP 2023 Award Recipients
2023 Winner of Teaching Innovation Award in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies
The Consortium for Undergraduate Law & Justice Programs is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2023 Teaching Innovation Award in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies is Sarah E Frank (Frankie), who teaches in the Center for Law, Justice, and Society at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her courses on law, gender, and sexuality, including the Menstruation Research Lab. The Honorable Mention is awarded to Phi Hong Su, Christine Ménard, and Régan Schwartz at Williams College for the course Global Studies/Sociology/Science and Technology Studies 262: Paper Trails.
Sarah E Frank, a doctoral student in Sociology and teaches at the Center for Law, Justice, and Society at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has designed and developed a rich set of courses over the last four years on law, gender, and sexuality, including Law, Sexuality, and Society, Crime, Gender, and Society, Women and the Law, and Menstruation Research Lab. The courses examine ways in which "law has affected and reflected gender/sex norms'' and the intersectional social implications, including freedom of speech, bodily autonomy, and citizenship. The courses address complex historical and legal debates on gender/sexuality and citizenship and draw on a broad array of readings within gender and sexuality studies, sociology, and legal studies. The Menstruation Research lab is an innovative contribution to socio-legal education, creating opportunities for students to engage with menstruation laws and public policy and perform democratic citizenship.
In the Menstruation data lab, students actively apply socio-legal concepts and qualitative research techniques to analyze menstruation laws related to taxation and the criminal justice system in different states and around the world. The opportunity to design and conduct social research provides experiential learning opportunities on issues that directly impact students. A student notes: One important lesson that I learned from doing this research was that conversations surrounding menstruation in many contexts are still described using very feminine language, through the use of terms such as "feminine hygiene," and "women/woman," even though not all individuals who menstruate identify with these descriptors. This leads to the problem of marginalization in institutions providing menstrual products or regulating them, such as in schools and governmental discourse, ultimately ostracizing individuals who do not identify with this feminine language and making menstruation appear to be a female issue. The course also trains students in research skills, including literature reviews, archival research, and qualitative data collection techniques including following digital trails, data analysis, and coding procedures. The Menstruation research lab has the potential for a broad impact on socio-legal education and civic engagement. Further, Ms. Frank's teaching website, Teaching Frankly, is an excellent and accessible repository of information on reading, research, and writing for students, which shows her commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity in education.
The Honorable Mention for the 2023 Teaching Innovation Award in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies is Phi Hong Su, Christine Ménard, and Régan Schwartz at Williams College for the course Global Studies/Sociology/Science and Technology Studies 262: Paper Trails. Paper Trails brings innovative experiential learning to tackle the connection between documentation practices and systemic violence, particularly against marginalized populations. The course engages students in conversation about paper trails in their lives, “tracing their informational selves and connecting with a news event”. A particularly interesting innovation is the examination of bureaucratic and surveillance practices through various forms of record-keeping, and partnering with a local community organization including Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative, Berkshire Immigrant Center, Jewish Family Services, and Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Historic Preservation Office to create informational tools for community members.
Sarah E Frank, a doctoral student in Sociology and teaches at the Center for Law, Justice, and Society at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has designed and developed a rich set of courses over the last four years on law, gender, and sexuality, including Law, Sexuality, and Society, Crime, Gender, and Society, Women and the Law, and Menstruation Research Lab. The courses examine ways in which "law has affected and reflected gender/sex norms'' and the intersectional social implications, including freedom of speech, bodily autonomy, and citizenship. The courses address complex historical and legal debates on gender/sexuality and citizenship and draw on a broad array of readings within gender and sexuality studies, sociology, and legal studies. The Menstruation Research lab is an innovative contribution to socio-legal education, creating opportunities for students to engage with menstruation laws and public policy and perform democratic citizenship.
In the Menstruation data lab, students actively apply socio-legal concepts and qualitative research techniques to analyze menstruation laws related to taxation and the criminal justice system in different states and around the world. The opportunity to design and conduct social research provides experiential learning opportunities on issues that directly impact students. A student notes: One important lesson that I learned from doing this research was that conversations surrounding menstruation in many contexts are still described using very feminine language, through the use of terms such as "feminine hygiene," and "women/woman," even though not all individuals who menstruate identify with these descriptors. This leads to the problem of marginalization in institutions providing menstrual products or regulating them, such as in schools and governmental discourse, ultimately ostracizing individuals who do not identify with this feminine language and making menstruation appear to be a female issue. The course also trains students in research skills, including literature reviews, archival research, and qualitative data collection techniques including following digital trails, data analysis, and coding procedures. The Menstruation research lab has the potential for a broad impact on socio-legal education and civic engagement. Further, Ms. Frank's teaching website, Teaching Frankly, is an excellent and accessible repository of information on reading, research, and writing for students, which shows her commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity in education.
The Honorable Mention for the 2023 Teaching Innovation Award in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies is Phi Hong Su, Christine Ménard, and Régan Schwartz at Williams College for the course Global Studies/Sociology/Science and Technology Studies 262: Paper Trails. Paper Trails brings innovative experiential learning to tackle the connection between documentation practices and systemic violence, particularly against marginalized populations. The course engages students in conversation about paper trails in their lives, “tracing their informational selves and connecting with a news event”. A particularly interesting innovation is the examination of bureaucratic and surveillance practices through various forms of record-keeping, and partnering with a local community organization including Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative, Berkshire Immigrant Center, Jewish Family Services, and Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Historic Preservation Office to create informational tools for community members.
2023 Winner of Best Undergraduate Student Paper Award in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies
The Consortium for Undergraduate Law & Justice Programs is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2023 Best Undergraduate Student Paper Award in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies is Savannah Jackson of Brandeis University, for the thesis project "Mediating Authenticity: Interpretation as a Social Process," advised by Dr. Sarah Mayorga and nominated by thesis committee member Prof. Douglas L. Smith. The Honorable Mention for the Best Undergraduate Student Paper Award in Interdisciplinary Legal Studies is awarded to Grace Gonzalez (University of Denver) for “Georgia's HB 1059: Analyzing the Nation's Toughest Sex Offender Bill and Its Implications for Life Sentences,” and Lizguadalupe Torres (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY) for “Attorney-Client Relationships: The Latinx Immigrant Experience.”
Savannah Jackson’s thesis, grounded in semi-structured interviews with interpreters working in various stages of the United States asylum process, challenges conventional professional wisdom that the interpreters’ role ought to be one that is neutral, invisible, and providing word-for-word translation. Jackson convincingly contends that we should consider interpretation as a “social process founded in social relations” in which interpreters are “their own full participant rather than a filter through which other participants communicate.” This dynamic shift in framework paired with Jackson’s qualitative methodology demonstrates how interpreters “legitimate non-neutral and non-invisible practices by framing them within the values of neutrality and authenticity” in a way that transforms such practices into a fundament of high-quality interpretation. Moreover, Jackson finds that interpreters practice and understand emotional regulation as an essential part of their work within the US asylum system and the multiple settings in which they interpret.
This is a robust piece of interdisciplinary legal scholarship. Jackson identifies a dearth of research on the roles and experiences of interpreters in scholarship in asylum systems (especially in the US context), which diminishes our understanding of such systems. In response, Jackson constructs a rigorous empirical study guided by sociolegal theories and approaches that impressively makes three major contributions. First, Jackson produces new forms of knowledge about interpreters and about interpretation itself in the asylum process in the United States, even as interpreters do not have fully official roles within the process. Second, Jackson examines how the findings contribute back to the study of sociological concepts such as emotional labor, performance, and role strain. Third, Jackson’s research opens onto a research-informed call for a more justice-oriented approach to language access in the asylum system. We also recognize the eloquent writing style of the thesis. This project embodies the best of interdisciplinary legal scholarship.
We further recognize two other undergraduate scholars with Honorable Mentions. Grace Gonzalez wrote a superb paper analyzing the political processes animating Georgia’s particularly harsh sex offender law, HB 1059, as well as the implications of the law for sentencing across multiple classifications of crimes. Gonzalez’ careful and insightful research is notable for the media research involved, scope of the work, and comprehensive analysis of the law. Lizguadalupe Torres wrote an excellent paper on the ways that attorney-client relationships among Latinx immigrants shape their experiences of the legal system and their legal consciousness. We recognize Torres for identifying a necessary area for scholarship, devising a challenging recruitment method leading to open-ended interviews, and perceptively examining the attorney-client relationship in connection to multiple areas of sociolegal scholarship.
Savannah Jackson’s thesis, grounded in semi-structured interviews with interpreters working in various stages of the United States asylum process, challenges conventional professional wisdom that the interpreters’ role ought to be one that is neutral, invisible, and providing word-for-word translation. Jackson convincingly contends that we should consider interpretation as a “social process founded in social relations” in which interpreters are “their own full participant rather than a filter through which other participants communicate.” This dynamic shift in framework paired with Jackson’s qualitative methodology demonstrates how interpreters “legitimate non-neutral and non-invisible practices by framing them within the values of neutrality and authenticity” in a way that transforms such practices into a fundament of high-quality interpretation. Moreover, Jackson finds that interpreters practice and understand emotional regulation as an essential part of their work within the US asylum system and the multiple settings in which they interpret.
This is a robust piece of interdisciplinary legal scholarship. Jackson identifies a dearth of research on the roles and experiences of interpreters in scholarship in asylum systems (especially in the US context), which diminishes our understanding of such systems. In response, Jackson constructs a rigorous empirical study guided by sociolegal theories and approaches that impressively makes three major contributions. First, Jackson produces new forms of knowledge about interpreters and about interpretation itself in the asylum process in the United States, even as interpreters do not have fully official roles within the process. Second, Jackson examines how the findings contribute back to the study of sociological concepts such as emotional labor, performance, and role strain. Third, Jackson’s research opens onto a research-informed call for a more justice-oriented approach to language access in the asylum system. We also recognize the eloquent writing style of the thesis. This project embodies the best of interdisciplinary legal scholarship.
We further recognize two other undergraduate scholars with Honorable Mentions. Grace Gonzalez wrote a superb paper analyzing the political processes animating Georgia’s particularly harsh sex offender law, HB 1059, as well as the implications of the law for sentencing across multiple classifications of crimes. Gonzalez’ careful and insightful research is notable for the media research involved, scope of the work, and comprehensive analysis of the law. Lizguadalupe Torres wrote an excellent paper on the ways that attorney-client relationships among Latinx immigrants shape their experiences of the legal system and their legal consciousness. We recognize Torres for identifying a necessary area for scholarship, devising a challenging recruitment method leading to open-ended interviews, and perceptively examining the attorney-client relationship in connection to multiple areas of sociolegal scholarship.