In New Orleans last June, as part of the Law and Society Association's annual meeting, the Consortium sponsored three professional development panels meant to serve people at teaching-centered institutions, within undergraduate studies programs everywhere, and who are graduate students and faculty interested in pedagogy and student research. As part of the program, we sponsored a Teaching Café, featuring ideas from faculty at a range of institutions who use moot courts, mock trials, legislative lobbying, citizen-police training, and so much more to engage students in an immersive undergraduate legal studies education.
A second panel focused on the relationship between legal studies and the law school environment, from the perspective of undergraduate faculty. In conversation with audience members, the panelists noted the diversity of student expectations for undergraduate legal studies: many want to go to law school, some into the field of criminal justice, and some go directly into the workforce. Still others hope to pursue doctoral education in a field related to “law and society.” Given this varied set of expectations from our undergraduates, as well as our institutional relationships (to law schools and offices of admissions, for example), and our own intellectual commitments, how can we best serve our students in learning about the connections between law, society, and culture?
CULJP also sponsored a panel on landing a law and society job at a teaching-centered institution. This panel was exceptionally well-attended, with nearly fifty attendees interested in thinking about the job search process. Our panelists, from both teaching-centered and research-oriented institutions, represented a range of professional identities – from newly hired faculty to department chairs and deans. Those who attended the panel asked a variety of questions that ranged from how to prepare a teaching statement for a job in an interdisciplinary department, to how to present oneself in a cover letter, to the benefits and drawbacks of applying for jobs not specifically listed as law and society but that have the potential to allow scholars to continue to do law and society work within specific disciplines.
Were you an attendee or panelist at one of these professional development events at Law and Society 2016? If so, what did you find most useful? What did you learn? Answer in comments to keep the dialogue alive – and look for more opportunities like this to connect, in Mexico City 2017!
A second panel focused on the relationship between legal studies and the law school environment, from the perspective of undergraduate faculty. In conversation with audience members, the panelists noted the diversity of student expectations for undergraduate legal studies: many want to go to law school, some into the field of criminal justice, and some go directly into the workforce. Still others hope to pursue doctoral education in a field related to “law and society.” Given this varied set of expectations from our undergraduates, as well as our institutional relationships (to law schools and offices of admissions, for example), and our own intellectual commitments, how can we best serve our students in learning about the connections between law, society, and culture?
CULJP also sponsored a panel on landing a law and society job at a teaching-centered institution. This panel was exceptionally well-attended, with nearly fifty attendees interested in thinking about the job search process. Our panelists, from both teaching-centered and research-oriented institutions, represented a range of professional identities – from newly hired faculty to department chairs and deans. Those who attended the panel asked a variety of questions that ranged from how to prepare a teaching statement for a job in an interdisciplinary department, to how to present oneself in a cover letter, to the benefits and drawbacks of applying for jobs not specifically listed as law and society but that have the potential to allow scholars to continue to do law and society work within specific disciplines.
Were you an attendee or panelist at one of these professional development events at Law and Society 2016? If so, what did you find most useful? What did you learn? Answer in comments to keep the dialogue alive – and look for more opportunities like this to connect, in Mexico City 2017!
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