SALT Teaching Social Justice

Professor Kim Holst, of Arizona State University, shares strategies for addressing social justice issues in her Advocacy classes. Note: The exercise Professor Holst discusses uses a case containing the word “negro.” The hesitant manner in which students approach the use of the word when discussing the case is one way that students encounter discomfort with race as it’s used in legal contexts. Feeling and facing discomfort is an important aspect of recognizing structural racism and its existence in our legal systems.

Professor Atiba Ellis, of Marquette University Law School, talks about voter suppression, growing interest in election law and managing student chats as a space of engagement in online teaching.

Professor Carwina Weng, of Indiana University Maurer School of Law, talks about trauma-informed teaching and the importance of teaching clinic students how to support clients in difficult situations.

Professor Amanda Levendowski, of Georgetown Law, talks about her experience as the founding Director of the Intellectual Property and Information Policy Clinic. She shares her goal of teaching core areas of IP using social justice case studies as a framework. You can read more about Amanda's course and her assignments here: https://www.levendowski.net/ipip-x-social-justice.

Professor Mary Szto, of Syracuse University College of Law, talks about how she discovered her passion for teaching and how she helps her students recognize “what’s at stake” in the pursuit of social justice through law. She also shares her experiences as a First-Generation attorney as a means to encourage her students.

Professor Chrichton, from Howard University School of Law, discusses the value of helping law students manage anxiety as a step towards equity and inclusion. She also stresses the critical ways in which empathy can inform law school teaching.

Professor Kristi Arth, from Belmont University College of Law, talks about the integration of new wellness modalities in the law school classroom and the connection to social justice teaching.

Tasha Souza of Boise State talks about how to infuse law school education communication frameworks and shares concrete terms to help students and teachers manage microaggressions.

Ruben Garcia of UNLV reveals that his passion for labor law, his concern for marginalized workers and personal life experiences fuel his work in the classroom and his service as the former Co-President of the SALT.

Ishaq Kundawala of NSU Law talks about teaching bankruptcy, student misconceptions about consumer bankruptcy, and the value of using objective data to highlight social justice issues in the classroom.

Hugh Mundy of UIC John Marshall talks about why the current climate presents new opportunities to incorporate social justice in the classroom, heighten student engagement and critically examine the Rules of Evidence.

Dorothy A. Brown, Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law, talks about how to inject discussions about race in a tax class, her Critical Race Theory case book, and the 2-10-20 approach to discussing systemic racism in the law school classroom.

Tiffany D. Atkins is an Assistant Professor of Law at Elon University School of Law where she teaches legal method and communication and upper-level writing courses. Professor Atkins writes on topics intersecting culture, race, and legal education, and strives to be an amplifier of diverse voices in her role as teacher and mentor. A graduate of Elon Law, Professor Atkins was the recipient of the prestigious David Gergen Award for Leadership and Professionalism. She discusses her journey to law teaching, the joy of witnessing student learning, cultivating an educational culture that is open to change and where she finds inspiration to take risks in her pedagogy. Tiffany's recent article on inclusive teaching can be found here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3469793.

SALT speaks with Alexi Freeman, Director of Externships and Public Interest Initiatives and Professor of the Practice of Law, and Lindsey Webb, Associate Professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Alexi and Lindsey co-teach the Movement Lawyering Lab and the Critical Race Reading Seminar. They discuss course design, incorporating movement lawyering practice in experiential courses, racial dynamics between faculty, students and communities and more. Their article on team teaching race and the law seminars can be found here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2948688.

Steve Friedland is a Senior Scholar and Professor of Law at the Elon University School of Law. In this episode, Steve discusses the importance of practicing gratitude and highlighting the importance of self-care and well-being in classroom discussions and offers classroom exercises that you can incorporate into your teaching.

SALT speaks with Joan Howarth, Interim Associate Dean for Experiential Legal Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law, and Dean Emerita of Michigan State University College of Law. Joan is a leading advocate on reform of the bar exam and discusses the history of SALT's advocacy as well as the immediate need to address inequities in exam administration during the coronavirus pandemic. You can learn more at https://barcovid19.org/

We speak with Matthew Fletcher, Professor of Law and Director of the Indigenous Law & Policy Center at Michigan State University, about his approach to incorporating social justice in his curriculum in both core and elective courses. The Indigenous Law and Policy Center is the recipient of the 2020 SALT Shanara M. Gilbert Human Rights Award. You can learn more about Matthew's teaching and review his syllabi on the Turtle Talk blog: https://turtletalk.blog/

SALT speaks with Matthew Fletcher, Professor and Director of the Indigenous Law and Policy Center at Michigan State University College of Law. The Center received the 2020 Shanara M. Gilbert Human Rights Award from SALT. Matthew discusses the work of the Center and how he incorporates experiential social justice work in all of his law school courses. You can read more about the work of the Center and Matthew's courses, including selected syllabi, on the Turtle Talk blog: https://turtletalk.blog/matthew-lm-fletcher/

SALT speaks with Lisa Brodoff, Associate Professor and Director of the clinical program at Seattle University School of Law. Lisa received the SALT Great Teacher Award in 2019 in recognition of her innovative teaching methods. Lisa reflects on what brought her to law teaching and how she engages law students in critical thinking about the justice system.