RWU法律 Introduces Required Course on Race and the Law
‘学生 who understand the connections between race and law will be better lawyers and better prepared to work for justice.’
布里斯托尔,R.I.2021年6月28日 ——今年秋天, Roger Williams University 法学院 will become one of just a handful of law schools nationwide to introduce a new required course on the subject of “种族 & the Foundations of American Law” to its core legal curriculum.
在这些学校中, RWU法律 is one of the first to have already piloted its course – to excellent student reviews – as a spring elective. The course is designed to provide “both a historical overview and a current assessment of how race has played a role in American law and provide critical analytic 太ls students can bring to all aspects of their legal education and future practice.(详细说明见下文.)
After three years of strategic planning and a year of national reckoning, RWU法律 designed a course aimed to improve critical thinking about the law by offering important and often overlooked perspectives on race, and to prepare students for the fast-evolving legal landscape in which they will soon be practicing.
“我们做了我们一直在做的事情, 哪一个是做对学生最好的事情,RWU法学院院长Gregory W. 鲍曼. “Offering this course aligns perfectly with our institution’s larger social justice mission. 这是我们需要做的事情, 一些变革, something that will better equip our graduates to work within the legal system to create a world that is more equitable for all.”
Since the adoption of RWU法律’s Strategic Plan for Diversity & 2017年入选, the law school has been committed to addressing issues of inequality and social justice as a core part of the curriculum. 学生, and in particular members of the school’s chapter of the Black Law 学生 Association (BLSA), have made clear that they care deeply about seeing the law school further that commitment.
“在乔治·弗洛伊德被谋杀之后, BLSA students told us that we needed to do more to help educate all students about the ways in which the legal system perpetuates racial hierarchies,杰瑞德·戈德斯坦教授说, RWU法学院负责学术事务的副院长. “The faculty agreed that we should create a required course on race and the law, 每个学生都会选的课程. Making this change will help us carry out the mission we have long been dedicated to.”
In June 2020, the RWU法律 faculty voted to create the course for piloting in spring 2021.
“We are leaders, not outliers,” Dean 鲍曼 emphasized. “Our students’ input and perspectives were really helpful in this work of improving our curriculum. 事实上, the ABA is considering changes to law school accreditation that would require this sort of academic programming for all law schools in the future. Here at RWU法律, we are dedicated to leading that change.”
Goldstein explained that the class – which will be a required part of the second-year curriculum –provides a service to students by introducing them to the real world in which American law has evolved.
自成立以来, Roger Williams has been committed to preparing our students to confront the many challenges they’ll face as lawyers,戈尔茨坦说. “A crucial ingredient in that 培训 is for students to understand the role of the law in creating and sustaining existing power structures, including the inequitable distribution of power by race. 学生 who understand the connections between race and law will be better lawyers and better prepared to work for justice.”
In order to develop and refine the course with student involvement and input, the faculty introduced it as an elective in the spring 2021 semester, 由戴安娜·哈塞尔教授共同授课, Nadiyah亨伯河, 和妮可·迪斯勒夫斯基. 这是一次巨大的成功.
“比赛的领航员 & the Foundations of American Law’ course was transformative for both the students and instructors,哈塞尔说. “The course created a desire to learn more about the systemic ways in which racial hierarchy has been created and supported by the law. 学生 who 太k the course will continue that exploration throughout their legal careers.”
学生们同意她的评价.
“在我19年的正规教育中, this was the best and most eye-opening class I’ve ever taken,布鲁克林·克罗克顿说, 来自罗切斯特的RWU法学院三年级学生, N.Y. 当课程开始的时候, 我以为我知道的比我知道的多, 因为我自己就是非洲裔美国人. I thought I had a good grasp of how the law intersects with African-American issues and history, 因为我是伴随着它长大的. But I’d say about 90 percent of the course content was totally new to me – and I was a Africana Studies minor, 太!”
Dominick Gargano, a third-year RWU法律 student from Morristown, N.J., said that as a white male he felt no sense of “indoctrination.”
“What we were really studying in this class is history, factual information,他说. “It’s not a ‘version’ of something, or an interpretation. We’re doing what we do in every other law class: looking at the facts. 然后处理这些信息, and then you start to think about what we can do make things better.”
Gargano added that he agreed with RWU法律’s decision to make the course a required part of the curriculum.
“在我看来, the last few years in this country have highlighted some of the social justice issues we need to tackle, 包括系统性种族主义,他说. “This course offers an exploration and explanation of how we got to where we are – including lack of empathy, 缺乏教育, 缺乏理解, 太多刻板印象. 我的意思是, 我们在生活中都要奋斗, but people should not be struggling because of the color of their skin or any other immutable characteristic. 我们的职业是多样化的. We have men and women of all different colors and ethnicities, and this course conveys information that’s essential to understanding one another.”
“What Roger Williams is doing with this course is an absolute necessity for everyone,克罗克顿同意了. “I think it’s going to make people very uncomfortable, but I also think it’s important that we don’t shy away or back down from that challenge. 你在课程结束时拿走的东西, 作为未来的律师, is an incredible wealth of indispensable knowledge and understanding.”
“种族 & the Foundations of American Law” Course Description: “This course will provide both a historical overview and a current assessment of how race has played a role in American law and provide critical analytic 太ls students can bring to all aspects of their legal education and future practice. The course will examine the ways in which creating and perpetuating racial hierarchy, 有利于那些被认为是白人的人, 影响了美国法律的发展. The roles white supremacy and racial hierarchy play in current systems will also be covered. The operation and racial implications of systems such as legal education and the legal profession, 刑事系统, 移民, 房地产市场, 公共教育也将得到解决. 最后, the course will take a critical look at current anti-racist approaches and tactics and explore ways in which unjust/or discriminatory systems can be dismantled. This is a novel course team-taught by three faculty members for the purpose of integrating these important topics into the larger law school curriculum.”
关于RWU法律: 罗德岛唯一的法学院, Roger Williams University 法学院 offers students a rigorous, 亲自动手的, affordable legal education in a supportive environment. RWU法律 has been a leader in providing experiential and pro bono education opportunities for its students, 并且有着杰出的学术成就, 完成校友, 以及与法官和律师的深入接触.
关于RWU: With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the heart of Providence, R.I., Roger Williams University is a forward-thinking private university committed to strengthening society through engaged teaching and learning. 在RWU, 小类, direct access to faculty and guaranteed opportunity for real-world projects ensure that its nearly 4,000 undergraduates – along with hundreds of law students, graduate students and adult learners – graduate with the ability to think critically along with the practical skills that today’s employers demand. Roger Williams is leading the way in American higher education, confronting the most pressing issues facing students and families – increasing costs, 不断上升的债务和就业准备.