This course is envisioned as a type of sub-specialization of an often offered course entitled Writing in the Discipline – Social Sciences. Additional upper-division writing options often include a general Writing Arguments course, Writing in the Discipline – Science, Writing in the Discipline – Humanities, Writing in the Discipline – Education, and/or Writing for Digital Environments.
Academically the study of social sciences can encompass fields ranging from psychology and sociology to economics and political science; so, to focus primarily legal texts, contexts, and examples would perhaps not meet the needs of the student selecting a writing class focused on writing for the social sciences generally.
A Writing in the Discipline of Law course would likely be a separate offering altogether; designed specifically for pre-law, legal studies, public policy, political science, and criminal justice students who are ideally interested in pursuing a career based in, or that would benefit from, an underlying knowledge of legal writing, reading, and analysis.
Regardless of a student’s background and ultimate goals, successful completion of the this course would satisfy an upper-level, undergraduate, writing requirement. This course could also offer a small preview of what legal writing, analysis, and law school could entail if an undergraduate student chose to pursue those opportunities post-graduation.
This site is for would-be teachers of such a course.
Importantly, this course was designed in connection with the pursuit of a graduate degree in English with a focus on Writing, Rhetoric, and Social Change. Writing studies/composition theory, social change, and rhetoric relate to legal writing in obvious and complex ways. (Ramsfield, J.; Berger, L.; Bacharach, R.). For instance, legal reading and writing often explores fundamental issues concerning access to justice. To further articulate this focus the reading material and examples offered within this course, along with the background reading and references for instructors, focus on areas particularly relevant to the constantly evolving concept of social change. The case law focuses on issues of race, poverty, criminal convictions, immigration and free speech. You will see similar trends in the selected subject matter within all the sections of the course.
Writing in the Law 