This course is envisioned as a type of sub-specialization of an often offered course entitled Writing in the Discipline of Social Sciences. Additional advanced-level writing (300 level) options often include a general Writing Arguments course, Writing in the Discipline – Science, Writing in the Discipline – Humanities, Writing in the Discipline – Education, and 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 both obvious and nuanced ways. The law necessarily 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 covered focuses on issues of race, poverty, criminal convictions, immigration, education, and free speech. You will see similar trends in the selected subject matter within all the sections of the course.
No educator can erase prejudice and lack of progress from certain periods in American jurisprudence and its subsequent representation in culture. No educator should attempt to erase the progress that has been made along the way. We ignore our history at our own peril. Here we do what we can to evaluate, analyze, critique, and celebrate our legal evolution, and ultimately – ideally – attempt to take the good and leave the bad.
“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow human beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” -Thurgood Marshall, Supreme Court Justice
Writing in the Law 