Article for LSA Newsletter (November, 2004 issue)
Consortium for Undergraduate Law and Justice Programs
Valerie Hans
Many of us reside in interdisciplinary law and society
programs, and find them a wonderful home for our cross-cutting intellectual,
teaching, and research agendas. But law and justice programs often face special
challenges in higher education environments organized around long-established
disciplines and departments. Enter the Consortium for Undergraduate Law and
Justice Programs!
The purpose of the Consortium, formed in 2003, is to support and nurture the increasing number of college and university interdisciplinary programs in law and justice. Interest in forming a Consortium was sparked by the activities of the LSA Development Committee, which for several years has sponsored helpful LSA sessions on teaching and field development. A number of us who participated thought that an organization specifically oriented to promoting and assisting law and justice programs would be an excellent vehicle to expand our field. Our aim is to provide collegial support and intellectual exchange in three major areas critical to the success of undergraduate law and justice programs: the structure and organization of such programs; pedagogy and pedagogical techniques; and theory and research in law and justice.
We’re still at an early stage, but so far the Consortium has sponsored two national meetings, put up a website, begun a listserv, undertaken outreach to people who are considering developing new programs, and offered advice to existing law and justice programs on program review issues.
The Consortium, which is constituted of member programs, is a nice complement to organizations like the LSA, which have individual members. The Consortium is focused more intently on the enhancement of law-related undergraduate programs, but we have much in common in our intellectual, research, and teaching concerns. And there is a good deal of overlap between LSA members and the faculty members who are active in the Consortium.
The Consortium web page (http://www.culjp.org) is a clearinghouse for information about teaching in and administering these programs. The web page includes links to our member programs, teaching and advising resources for faculty and administrators, and information about how to join the Consortium.
Thus far, the Consortium's members have
met annually. The meetings are scheduled in conjunction with a professional or
scholarly meeting that is of interest to the Consortium's constituent programs.
At our meetings, we exchange ideas and entertain questions ranging from the practical
to the sublime. Whether it’s strategies for structuring an introductory course
or an interdisciplinary program, to theoretical issues in teaching about
terrorism, the discussions are lively and informative. In June, the Consortium met
in
The next
meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 1 in
If you are interested in having your program become a member of the Consortium, the application form is online (http://www.culjp.org/appform.htm). There are modest yearly dues, which cover the costs of the annual meeting and other organizational expenses.
If you and your colleagues are thinking about developing a new law and justice program, or revamping your current one, please take a look at our web site for ideas and feel free to contact me (vhans@udel.edu) in my capacity as the Consortium’s President, or Austin Sarat (adsarat@amherst.edu), chair of the Program Development Committee. We’d be pleased to hear from you.
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