Law Commons^™

Teaching "Is This Case Rightly Decided?", Steven Arrigg Koh

Faculty Scholarship

“Is this case rightly decided?” From the first week of law school, every law student must grapple with this classroom question. This Essay argues that this vital question is problematically under-specified, creating imprecision in thinking about law. This Essay thus advocates that law professors should present students with a three-part framework: whether a case is rightly decided legally, morally, or sociologically.

Additionally, this Essay argues that disaggregating the question exposes deeper deficiencies in legal education. Many law professors do not provide students with serious grounding to engage in rigorous thinking about the relationship between law, morality, and justice, not to …

Checking Chatgpt For Accuracy, Carolyn Williams

AI Assignment Library

In this assignment, students learn how ChatGPT works. Then they compare a response ChatGPT gives on a legal question and compares it to legal sources that ChatGPT includes in its response. Then they write a short reflection on the accuracy of the response and ethical considerations a student or attorney may need to work through before using ChatGPT to answer legal questions. The purpose of this assignment is to test the limitations of ChatGPT to increase students’ information literacy. Specifically, students should recognize that ChatGPT routinely creates fake facts, publications, citations, and law that sounds plausible, but may or may …

From Promise To Threat In Language And Law, Marianne Constable

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Critique And Praxis Of Rights, Bernard E. Harcourt

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fake News, Alternative Facts, And Disinformation: The Importance Of Teaching Media Literacy To Law Students, Marin Dell

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

“So Teacher, What Is The Right Answer?” Incorporating Critical Thinking Into The Mexican Legal Education: The Application Of The Us Model, Dr. Ying Chen

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

No abstract provided.

Prompting Deliberation About Nanotechnology: Information, Instruction, And Discussion Effects On Individual Engagement And Knowledge, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Myiah J. Hutchens, Peter Muhlberger, Alan Tomkins

Lisa PytlikZillig Publications

Deliberative (and educational) theories typically predict knowledge gains will be enhanced by information structure and discussion. In two studies, we experimentally manipulated key features of deliberative public engagement (information, instructions, and discussion) and measured impacts on cognitive-affective engagement and knowledge about nanotechnology. We also examined the direct and moderating impacts of individual differences in need for cognition and gender. Findings indicated little impact of information (organized by topic or by pro-con relevance). Instructions (prompts to think critically) decreased engagement in Study 1, and increased it in Study 2, but did not impact postknowledge. Group discussion had strong positive benefits for …

Intellectual Capital: A Case For Cultural Change, Everett S. P. Spain, J. D. Mohundro, Bernard B. Banks

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Angst, Technology, And Innovation In The Classroom: Improving Focus For Students Growing Up In A Digital Age, Karin Mika

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Many professors in legal education have noticed increased angst in students, who fear that well-paying jobs are scarce. Often, that angst is manifested in the classroom. Some educators blame the phenomenon on the distractions of technology—but more specifically, the author finds that technology has brought all of our stressors to the fore, affecting concentration and the ability to absorb information. This article addresses the extent to which technology has changed the ways that people navigate the world within the span of only a few generations, and how the author continues to adjust her teaching techniques in her technology-oriented classroom in …

The Kids Aren’T Alright: Rethinking The Law Student Skills Deficit, Rebecca Flanagan

Faculty Publications

This article examines empirical research on the changes in undergraduate education since the 1960’s and discusses the challenges facing law schools admitting underprepared students.

Cultivating Inclusion, Patrick S. Shin, Mitu Gulati

Faculty Scholarship

In this symposium essay in honor of critical race theory stalwart Mari Matsuda, we discuss two of her essays on affirmative action, "Affirmative Action and Legal Knowledge: Planting Seeds in Plowed-Up Ground" and "Who is Excellent?" We draw on the insights of these essays, one written almost twenty-five years ago and the other over a decade ago, to reflect on currently prevailing justifications for affirmative action, which revolve entirely around debates about diversity. We contrast the production of racial diversity with the more robust concept of affirmative action that Matsuda advocated. We argue that the modern diversity rationale lies at …

Invest In Education, Andy Brunner-Brown

GGU Law Review Blog

No abstract provided.

When Socrates Meets Confucius: Teaching Creative And Critical Thinking Across Cultures Through Multilevel Socratic Method, Erin Ryan

Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

When Socrates Meets Confucius: Teaching Creative And Critical Thinking Across Cultures Through Multilevel Socratic Method, Erin Ryan

Scholarly Publications

This article presents a case study of adapting the Socratic Method, popularized in American law schools, to teach critical thinking skills underemphasized in Chinese universities and group competency skills underemphasized at U.S. institutions. As we propose it here, Multilevel Socratic teaching integrates various levels of individual, small group, and full class critical inquiry, offering distinct pedagogical benefits in Eastern and Western cultural contexts where they separately fall short. After exploring foundational cultural differences underlying the two educational approaches, the article reviews the goals, methods, successes, and challenges encountered in the development of an adapted “Multilevel Socratic” method, concluding with recommendations …

When Socrates Meets Confucius: Teaching Creative And Critical Thinking Across Cultures Through Multilevel Socratic Method, Erin Ryan

Erin Ryan

A Middle School Guide To Debate, Mock Trial And Critical Thinking, Gary W. Levvis

Torrington Articles

This book is a guide for middle school students trying to navigate the rules and strategies of debate and mock trial. Hopefully, it will also serve as a valuable tool for teachers and coaches and, in particular, for college students who are assisting middle school debate teams as a form of community engagement.

Editorial: "You Talkin' To Me?", Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Advancing knowledge through robust research is an honourable aim- being scientific, finding the right methodology, executing project phases meticulously, and reporting on the outcomes as objectively and accurately as possible. But may I begin my inaugural editorial by saying that an even higher ideal to advancing knowledge is critiquing it as it happens. Reflective practice is not just something to be done by academics in their teaching- reflective practice is what we should all be doing as we go about undertaking our various day-to-day work tasks. For the engineer engaged in research and development, whether in industry or government, reflective …

Thinking Like Thinkers: Is The Art And Discipline Of An "Attitude Of Suspended Conclusion" Lost On Lawyers?, Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

In his 1910 book, How We Think, John Dewey proclaimed that “the most important factor in the training of good mental habits consists in acquainting the attitude of suspended conclusion. . .” This Article explores that insight and describes its meaning and significance in the enterprise of thinking generally and its importance in law school education specifically. It posits that the law would be best served if lawyers think like thinkers and adopt an attitude of suspended conclusion in their problem solving affairs. Only when conclusion is suspended is there space for the exploration of the subject at hand. The …

Teaching Persuasion And Critical Thinking Using The State Of The Union Address, Claire May

Law Faculty Contributions to Books

No abstract provided.

Designing Research Assignments To Encourage Critical Thinking And Creative Problem-Solving Skills, Linda Kawaguchi

Linda Kawaguchi

Advanced legal research (ALR) courses are unique in that they provide continual and immediate feedback to both students and teachers over the course of the semester. Unlike traditional doctrinal courses, ALR typically employs a variety of teaching methods and students receive multiple forms of assessment. This level of interaction allows teachers to respond quickly when students are struggling with specific concepts or need clarification. This article analyzes lessons learned from two assignments.

Oral History Interview With Low Kee Yang: Conceptualising Smu, Kee Yang Low

Oral History Collection

The interview covered: first involvement with SMU, university education in Singapore, curriculum, CIRCLE values, private university, logo, teaching pedagogy, interview students for admissions, legal aspects, incorporation of SMU, first day of class, law school, challenges, student recruitment, law internships, Juris Doctor programme, challenges.

Biography:

Associate Professor of Law, SMU, 2000–present

Member of SMU start-up team

Professor Low Kee Yang joined the start-up team for SMU in 1998; one of his responsibilities was supervising legal matters. He served as deputy dean of the business school from 1999 to 2002 and chaired the organising committee for the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business …

Thinking Critically About Equality: Government Can Make Us Equal, Robert L. Hayman, Nancy Levit

Nancy Levit

As kids we called it having to use the old noodle: needing to think real hard about something that was real hard to think about. It was the kind of thinking that would cause your face to get all scrunched up, and if you didn't stop or if someone didn't stop you - it would eventually make your head hurt. The expression came from our families when we figured something out: that's using your old noodle, they'd tell us. The noodle we eventually understood to be our brains, which, we reckon, do look something like noodles, though we were quite …

Thinking Critically About Equality: Government Can Make Us Equal, Robert L. Hayman, Nancy Levit

Robert L. Hayman

No abstract provided.