Critical Justice and Systemic Advocacy

This Critical Justice course centers on four “elements” frequently missing from conventional legal analysis (identities, groups, interests, and power) by incorporating them into legal problem-solving contextually, and from a “bottom-up” perspective. Systemic advocacy is an emerging field of law practice focused on solutions to persistent social ills (like poverty, pollution, crime, etc.) using “complex actions” designed to get at the root causes of society’s most costly problems.  During and through this course, students will be able to work collaboratively in small teams on projects/papers of their choice, while developing “critical thinking” skills that build on basic legal training. Class time during the semester will be split between traditional discussions of assigned materials and student fieldwork or team meetings devoted to these self-selected projects. Upon completion of this practice-oriented course, students will be equipped (1) to assess how complex actions might be combined with traditional legal practices to achieve systemic change in varied contemporary contexts, and (2) to collaborate professionally with other legal and non-legal colleagues to help make it so. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and fulfill the Law and Poverty requirement.