SALT Teaching Social Justice

Professor Kim Holst, of Arizona State University, shares strategies for addressing social justice issues in her Advocacy classes. Note: The exercise Professor Holst discusses uses a case containing the word “negro.” The hesitant manner in which students approach the use of the word when discussing the case is one way that students encounter discomfort with race as it’s used in legal contexts. Feeling and facing discomfort is an important aspect of recognizing structural racism and its existence in our legal systems.

Professor Atiba Ellis, of Marquette University Law School, talks about voter suppression, growing interest in election law and managing student chats as a space of engagement in online teaching.

Professor Carwina Weng, of Indiana University Maurer School of Law, talks about trauma-informed teaching and the importance of teaching clinic students how to support clients in difficult situations.

Professor Amanda Levendowski, of Georgetown Law, talks about her experience as the founding Director of the Intellectual Property and Information Policy Clinic. She shares her goal of teaching core areas of IP using social justice case studies as a framework. You can read more about Amanda's course and her assignments here: https://www.levendowski.net/ipip-x-social-justice.

Professor Mary Szto, of Syracuse University College of Law, talks about how she discovered her passion for teaching and how she helps her students recognize “what’s at stake” in the pursuit of social justice through law. She also shares her experiences as a First-Generation attorney as a means to encourage her students.

Professor Chrichton, from Howard University School of Law, discusses the value of helping law students manage anxiety as a step towards equity and inclusion. She also stresses the critical ways in which empathy can inform law school teaching.

Professor Kristi Arth, from Belmont University College of Law, talks about the integration of new wellness modalities in the law school classroom and the connection to social justice teaching.

Tasha Souza of Boise State talks about how to infuse law school education communication frameworks and shares concrete terms to help students and teachers manage microaggressions.

Ruben Garcia of UNLV reveals that his passion for labor law, his concern for marginalized workers and personal life experiences fuel his work in the classroom and his service as the former Co-President of the SALT.

Ishaq Kundawala of NSU Law talks about teaching bankruptcy, student misconceptions about consumer bankruptcy, and the value of using objective data to highlight social justice issues in the classroom.