Description
Book SynopsisThe nature and purpose of legal education has become a topic of intense debate in recent years. This timely book calls for a critical re-evaluation of university legal education, with the particular aim of strengthening its academic nature.
The contributors emphasise lecturers' responsibility to challenge the assumptions students have about law, and the importance of putting law in a theoretical and social context that allows for critical reflection and sceptical detachment. In addition, the book reports upon teaching experiences and innovations, offering tools for teachers to strengthen the academic nature of legal education, and concludes with concrete proposals for change.
Students and scholars engaged in the debate regarding the re-evaluation of academic legal education will find this book invaluable to their work. It will also be of interest to practitioners, such as educational experts and administrators looking to understand the role of law schools in creating responsible citizens.
Contributors include: T. Bleeker, A. Böning, L. Corrias, U. de Vries, M. Del Mar, L. Francot, S. Germain, T. Hutchinson, B. Oomen, C. Schwöbel-Patel, B. Sokhi-Bulley, G. Uygur, B. van Klink, W. van Rossum
Trade Review'At a time when the performative demands of the neo-liberal university threaten to marginalise liberal and post-liberal traditions of critical enquiry, it is important to be reminded that a quality legal education can be both richly sceptical and imaginative. For those interested in deepening their students' empirical, normative and affective understanding of legal phenomena, and of their own place in the legal word, this collection of essays offers both a multi-faceted account of educational praxis and some persuasive examples of how we can educate better.' --Julian Webb, The University of Melbourne, Australia
'This is a very varied, interesting and stimulating collection of essays. It deserves a wide readership, as there are topics of interest to all law teachers.' --Fiona Cownie, Keele University, UK
'In a world dominated by technology, technique, and bureaucracy this collection of essays represents a most welcome and intelligent effort to render legal education, and law itself, more fully human, coherent, and effective, from the point of view both of the individual human being and the larger society.' --James Boyd White, The University of Michigan
Table of ContentsContents: Foreword 1. Introduction 1 Part I THEORY AND LEGAL EDUCATION 2. Knowledge and Aphasia: What is the Use of Skeptical Legal Education Bart van Klink 3. Re-Bildung: An Ideal Reconsidered for Legal Education Lyana Francot and Luigi Corrias 4. Academic Education and Socialisation Anja Böning 5. The Necessary Loneliness of Teaching (and of Being a Legal Academic) Anthony Bradney Part II Experimental Courses 6. Teaching International Law Critically- Critical Pedagogy and Bildung as Orientations for Learning and Teaching Christine Schwöbel-Patel 7. Learning Law Differently: The Importance of Theory and Methodology Bal Sokhi-Bulley 8. Empirical Methodologies Knowledge and Expertise: A ‘Necessary’ Skill for Lawyers? Terry Hutchinson 9. Visuals for a Critical Legal Reflection Wibo van Rossum 10. For a New and More Diverse Comparative Legal Education Sabrina Germain PART III DIDACTIC INNOVATIONS AND LEARNING EXPERIMENT 11. Orchestrating Encounters: Teaching Law at a Liberal Arts and Sciences College in the Netherlands Barbara Oomen 12. Students’ Perception and Legal Education Gülriz Uygur 13. Learning How to Read a Case: Resources from the Visual and Dramatic Art Maksymilian Del Mar 14. Law & Lounge: An Experiment on Student Self-Organisation and Critique as Skeptical Reflexivity Ubaldus de Vries 15. Epilogue: An Overview, Reflections and a Student’s Perspective Tim Bleeker 16. Conclusions: Concrete Proposals for Change: 14 Theses Bart van Klink and Ubaldus de Vries Index
