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Show THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXPERTS ON TEACHING Erika George OFFERING CONTEXT TO LEGAL TEXTS: THE USE OF NEW MEDIUMS AND MEDIA TO ENHANCE LEGAL EDUCATION Nicholas Redmond (Erika George) Department of History University of Utah The purpose of this research is to assess whether new interventions in the conventional law school course can create additional opportunities for law students to better engage in active and applied problem solving through context based issue analysis. W e examine whether the use of media and simulated activities will reduce the tendency for law students to disengage or become alienated from legal students when conventional (Socratic) modes of teaching may not be the best m o d e of exposing students to certain material. W e revised the syllabi of two courses, one a required course (Constitutional Law) the other an elective (International H u m a n Rights). By incorporating in the elective course extended simulation exercises and integrating media, documentary films and audio recordings into the required course w e assess improvement in student comprehension and the ability to apply legal rules in different contexts. Both syllabi will be further revised to more fully incorporate relevant media such as documentary films exploring the impact of canonical Supreme Court cases and simulated exercises to test the substantive content of international treaty provisions. These enhancements are intended to provide students with: 1) greater exposure not only to substantive legal content but also the context in which legal rules emerge; 2) more opportunity for active classroom engagement to further develop communication and advocacy skills. Because w e believe that active student learning yields better retention and builds the capacity to engage in analysis, it is hoped that these interventions to enhance the conventional law school course content will better prepare law students for work across a variety of fields from policy making to dispute resolution. For these reasons, w e have incorporated simulation exercises and multimedia into two different courses that both can be enhanced to offer more context to legal texts. The simulation exercises appear to have supported talents, capabilities, and potentials that would otherwise have been untapped by a traditional legal pedagogy that does not serve all students effectively. Currently, there is little literature on best-learning approaches in law schools with little in the way of constructive alternatives to established norms. Increasing integration of in-class material with out-of-class events helps to engage students and allows instructors to explore alternatives to the Socratic Method. 152 |