The idea for this book came from an exercise requiring students to apply the laws of homicide to the actions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. I was looking for a way to make students engage actively with the text, discern the subtleties of character motivation, use evidence, argue passionately with one another, and apply the ideas of one text to another. Above all, I was looking for an assignment they would not be able to copy and paste their way out of.
There were some incredulous faces when I first told them we would devote a class session to the laws of murder and manslaughter. However, any doubts I had were dissipated when my ordinarily indifferent and perfunctory class transformed into a cauldron of seething debate, and the hitherto sleepiest students of the class became animated with curiosity. For the first time all semester, students were addressing each other in discussion, inventing their own hypotheticals to move the inquiry to the next level. They couldn't be bothered with gender inequality, utopian visions, suburbia, introspection, euthanasia, but they sure perked up for murder. I had rediscovered what Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, A.C. Doyle had found out long ago.
Nearly everyone loves a good courtroom drama. And even those that don't must admit that the law touches every aspect of their lives. An English class rooted in Legal Studies can't help but be relevant and engaging.
One of the hardest challenges of teaching Freshman Composition is the potential lack of context. Students are asked to learn a skill rather than study a subject, and this bores many of them who rightfully resent drill and practice: writing for writing's sake, assignments invented as excuses to write. An English class rooted in Legal Studies presents writing tasks that matter, that effect action.
Of course, there are many Legal Writing texts on the market, but they naturally presuppose a law or paralegal student. They demand a high level of familiarity with legal discourse and take for granted a mastery of basic composition principles. I wanted a book that used the subject matter of the courtroom and used it as a platform for learning basic composition, not as an end in itself.
As well, many across-the-curriculum texts exist. I have always found some of the disciplines they cover to be far more popular than others and wanted a text that stuck with one discipline my students had invariably found appealing.
But this textbook does NOT remain mono-dimensional, for the law is not a single subject but rather an entity that makes contact with all aspects of life: government, family, marriage, business, civil liberties, sociology, literature and more. This book makes reflection of that diversity a priority.
As it should be, everything in this book is a work in process. I have created this site both to provide teaching tips and to share my experiences with using and modifying the activities found inside. I hope others will contribute their experiences and suggestions as well. Above all, I would like to emphasize that no legal expertise is necessary to teach from this book. The emphasis is always on critical thinking and written expression. Neither the students nor the teacher need to "get the law right" to have a productive experience.
