Conference to Explore How Legal Rhetoric Shapes the Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC, October 14, 2010 – American University Washington College of Law is hosting a conference titled “How Legal Rhetoric Shapes the Law: Pedagogy, Theory, Practice” on Friday, Oct. 15 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
There will be three panel discussions, on topics including legal rhetoric in the classroom, the theory of legal rhetoric, and legal rhetoric in practice.
Panelists include law professors from schools around the country. Participating faculty from American University Washington College of Law include Elisabeth Beske, Teresa Godwin Phelps, and Elizabeth Keith. Professor Robert Tsai, author of Eloquence and Reason: Creating a First Amendment Culture, is delivering a lunch speech entitled “Dealing with Democrat Heartbreak.”
Linda Edwards, a leader in the field of legal writing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law will be delivering the morning keynote with a talk titled “Law and the Myth of Redemptive Violence.”
Full Schedule:
9:00 a.m. - Registration
9:30 a.m. - Welcome: Teresa Godwin Phelps ( American University Washington College of Law)
9:45 a.m. - Keynote: Linda Edwards (University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law):
“Law and the Myth of Redemptive Violence”
11:00 a.m. - Panel 1: Legal Rhetoric in the Classroom
Cassandra Hill (Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law): “Peer Editing: A Comprehensive Pedagogical Approach to Maximize Assessment Opportunities, Integrate Collaborative Learning, and Achieve Desired Outcomes”
Christine Coughlin (Wake Forest University School of Law) and Lisa McElroy (Drexel University School of Law): “Failure is Not an Option: What Legal Educators Can Learn from NASA’s Signature Pedagogy to Improve Student Outcomes”
Bradley Charles and Douglas Godfrey (Chicago-Kent College of Law): “Classifying Arguments as a Teaching Tool”
Elizabeth Keith (American University Washington College of Law): “The Power of Parentheticals”
Responder: Christy DeSanctis (George Washington University Law School)
12:30 p.m. - Lunch with Speaker : Robert Tsai, author of Eloquence and Reason (American University Washington College of Law): “Dealing with Democratic Heartbreak”
2:00 p.m. - Panel 2: The Theory of Legal Rhetoric
Michael Murray (Valparaiso University School of Law) : “Rhetorical Perspectives on Explanatory Synthesis and the TREAT Paradigm: Classical Rhetoric and Law and Economics””
Christopher Rideout (Seattle University School of Law): “Aristotle Meet Sherlock Holmes: Truth, Probability and Narrative Coherence”
Karen Sneddon (Mercer University Law School): “In the Name of God, Amen: Language in Last Wills and Testaments”
Lucille Jewel (John Marshall Law School): “Through a Glass Darkly: Using Brain Science and Visual Rhetoric to Gain a Perspective on Visual Advocacy”
Responder: Rosi Lozada Schrier (University of Miami School of Law)
3:45 p.m. - Panel 3: Legal Rhetoric in Practice
Peter Friedman (Case Western Reserve University School of Law): “What is a Judicial Author?”
Michael Higdon (University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law):
“The Use of Foreshadowing as a Persuasive Device in Judicial Writing”
Ken Chestek (Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis): “Storytelling: It’s a Good Thing”
Ellie Margolis (Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law): “Authority Without Borders”
Responder: Elizabeth Beske (American University Washington College of Law)
5:30 p.m. - Concluding Discussion
6:00 p.m. - Dinner
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American University Washington College of Law
In 1896, American University Washington College of Law became the first law school in the country founded by women. More than 100 years since its founding, this law school community is grounded in the values of equality, diversity, and intellectual rigor. The law school’s nationally and internationally recognized programs (in clinical legal education, trial advocacy, international law, and intellectual property to name a few) and dedicated faculty provide its 1700 JD, LL.M., and SJD students with the critical skills and values to have an immediate impact as students and as graduates, in Washington, DC and around the world. For more information, visit wcl.american.edu.