FROM AVOIDANCE TO ACCEPTANCE: TRAUMA & EMOTIONS IN LAW TEACHING

21 Pages Posted: 13 Feb 2024

See all articles by Lindsay Muir Harris

Lindsay Muir Harris

University of San Francisco School of Law

Mallika Kaur

UC Berkeley School of Law

Date Written: January 17, 2024

Abstract

This chapter is the origin story of this book [forthcoming with Edward Elgar Publishing - How to Account for Trauma and Emotions in Law Teaching] and an introduction to centering emotions and trauma in legal pedagogy. Taking a personal dive into our own journeys in law teaching, we, as co-editors, reflect on our experiences, personally, professionally, and pedagogically, with trauma-centered teaching and lawyering. We introduce the imperatives and benefits of addressing trauma and emotions within law school, a space students experience as fraught with outdated modes of learning and coping, often even unrelated with the current realities of lawyering. We emphasize that cosmetic changes or ‘trauma-lite’ approaches, which in fact avoid emotions and trauma, are not the solution. Nor is there a singular prescription or one “right” approach. Instead, breaking disciplinary silos, cultural humility across classrooms, and constant nimble iteration on pedagogical strategies are essential. We provide overviews of each of the book’s 11 diverse chapters by legal teachers across subject areas. We invite readers into a critically important practice towards a more robust and rewarding classroom, intellectually and emotionally, for all involved.

Keywords: Negotiating trauma, trauma-lite, pedagogy, inclusion, professional identity formation, equity

Suggested Citation

Harris, Lindsay M and Kaur, Mallika, FROM AVOIDANCE TO ACCEPTANCE: TRAUMA & EMOTIONS IN LAW TEACHING (January 17, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4698216

Lindsay M Harris (Contact Author)

University of San Francisco School of Law ( email )

2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
United States

Mallika Kaur

UC Berkeley School of Law ( email )

302 JSP
2240 Piedmont Ave
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
70
Abstract Views
188
Rank
631,713
PlumX Metrics