Supervised Externship Seminar (LAW-769-004)
Monica Trigoso
Meets: 06:00 PM - 07:50 PM (W) - Warren - Room N103
Enrolled: 14 / Limit: 14
Notices
**You must register for the fieldwork component as well (LAW-899). To do so, you must apply for your fieldwork credits through the Externship office: https://www.wcl.american.edu/academics/experientialedu/externships/current-students/how-to-registar/
Description
Externship seminars provide students with an opportunity to engage in critical reflection about the legal profession, their own future legal careers, and their priorities and values as lawyers in conjunction with their field placement experiences. Externship seminars are open to students in a wide variety of field placements and, rather than emphasizing a particular area of law, focus on the lawyering experience, the legal profession, and the workings of legal institutions. Instructors choose various general themes for their own seminars, but within each seminar some specific topics are likely to include the nature of law practice in different settings (including private firms, public interest organizations, and government agencies), the varieties of lawyer-client relationships in these settings, and the dynamics and politics of the workplace. Other topics that may be covered include images of lawyers in fiction and popular culture, theories of bureaucracy in relation to the lawyering process, legal ethics in theory and practice, issues of gender, race, and difference in the legal profession, and the profession's history. Finally, in all the seminars students have the opportunity to explore their own professional development through discussions of critique and self-evaluation, the transition from school to work, and career goals and career planning. Students in the Supervised Externship Seminar register for 2 credits. Students in the Advanced Externship Seminar register for 1 credit.
Textbooks and Other Materials
The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.
Leah Wortham, Alexander Scherr, Nancy Maurer, and Susan Brooks, Learning from Practice (West Academic 3rd Edition 2016).). In an effort to conserve natural resources, students will have the option of downloading electronically or printed hardcopies of assigned readings for this class. These readings will be assigned throughout the semester for each class. Several books will be on reserve in the WCL Law Library. Other articles will be posted online as well. The expectation is that everyone will come to class having read the assigned material.
First Class Readings
In preparation for class, complete the personality test available at https://www.123test.com/personality-test/?d=1&prd=MjA=&p=MQ==&dsc=Mjk5OQ==&utm_expid=.85TJSgpPTQSKkGgYCtK5lw.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F. (Get the standard report and you should not have to pay for the results!) Come to class having reflected on the results. Prepare to discuss: Why did you choose to go to law school? Where are you externing? What does your externship placement do? What do you hope to gain from our seminar?
Syllabus
Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):
Microsoft Word 2007 (DOCX)