Sponsored Post: Critical Race Theory Across the Curriculium

The follow post is by Dorothy A. Brown (Emory) and is sponsored by West Academic.

West Academic Publishing and I have embarked on a new initiative for the upcoming 2021-2022 academic year. For the first time, we are making individual chapters of my Critical Race Theory: Cases, Materials, and Problems (3rd edition) available for adoption.

Why should you talk about systemic racism and the law in your classes? Because you have students who have experienced societal racism and others who are now aware of it and they approach class discussions differently. When race is a factor and the professor doesn’t bring it up, instead of engaging doctrine – they are engaging their rage. Learning has stopped. Engaging racism and the law is what is required in a truly inclusive classroom.

The chapters available for the 2021-2022 academic year include: Torts; Contracts; Criminal Procedure; Criminal Law and Sentencing; Property; and Civil Procedure. In subsequent academic years, (perhaps as early as the Spring of 2022) we hope to bring forward additional chapters on popular upper-level courses and for those, I am seeking co-authors. If that’s you, please reach out to me at Emory Law.

Each chapter will have a brief introduction to Critical Race Theory and will come with a separate Teacher’s Manual which will include my tips on teaching systemic racism in law school classrooms. Some key points: prepare the students to have a conversation about race – don’t just hit them with it because you thought it was a good idea that day! Prepare them with your syllabus, your casebook selection, and your first class. I also discuss my 2-10-20 method which suggests, especially for those of you with less experience about this endeavor, to spend no more than 2 minutes the first time you talk about race. Everybody can talk about it for 2 minutes! Then when you have successfully done that, you can do it again, but longer the next time, until you wind up having productive conversations with your students.

Contact your West Academic Account Manager to learn more.