Study

This three-credit integrated externship will immerse students in the theory, practice, and politics of Movement Lawyering.  The course proceeds in two parts: a weekly seminar and partner work.  In the seminar, students learn the foundations and tactics of movement activism and discover how lawyers work with social movements to build power and create change.  In the partner work portion, students are paired with lawyers and organizers from around the Southeast to produce legal analyses, policy papers, legislative reviews, rapid response documents, outreach materials, and more, with a special emphasis on racial and reproductive justice.  Past and current projects include:

• Data collection and analysis on local police budgets
• Legal research on the viability of decarcerating people imprisoned during the War on Drugs
• Background research for a bill outlawing unauthorized pelvic exams in teaching hospitals
• Drafting a policy paper on the family policing system (often called the foster care system) and convening a working group
• Compiling geographic and demographic information for a project on infrastructure justice and food apartheid

Interested students should contact Professor Anne Gordon (agordon@law.duke.edu) for permission to enroll.

 

Fall 2023

Course Number	Course Credits	Evaluation Method	Instructor
639.01	3	Reflective Writing Research and/or analytical paper(s), 5-10 pages Group project(s) Practical exercises Class participation	Anne Gordon
Sakai site: https://sakai.duke.edu/portal/site/LAW-639-01-F23
Email list: LAW-639-01-F23@sakai.duke.edu