Abstract: LAW IN THE LIBERAL ARTS. AUSTIN SARAT, ED., CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS, ITHACA, N. Y. 2004. 202 pages. The integration of as an area of professional study in American higher education and the reliance on university schools as gate-keepers into the legal profession took place gradually. Only with developments such as Christopher Langdell's introduction of the case method system at Harvard did university schools start to become firmly rooted in the higher education landscape and gain preeminence over legal education.' From these modest origins, however, university schools now control entry into the legal profession and their faculty members are the dominant players in law-related scholarship. In Law in the Liberal Arts, the contributing authors challenge schools' dominance over legal teaching and scholarship. The work, edited by Austin Sarat, a professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, contains chapters from individuals working in disciplines that include political science, rhetoric, sociology, English and history. The work's first four chapters address the topic of the unique perspectives that the arts permit in legal teaching and scholarship. These chapters, though reflective of the particular disciplinary orientations of the contributing authors, share the common theme that the arts permit an examination of distinctive from the more technically or vocationally focused emphasis found within schools. To expand on and provide illustrations of this theme, the second section of the book presents four examples of legal scholarship from arts perspectives. The work presents strong arguments for not limiting the academic inquiry of legal issues to schools and for the value of including in the arts curriculum. While focusing on connections between and the arts, the work also has merit for individuals with teaching and research interests in education law. In relation to teaching, the authors contend that inclusion of in the arts permits engagement with moral and political aspects of different from the professional orientation of schools. Keith J. Bybee captures this sentiment in his chapter, stating liberal arts legal education is concerned less with litigation and the life of a lawyer than with democratic politics and the life of the citizen.2 This call for a critical assessment of the from multiple perspectives also has potential application for education courses. The increasing pervasiveness of legal issues into education requires individuals capable of grasping the broader dimensions of the law's impact on education to help shape legal rules that align with sound educational standards. The admonition to examine from diverse disciplinary lenses perhaps applies with even more force for education courses taught outside of schools. The preparation of K-12 or postsecondary administrators, teachers, or university faculty members should serve different goals than preparing future attorneys. In addition to helping students learn to navigate the array of legal requirements affecting educational institutions, these classes provide a context to help students become critical participants in how legal standards affect education. Even if not looking to follow the exact path charted by the authors, the book is of potential worth to instructors in contributing to their conceptions of how to structure an education course. Individuals with research interests in education may also find the work adds to their views of education scholarship. The chapter by Douglas J. Goodman and Susan S. Silbey illustrates the work's value in highlighting the usefulness of multiple disciplinary perspectives in education research. The authors contend that a lack of engagement with by the arts and other segments of higher education has allowed law as a social fact to invade the educational relation itself. …
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-10-01
Language: en
Type: article
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