Under Construction: Center for Law, Justice and Culture

Construction in Bentley Hall. Photo by Katelyn Preston ’14.

The Center for Law, Justice and Culture will open its new offices—and its new services—on the ground floor of Bentley Hall in January 2014.

Now under construction, the new space will include a common room for students and faculty, as well as offices for a new Pre-Law Adviser. The adviser will provide professional guidance to Ohio University students who are considering law and law-related careers and will advise on issues such as law school applications and programs, LSAT preparations, career networking, internship placements, and jobs.

The common room also will provide a focal point for students in the Law, Justice and Culture Certificate program and those in the new Making and Breaking the Law curricular theme. The new space will feature student and faculty projects relating to law, a screen to project images and films, and a library of law and society books. Tables and comfortable chairs will provide a place for people to relax.a place for all students who wish to participate in the intellectual life of the center.

“Through all of these resources, we hope to prepare students for careers in law, rights advocacy, public policy, government, non-profit organizations, academic research and teaching, and justice administration,” says Dr. Haley Duschinski, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Law, Justice and Culture. She adds that the adviser also will provide support to the faculty and the center’s research and teaching mission.

Photo by Katelyn Preston ’14

The Center for Law, Justice & Culture in Ohio University’s College of Arts & Sciences is an interdisciplinary research and teaching community committed to the critical analysis of law as it operates in relation to society, politics, justice, and power, in American as well as international contexts. Since 2009, the center has pursued its mission by working to formally develop interdisciplinary initiatives for collaborative research and innovative teaching.

In 2012-13, the center launched a Certificate Program in Law, Justice & Culture for high-achieving undergraduate students in any major, emphasizing specialized academic teaching and mentoring in law and society studies. The application process runs annually, with an October deadline each year.

“Our first cohort includes 14 students, and we are currently accepting a second cohort to begin specialized coursework in Spring 2014,” Duschinski says.

“In addition to the Certificate Program, we are currently building an expansive new interdisciplinary curriculum theme in Law, Justice & Culture, called Making and Breaking the Law,” notes Duschinski. “The theme will provide a way for Ohio University students in any major to ‘map’ their Arts & Sciences requirements around law and society studies. It will also offer specialized law-related learning opportunities, including practice-oriented and experiential courses such as study abroad programs, externships, and research collaborations, all dealing with issues relating to democratic governance, social justice, and human rights. Look for the launch of the Making and Breaking the Law theme in Fall 2014!”