Discussion (1L): Religion, Identity and Law

This seminar will focus on the dynamic interplay between religious identity, community, and worldview, and the study, practice, and profession of law. As a defining force for so many across the globe, and in the norms through which human beings recognize their rights and arrange their affairs, religion has a unique and abiding impact on the work and life of aspiring and practicing lawyers ¿ for believers and nonbelievers alike. Whether as first-year law students or seasoned practitioners, the need to anticipate, appreciate, and reconcile religious perspectives is both a vital professional skill and an illuminating resource for self-understanding and mutual respect. The class will meet across three on-campus sessions and a closing offsite dinner, and will include a collaborative exploration of primary and secondary sources, as well as custom conversational frameworks. Topics will include religion and cross-cultural lawyering, religion and legal systems, the role of faith in judicial decision-making, and law as a vocation (with attendant self-care dynamics). Befitting the overarching goals of diversity and inclusion in the discussion series generally, and the central importance of particularized themes of bridge building, this seminar is warmly and equally open to students of any religious tradition and those of no religion at all. Class meets 4:30 PM-6:30 PM on Sept. 29, Oct. 13, Oct. 25, Nov, 10.