Integrating DEI Concepts into the Law School Classroom

Nadiyah J. Humber, Teaching Race and Law in the Gen Z Classroom, 29 Roger Williams Univ. L. Rev. (2023) 

This essay describes the author's experience teaching a course on race and the American legal system to primarily Gen Z students. This strategy incorporates a review of generational theory and the role that theory plays when teaching a race and law class. 

Jennifer Safstrom & Joseph Mead, Developing Inclusive Language Competency in Clinical Teaching, 29 Clinical L. Rev. 349 (2023). 

This article extolls the many important reasons for teaching inclusive language to law students. The benefits are not just limited to word choice, but can reinforce effective communication practices, encourage reflection, and positively influence the professional-client relationship. Authors include a guide toward more thoughtful language choices and a compilation of resources to distribute to students for further study. 

Stevie Leahy, Fostering Equity and Inclusion across the Gender Spectrum in the Law School Classroom, 65 Vill. L. Rev. 1105 (2020). 

"This Article is intended to be an introduction to the consideration of complex sex and gender dynamics in the classroom with concrete strategies to increase feelings of equity and inclusion." -- From article introduction.

Tiffany D. Atkins, Amplifying Diverse Voices: Strategies for Promoting Inclusion in the Law School Classroom, 31 (2) Second Draft 10 (2018). 

"This article focuses on one strategy that law schools (especially those that lack diversity in their administration and faculty) can implement to elevate diverse voices and thus provide a more inclusive environment for students of color and minority students: the strategy of amplification." 

Taifha N. Baker, We Can't Breathe: How Top Law Schools Can Resuscitate An Inclusive Climate for Minority an Low-Income Law Students, 9 Georgetown J. Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives 1213 (2017).

This student authored note explains that top law schools should do more to create an inclusive learning environment to better support minority and low-income students and provides a range of institutional, faculty, and student-level suggestions for creating an inclusive climate.