University of Iowa School of Law
For over 30 years, legal writing and research have been taught at Iowa as part of content area courses in our first-year “small section program.” First year students have a small section each semester, in one of the first-year curricular areas (typically contracts or criminal law first semester, and contracts, property, or constitutional law second semester). These classes are taught by tenured or tenure-track doctrinal faculty, who design the various assignments (memos, legal briefs, client letters) to reflect issues central to that particular course. In this way, the writing assignments become a means for students to learn the content area of the course.
While ours is a “directorless” program, the small section faculty work within common guidelines to ensure that all students have opportunity to (1) write case and statutory memos, trial or appellate briefs; (2) revise at least one of these documents each semester; (3) receive extensive written responses to each document they submit; (4) meet in individual conference at least twice a semester to go over their writing with the faculty member teaching the course; (5) receive instruction in legal research (including computer assisted research) both semesters, with assistance from the library staff.
In addition to the 4 writing credits they receive through the small section program, students are required to complete 5 writing credits across their 2nd and 3rd years—through Appellate Advocacy/Moot Court; courses (including seminars, externships, and clinic); and independent research and writing projects with direct and on-going faculty supervision. For supplemental writing instruction at any point, students (as well as faculty and staff) also have access to one-on-one help in the Writing Resource Center. (We believe the Center, established in 1989, was the first in the country to be housed in a law school, exclusively for the law school community.) Staff members in this professional and peer tutoring center include several lawyers with present or past affiliation with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
For more information, please contact Nancy Jones, Director, Writing Resource Center,
at nancy-lyn-jones@uiowa.edu.
While ours is a “directorless” program, the small section faculty work within common guidelines to ensure that all students have opportunity to (1) write case and statutory memos, trial or appellate briefs; (2) revise at least one of these documents each semester; (3) receive extensive written responses to each document they submit; (4) meet in individual conference at least twice a semester to go over their writing with the faculty member teaching the course; (5) receive instruction in legal research (including computer assisted research) both semesters, with assistance from the library staff.
In addition to the 4 writing credits they receive through the small section program, students are required to complete 5 writing credits across their 2nd and 3rd years—through Appellate Advocacy/Moot Court; courses (including seminars, externships, and clinic); and independent research and writing projects with direct and on-going faculty supervision. For supplemental writing instruction at any point, students (as well as faculty and staff) also have access to one-on-one help in the Writing Resource Center. (We believe the Center, established in 1989, was the first in the country to be housed in a law school, exclusively for the law school community.) Staff members in this professional and peer tutoring center include several lawyers with present or past affiliation with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
For more information, please contact Nancy Jones, Director, Writing Resource Center,
at nancy-lyn-jones@uiowa.edu.
posted by LRW Programs at
2:17 PM
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