All posts by John Lande

Documents for the Cool Course Assignment

Last month, I wrote a post encouraging you to consider using  a cool assignment in your courses in which students would interview lawyers about an actual negotiation or other matter. This assignment has several benefits.  First, it gives students experience learning about actual negotiations that lawyers have conducted, advancing the goal of preparing students for real-world … Continue reading Documents for the Cool Course Assignment

Do You Want to Engage Students More in Class? Consider Prohibiting Laptops.

Pace Law Professor Darren Rosenblum published an op-ed in the New York Times describing his experiences with and without laptops in his classroom. He wrote, “When I started teaching, I assumed my ‘fun’ class, sexuality and the law, full of contemporary controversy, would prove gripping to the students.  One day, I provoked them with a … Continue reading Do You Want to Engage Students More in Class? Consider Prohibiting Laptops.

Is Political Moderation a Virtue These Days?

“[E]xtremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!  And . . . moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!”  So said Senator Barry Goldwater a half a century ago when he accepted the Republican nomination for president in 1964.  He lost that election in a landslide, so extremism apparently wasn’t such a … Continue reading Is Political Moderation a Virtue These Days?

A Cool Course Assignment for Next Semester — and A Scholarship Opportunity

Tis one of the least fun seasons of the year for faculty:  Time to grade stacks of exams and papers.  While it is exciting to see signs that some of our wards have learned a lot from our instructional efforts, it is depressing to see evidence raising doubts that we inhabit the same galaxy as … Continue reading A Cool Course Assignment for Next Semester — and A Scholarship Opportunity

Building Common Ground Between Bubbles – Part 4

Troubled by the corrosive conflict stirred up by the election, I have written a series of posts about how we might move forward constructively, particularly on the personal (as distinct from the political) level.  I think that political progress may depend, in part, on breaking down barriers of misunderstanding and fear between groups in our … Continue reading Building Common Ground Between Bubbles – Part 4

St. John’s Mangano Award Competition

From FFOI Elayne Greenberg: Dear Friends and Colleagues, About the Mangano Award Given annually through the generosity of esteemed dispute resolution champion Hon. Guy J. Mangano, this $5000 Award honors scholars and practitioners whose published empirical research has furthered the advancement and understanding of the values and skills of dispute resolution. Nomination Criteria You are … Continue reading St. John’s Mangano Award Competition

Tips for Better Thanksgiving Conversations

Another message from the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation: The holiday season, beginning with Thanksgiving this week, is a time of sharing and gathering, of getting together with family and friends. Usually a wonderful time of the year, it can also be a season of discord, especially as political topics may be common in the weeks … Continue reading Tips for Better Thanksgiving Conversations

Building Common Ground Between Bubbles – Part 3

I want to add several things to my post about finding common ground between “bubbles.” In 2008, then-Senator Obama gave his “More Perfect Union” speech in the wake of the Jeremiah Wright controversy.  Reverend Wright had been Senator Obama’s pastor and made some inflammatory statements that caused a major controversy for Obama’s presidential campaign.  In … Continue reading Building Common Ground Between Bubbles – Part 3