THE VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR PROGRAM
The Visiting Assistant Professor program is a centerpiece
of the Chicago-Kent legal writing program. The program is designed
to provide students with a faculty that has diverse academic interests
and legal practice experience and to provide promising teachers
an opportunity to bridge from their practice and legal writing teaching
experience to doctrinal law teaching and academic scholarship.
First year legal writing classes are primarily taught
by Visiting Assistant Professors. Visiting Assistant Professors
are generally appointed for two-year terms, with the possibility
for a single one- or two-year renewal, or in extraordinary cases,
for a long-term contract. Each Visiting Assistant Professor normally
teaches a single section of approximately 30 first-year legal writing
students, with Legal Writing I taught in the Fall and Legal Writing
II taught in the Spring. Regular faculty meetings are held to coordinate
assignments and provide newer Visiting Assistant Professors with
the opportunity to enhance their legal writing teaching skills,
share experience and plan upcoming assignments and classes.
In addition to teaching Legal Writing, each Visiting
Assistant Professor teaches a single doctrinal course each year.
Visiting Assistant Professors may teach any course in the law school
curriculum other than required courses (Torts, Contracts, Criminal
Law, Justice, Property, Civil Procedure and Constitutional Law),
with class allocation made based on the professor's experience and
interests, and the school's curricular needs. Teaching additional
courses is permitted, but discouraged until the Visiting Assistant
Professor has written at least one article, as the labor-intensive
nature of course preparation makes it difficult to find time for
scholarship. Visiting Assistant Professors are provided with mentoring
and guidance from other faculty in preparing and teaching doctrinal
courses.
The school provides Visiting Assistant Professors
with considerable assistance and guidance in developing their academic
scholarship. Traditionally, Visiting Assistant Professors use their
time at the school to write and publish one or more scholarly articles
as a basis (together with their teaching experience) for eventually
attaining a tenure-track law teaching position. In addition to providing
faculty mentors, the school offers a series of informal "roundtables"
at which faculty members, including Visiting Assistant professors,
can discuss works in progress with their colleagues. At these roundtables,
professors receive useful criticism, questions and ideas for further
research.
Visiting Assistant Professors are strongly encouraged
to become part of the life of the law school by attending faculty
and student functions, participating in faculty roundtables and
workshops, volunteering to judge moot court practice arguments
and competitions, serving on faculty committees, and interacting
with current and prospective students.
Over the years, the Chicago-Kent Visiting Assistant
Professor program has produced exceptional doctrinal and skills
professors. Some of them have continued their academic careers
at such schools as University of Alabama School of Law, Brooklyn
Law School, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Catholic
University School of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Florida State
University College of Law,Gonzaga University School of Law, Hofstra
University School of Law, Howard University School of Law, Indiana
University School of Law, John Marshall Law School, Loyola Law
School, Los Angeles, McGeorge School of Law, University of Memphis
School of Law, Oklahoma City University School of Law, Ohio Northern
University College of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of
Law, Pennsylvania State University School of Law, Roger Williams
University School of Law, State University of New York at Buffalo
School of Law, Stetson University College of Law, Suffolk University
Law School, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, University of Tulsa
College of Law, University of Virginia, Western New England College
School of Law, Widener University School of Law, College of William
and Mary School of Law, and William Mitchell College of Law.
|
