New Course Brings Stetson Law to USF St. Pete
Stetson Law and University of South Florida St. Petersburg have some things in common: revered faculty, beautiful grounds, and a vibrant learning environment. Now, something else connects the two: a new partnership that has brought Stetson Law faculty to the USF St. Pete campus to teach law.
At the helm of the inaugural course is Stetson Law Professor Dr. Kirsten Davis, who was selected for the role by Stetson Law Dean Michèle Alexandre. The course, “Text, Tweet, Take to the Street: Dissent and the First Amendment,” aims to explore dissent and how it relates to free speech. Students learn about landmark cases involving the First Amendment, what types of speech are protected and what are not, and how decades-old precedents still apply in the digital age.
“In all areas of life, we are dealing with what dissent looks like. We see it on television, in our neighborhoods, on Twitter and Facebook,” said Davis, the inaugural Judy Genshaft Honors College Visiting Professor of Law. “For any citizen, understanding how the First Amendment fits with that discourse is really important.”
Creatively adapted for undergraduates
Davis, who is Director of Stetson Law’s Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication, finds creative ways to teach First Amendment law to a lay audience. The class incorporates puzzles and art sessions that help non-law students more easily grasp often-complex legal language and processes.
“I’ve taken what I know about teaching law school and adapted it for what I hope is a fun and interesting course for outstanding undergraduate students, no matter their major,” she said. “I think our favorite in-class activity has been making art as a way to review key concepts of the course.”
She is planning to bring her colleague, William Reece Smith, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law Kristen Adams, to the classroom for a session that connects law and poetry.
In addition to bringing together students from all majors, from biology to political science, the course can help them decide if law school is right for them.
“The class will help students decide whether or not they want to attend law school. Even if it’s not for them, now they’ll know,” said Thomas Smith, USF’s associate dean of the Judy Genshaft Honors College and a professor of political science.
The experience has strengthened USF St. Pete junior Alivia Kelly’s resolve to attend law school – at Stetson, in particular. The psychology major has enjoyed studying psychological concepts’ role in shaping First Amendment law.
“I am definitely looking at Stetson for law school,” she said. “I have experienced firsthand being a disabled woman in the U.S., and my identity motivates my interests. I would love to explore the complexities of law across cultures and mediums that have never been fully integrated into the legal sphere before.”
A multifaceted partnership
The USF-Stetson Law partnership also includes a course taught to environmental science majors by Stetson Law Foreman Biodiversity Fellow Katherine Platt and Stetson Law 3L Lauren Beames.
The program allows environmental law students to earn credit through teaching such courses at USF St. Pete. Law students and fellows like Pratt collaborate on curriculum suited to their classes.
“This is really a great immersion experience,” Pratt said. “There really is no better way to understand a concept than to teach it to someone else.”
As part of the Stetson Law-USF St. Pete agreement, undergraduate honors students can start their first year of law school while enrolled in their final undergraduate year. There is also a direct-admission program for students whose GPA and LSAT scores meet a certain standard, which guarantees admission to Stetson Law as well as access to scholarship funds.
Post date: March 17, 2022
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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