[EL] Ideas for the first day of class

[George Korbel]

So professor Fishkin you beg the question

 Why teach a course on Texas election law.  Just too depressing for a first year law student. 

Why not ask them to make a list of all election laws in Texas that have been found to violate 1973 section 5 or section 2 in the last 10 years. And then ask the students to answer the eternal question "why?"

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 4, 2016, at 3:17 PM, Adam Morse <ahmorse at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I've had success with discussing a recent topical piece of election law legislation as a way of discussing the interrelationship between law, policy, and electoral politics.  Most recently, I used a proposed bill to change how Michigan allocates its electoral college votes.  It gives a manageable way for the students to engage with what the stakes are, to consider who the various litigants are, to discuss underlying issues of democracy, and to begin thinking about the roles that lawyers play in election law disputes.
> 
>> On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 1:49 PM, Joey Fishkin <joey.fishkin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Happy new year to all.  
>> 
>> With the semester starting in a couple of weeks, I’m unsatisfied with the first day of my election law syllabus.  I’d thought I’d see if you all had some ideas.
>> 
>> I typically do a one-off topic the first day, then start in with the first real unit of the syllabus (suffrage restrictions & access to the ballot) on day two.  On the first day, I want students to —
>> — learn some election law, and play with concepts that will show up again in the class
>> — be engaged, especially if still shopping the class
>> — be able to participate reasonably well in the conversation even if they haven’t done the reading (e.g. because still shopping)
>> 
>> Any ideas?  Do you have a way of starting the semester that you love and want to share?
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Joey
>> 
>> Joseph Fishkin
>> Professor of Law
>> University of Texas School of Law
>> 727 E. Dean Keeton St.
>> Austin, TX 78705
>> jfishkin at law.utexas.edu
>> 
>> 
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