The Critical Global Classroom (CGC): A unique study-abroad program in law, policy and social justice activism
This project was designed to provide access to critical knowledge and legal studies to students anywhere, but, in particular, as a lifeline to students in U.S. law schools without critical courses or curricula. During the program’s six-week duration, students were encouraged to build relationships and networks that would transcend the summer, in part by participating in other, ongoing LatCrit projects. Over the years, these have included cross-participation in projects described below and elsewhere on this site.
The CGC was offered in partnership with the University of Baltimore School of Law and the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law in 2003, 2004, and 2006. Each year, students and faculty journeyed through countries such as Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. CGC graduates earned up to eight academic credits through a diversified menu of academic activities. The CGC curriculum also regularly included the International & Comparative Law Colloquium as a capstone to the program, enabling close interaction among students and multiple critical scholars through Colloquium-related activities.
Later, the CGC was embedded within the curriculum of De Paul University’s “Law & Critical Social Justice” Summer Study Abroad Program based in Berlin. This collaboration featured two courses: 1) “Intersectionality & Human Rights,” with an emphasis on refugee/asylum law and police/state violence against migrants; and 2) “History, Memory & Law,” with a focus on public history about colonialism, genocide, and forced labor. This program, like the earlier design of the CGC, aimed to provide students with access to critical knowledge and to support student efforts to build critical capacities and networks.
Presently, the CGC is inactive.
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