The Graduate Program workshops and colloquia, led by Graduate Program Advisors and Coordinators and by Graduate Program administrators, are non-credit offerings that meet regularly during the course of a semester or the year. In the case of workshops, discussion is generally organized around reading materials and/or an exposition by a workshop participant or guest speaker. For colloquia, the perspectives of the student participants contribute to the direction and content of the series. Schedules of meetings can be obtained by contacting the workshop or colloquium leader.
The LL.M. Writing Program
Run by Dr. Amy Johnson, the LL.M. Writing Program supports students in completing the LL.M. written work requirement. The program includes non-credit workshops for all LL.M. students as they plan for and work on their papers to fulfill the writing requirement. These workshops are optional but all LL.M. students are strongly encouraged to participate; the Writing Advisors engage in regular outreach to share information about meetings and resources.
Program objectives include:
- Helping students to conceptualize, research, and produce a significant piece of legal scholarship in accordance with the scale of the project, question, develop a research design, formulate a proposal, and structure the research and writing phases of their projects,
- Introducing students to basic and advanced legal research skills (both U.S. and international) and providing support for students’ exploration of new theoretical and methodological orientations and genres of legal writing,
- Peer learning through regular group attendance and providing a supportive space for developing presentation skills and trying out new ideas,
- Helping to structure and set deadlines for researching and writing papers,
- Facilitating S.J.D. students’ substantive mentoring of LL.M. students and strengthening the engagement of both with the resources of the Harvard library system and the HLS reference librarians.
Writing Workshop for Long (50-page) Papers
The Workshop for Long Papers is organized in writing groups based loosely on the students’ proposed paper topics. Each group is led jointly by an S.J.D. candidate serving as a Writing Group Advisor and a reference librarian, who guide the LL.M. students from the initial stage of identifying and refining a topic and finding a supervisor through completion of the final draft of the paper. Fall meetings are focused around the production of a strong research proposal; monthly meetings in spring semester center on draft paper presentations.
“Coworking” sessions are also offered throughout the academic year to help students build dedicated writing time into their week and work in a shared space where they can collaborate, focus on individual tasks, and support each other’s work. In order to maximize peer engagement, emphasis is placed on group meetings, but students can also meet individually with their writing group advisor and are expected to have at least one individual research consultation with their reference librarian.
Writing Workshop Advisors for Long-Paper Writers/Writing Groups (“Writing Group Advisors”)
Deyaa Alrwishdi
Rose Karoro
Xuejiao Li
Juan Rivera Rugeles
Stobo Sniderman
Wei-An Tsai
Dana Zuk
Writing Workshop for Short (25-page) Projects
The Workshop for Short Projects is a semester-long offering structured around the stages of formulating a research project and researching and writing the short (25-page) paper. A general introductory meeting provides guidance on choosing a topic and supervisor and sets out the elements and organization of a strong research proposal and paper. After attending a library session on how to find a paper topic, the students attend scheduled drop-in sessions or meet individually with the Short Paper Advisor to discuss a proposal-writing exercise, draft proposals, and paper drafts. Presentations of work in progress are strongly encouraged and can be set up by the advisor in collaboration with Amy Johnson.
Writing Workshop Advisor for Short Writing Projects (“Short Paper Advisors”)
Jacquelene Mwangi
Colloquia
Law Teaching Colloquium – Full Year
The Law Teaching Colloquium , which is co-sponsored by the Graduate Program and the Office of Academic Affairs, is a yearlong series of information sessions highlighting various aspects of law teaching. Sessions promote discussion among students and professors from HLS, Harvard University and beyond, about the nature, structure and aims of legal education. Topics range from methods of teaching and the hiring process to the internationalization of law schools and visions of legal education. The Colloquium is open to all members of the Harvard community.
Law Teaching Colloquium (LTC) Coordinator
Ignacio Orellana García