Why Teach Legal Writing in English?
Growth Sucks! "We were hoping the college would drop the requirement. That's why we waited so long to take the course." So said a candid senior student this past week. I teach Legal Research and Writing 1 at Qatar University College of Law. Even in the U.S. students find the course challenging. It forces them to grow in ways they resist. And, it's a lot of work! No passive learning in this course. Students produce a Memorandum of Law over the course of the semester. And learn critical thinking skills. So, the course is hard even for native English speakers. But here, in Doha, I am teaching Arab students who take the course in English. Some students have very good English language skills, even if they are not so confident about them. Some students read at about a fourth grade level. My job is to help them engage in very sophisticated legal thinking while they read and write in English. Why English! Many of my student evaluations last seme