8.7: Weeks 11 and 12
- Page ID
- 231872
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Weeks Eleven and Twelve Narrative
A variety of topics and instructional methods populate this penultimate section. Students read an article that suggests the value of skillful mindfulness when working with emotions—with examples straight out of law practice and law school clinics—and they are asked to practice the techniques discussed in the article.
Students also continue to explore external resources for finding mindfulness meditations. One class assignment is for students to explore a specific set of external mindfulness meditation. They are asked to go beyond simply trying them out and to reflect with some specificity which ones they liked and why. At this point in the semester, students will have done dozens of mindfulness practices; it will be instructive for them to see, with some experience under their belt, what kinds of practices they are selecting. As students look towards the end of the semester and beyond, it is important that they are developing a good sense of what practices work for them and what practices are less effective. This class provides a mindfulness practice container. The goal is to sufficiently ingrain the practice so that they continue beyond when the class structure ends.
Students also have an additional assignment featuring Rhonda Magee, this time a video from an interview with the charity Action for Happiness. In this 60-minute video, Rhonda leads several short practices, including a couple of micro-practices that are very useful to have handy for law students, lawyers, or just plain old human beings. I use this video as a jumping-off point for students to think about their professional identity development and how being a practitioner of mindfulness can shape that in positive ways.
Initially, I had not planned to put both of the teaching modules involving Rhonda so close together. However, between the multiple goals of the syllabus, the resultant sequencing of classes to achieve those goals, and accommodating guest speaker schedules, it fell this way. It may turn out, though, to be of benefit to students to have read a piece by Rhonda that discusses contemplative law school practices and then within a short period of time watch her in this video and be led by her in a couple of practices. I share with the students that Professor Magee was my introduction into the notion of mindfulness having a place in legal education. There are multiple open source materials involving Rhonda; I just happened to like these two.
Week 12 ends with the final small group discussions among students. I scheduled these small group discussions so that they occur at the end of every four weeks. It would also be possible, depending on the time available for class and the goals of coverage, to skip this final small group session since the very last class, just two weeks from this particular class, is an end-of-semester reflection. The difference, of course, is that the end-of-semester
reflection is for the entire class, whereas these sessions are just for groups of three or four that have already met together twice. This is a call that could be made at a midpoint in any given semester.