WLA Rape in the Classroom Discussion, Self-Defense Classes, Public Interest in the South, Women & the Veil, and More!

[WLA Harvard Law School]

Check out the great events coming up this week and next, brought to you by the WLA! 
   
WLA Events:  
1. How Rape is Taught in the Classroom: Improving the Student Experience: Mon., Feb. 21, 12:00-1:00pm, Morgan Courtroom - Lunch!  
2. Sign Up for Self-Defense Classes! 
3. Public Interest Opportunities in the South: Wed., Feb. 23, 12:00-1:00pm, John Chipman Gray - Lunch! 
4. Women and the Veil in the Western World: Fri., Feb. 25, 12:00-1:30pm, Hauser 104 - Lunch!  
5. Women in Leadership Panel at the National Asian Pacific American Conference on Law and Public Policy: Sat., Feb. 26th, 10:00am, Littauer Center, L150 
6. Kavita Ramdas, CEO & President of the Global Fund for Women: Sat., Feb. 26th, 4:00pm, Sever 113. 
7. Law & Reorder: Opportunities & Challenges for New Lawyers in the Changing Legal Landscape: Thurs., Mar. 3, 12:00-1:00pm, P101 
8. Female Circumcision: Ethics and Human Rights Considerations: Thurs., Mar. 3, 4:00pm, P200 
9. Feminist Perspectives on the 1L Curriculum: Mon., Mar. 7, 12:00-1:00pm, P107-Lunch! 
10. Send in your outlines and exams to the WLA Outline and Exam Bank.  
11. Note on Inaugural WLA Washington, D.C. Summit  
   
General Announcements:  
1. Invite from the NWLC to Get Engaged on Women's Health 
2. JLG Sexual and Reproductive Rights Symposium: Barriers to Access, Roadmaps to Fulfillment on March 4th 

3. JOL Symposium: Partisanship and Congress: Polarization and the Political Process on Feb. 24th

4. Unbound Conference: Local 1330 v. U.S. Steel: 30 Years Later on Feb. 25th
5. Register for the Fifth Conference on Law and Mind Sciences: They Psychology of Inequality on Feb. 26th 
   
WLA Events:  
     

How Rape is Taught in the Classroom: Improving the Student Experience  

On Monday, February 21, from 12-1pm in Morgan Courtroom (Austin 308), the WLA presents How Rape is Taught in the Classroom: Improving the Student Experience.  The rape unit is a central part of every 1L criminal law experience. Learn how to better prepare for these classes by learning about key cases and statistics. 2Ls and 3Ls, come share your opinions on how class discussions on the topic can be improved. Lunch provided 
  

Self-Defense Classes! 

WLA and the Dean of Students Office are offering free Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) Classes on the law school campus this spring. This is a wonderful, empowering opportunity for women to learn that they can protect and defend themselves and each other. The class is four sessions long, and participants are required to attend all four sessions. Please double check your calendar and make sure you can attend ALL FOUR SESSIONS before signing up. The sessions will be held on: Monday, March 21 at 7-10 p.m.; Monday, March 28 at 7-10 p.m.; Monday, April 4 at 7-10 p.m.; and Wednesday, April 6 at 7-10 p.m. SPACE IS LIMITED! The class will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Email Kathryn Chiu at kc...@jd11.law.harvard.edu to sign up and/or if you have questions. 
  

WLA Panel: Public Interest Opportunities in the South 

On Wednesday, February 23, from 12-1 in John Chipman Gray, come hear students and alums discuss their experience working for a variety of public interest organizations across the South and learn about the opportunities available for winter term, summer internships, and beyond. Opportunities discussed will span criminal justice, human rights, economic development and more.  Lunch will be served!  Co-sponsored by WLA and Southern Legal Society. 
   

WLA Panel: Women and the Veil in the Western World  

In October of 2010, the French Constitutional Council held that Frances new law banning full-face veils for women was legal. Similar laws have been introduced in Germany, Britain, Canada, and Spain. These laws have provoked outrage from Muslim and civil rights groups and conflicting responses from feminist scholars. This panel will present a range of views on the implications of these bans for womens rights, religious freedom, multiculturalism, and democracy. Speakers include Prof. Seyla Benhabib (Yale Law) and Prof. Mary Ann Case (U Chicago), moderated by Prof. Janet Halley. Non-pizza lunch served! Friday, February 25, 2011, from 12 1:30pm in Hauser 104.  Sponsored by Women's Law Association, Milbank Fund, ACS, CR-CL, ILS, Abigail Adams, and HELA. See attached poster. 
  

Women in Leadership Panel at the National Asian Pacific American Conference on Law and Public Policy 

Co-sponsored by the Women’s Law Association, Location: Littauer Center, L150. Although statistics show that women and men are roughly equally represented in entry-level positions in many fields, women – and especially women of color – are still vastly underrepresented in higher-profile positions of leadership and influence. APA women in particular have long battled stereotypical perceptions of their abilities and personalities that have limited their access to such positions.  This panel will present the perspectives of APA women leaders who have succeeded despite the stereotypes. The discussion will focus on the importance of female leadership, strengths and obstacles unique to APA women, and ways in which women can support and learn from each other. The full conference, Pathways to Progress is on February 25-26. See www.apalsa2011.org for more information and to sign up. 

Kavita Ramdas, CEO & President of the Global Fund for Women 

The Global Fund for Women is a grant making organization responsible for funding over $71 million to various organizations related to women’s rights issues in 167 different countries.  Don’t miss out on this chance to listen to Kavita as she touches upon her life story growing up in India and her progression into a leader of our time.  Saturday, February 26th at 4:00pm in Sever 113 followed by a reception. Sponsored by Harvard’s Women’s Leadership Project, co-sponsored by the WLA. See attached poster for more information.
  

Law & Reorder: Opportunities & Challenges for New Lawyers in the Changing Legal Landscape 

At this panel, you will learn about the changes underway in the legal profession including changing client demands, new legal models, and traditional law firm structural changes as well as new recruiting, career path, billing practice, compensation and talent management approaches. You will learn about the junior lawyer fallout, namely the industry debate of who will incur the cost of training future lawyers. Attendees will leave the program with the understanding and tools to become their own entrepreneurs to successfully navigate their way into a new profession. Thursday, March 3rd from 12-1pm in Pound 101.  
  

Female Circumcision: Ethics and Human Rights Considerations 

The practice of FGM has been at the center of health and human rights debates for decades. Public health, women's rights and child rights advocates, governments and health professional associations--in Africa, Asia, Europe and the US-- have taken positions running the gamut from abolition to harm reduction. In April 2010, the American Association of Pediatrics issued a Policy Statement on female genital cutting that was quickly retracted in the face of significant opposition. The controversy surrounding the report presents an excellent point of departure for examining the issues that still complicate our thinking about the issue. In this panel, on Thursday, March 3rd at 4:00pm in Pound 200, we hope to explore the ethical, legal, and human rights dimensions of female genital circumcision. These include dimensions of toleration, prohibition, harm-reduction, and cultural competency. Practices of male circumcision will also be discussed.  Panelists include: Dena Davis, Cleveland –Marshall College of Law; Hope Lewis, Northeastern University School of Law; Nawal Nour, Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Sarah Waldek, Seton Hall Law School. Moderators: I. Glenn Cohen, Professor of Law & Faculty, co-Director Petrie-Flom Center; Mindy Roseman, Lecturer in Law & Academic Director, HLS Human Rights Program. Also see attached flyer. 
  

Feminist Perspectives on the 1L Curriculum 

Looking for an opportunity to process and discuss your 1L experience? Curious about what a feminist analysis of the 1L curriculum might offer? On Monday, March 7th, join Professor Jon Hanson, Visiting Professor Katherine Porter, and Lecturer Diane Rosenfeld of HLS and Professor Jenny Wriggins of the University of Maine for a panel on feminist perspectives of the 1L course curriculum. Monday, March 7th at noon in Pound 107. Lunch served.
  

Call for Exams and Outlines!  

Calling all 2Ls and 3Ls! Remember those outlines you spent hours crafting? Those exams you worked so hard on?  Put them to good use by contributing your old outlines and exams to the WLA Outline & Exam Bank and continue the tradition of women supporting women! To get a copy of your old exams, email Sandy Parker at sapa...@law.harvard.edu and requesting a copy and she will forward you the PDF.  Send your materials to hls...@gmail.com (include professor name, course title, and  semester).   
  

Note on Inaugural WLA Washington, D.C. Summit  

The inaugural WLA Washington, D.C. Summit is full.  We are keeping a waitlist, however, so if you are still interested in going and want to be placed on the waitlist, please email WLADC...@gmail.com with 1) your full name, 2) your class year, 3) a phone number at which we can contact you, and 4) whether you’re interested in staying in a hotel with other WLA members. The D.C. Summit will be Thursday, March 24th Friday, March 25th, beginning with a welcome event Thursday night followed by a full day of events on Friday. Were currently working to arrange firm sponsorship for certain aspects of the trip, but please be prepared to pay for your own travel and lodging. We recommend staying with friends or family, if possible, but will likely have a group interested in staying in a hotel, and will be happy to facilitate those arrangements for anyone interested. Here are just a few of the fantastic events were planning for you: a reception with Harvard Law School Association alumnae in the region, lunch in the Congressional cafeteria on Capitol Hill, a tour of the Supreme Court, and a private meeting with the newest member of the bench, HLS’s own Justice Elena Kagan. 
  
General Announcements:  
   

Invite from the NWLC to Get Engaged on Women's Health 

The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) is asking people write to their Members of Congress to fight the bad amendments that are being offered in the FY2011 Continuing Resolution. An email alert, with a brief description of the bad amendments, can be found here: http://bit.ly/h80z1R. To stay in touch with NWLC: sign up with their action alerts at www.nwlc.org and facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/nationalwomenslawcenter and blog at www.womenstake.org 
  

JLG Symposium: Sexual and Reproductive Rights: Barriers to Access, Roadmaps to Fulfillment 

The JLG Annual Symposium, Sexual and Reproductive Rights: Barriers to Access, Roadmaps to Fulfillment, is the afternoon of Friday, March 4th.  The symposium will feature current academic discourse surrounding the important issue of sexual and reproductive rights, analyzed through frameworks including motherhood, teenage sexuality, decision-making, abortion, and international human rights.  Speakers/authors and moderators include the foremost academics and practitioners in this area, including Nancy Northrup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights; Priscilla Smith, Yale Law School; Reva Siegel, Yale Law School; Mindy Roseman, Harvard Law School; Ali Miller, UC Berkeley; Rachel Rebouché, American University Law School; Michele Goodwin, University of Minnesota; the NWLC's Reproductive Health Counsel; and many more! JLG is the leading gender journal in the country so this symposium on Sexual and Reproductive Rights will be very significant to the academic community.  More details about registration to follow!  

JOL Symposium: Partisanship and Congress: Polarization and the Political Process 

The Harvard Journal on Legislation presents its Symposium, Partisanship and Congress: Polarization and the Political Process, on Thursday, February 24, 2011
in Pound 100. Events begin at 1pm with Opening Remarks by Sec. Trey Grayson, Director of the Harvard Institute of Politics, and Kentucky Secretary of State (2004-2011). Other panelists and moderators include: Michael Klarman, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, Bob Inglis, former Representative of South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, and Spring 2011 Fellow at the Harvard University Institute of Politics, Nolan McCarty, Associate Dean and Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, Bob Inglis, former Representative of South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, and Spring 2011 Fellow at the Harvard University Institute of Politics, Dr. Stuart Seides, Physician Executive Director at MedStar Heart Institute, and many more! For more information: http://www.harvardjol.com/symposia/2011-partisanship-in-congress-symposium/. Presented by the Harvard Journal on Legislation, HLS Republicans, and Harvard Law and Healthcare Society 
  

Unbound Conference: Local 1330 v. U.S. Steel: 30 Years Later 

Unbound, the Harvard Journal of the Legal Left presents its conference, Local 1330 v. U.S. Steel: 30 Years Later, taking place this Friday, February 25, 2011, from12:00pm - 5:00pm in Pound Hall 335. Participants include Staughton Lynd, lead counsel in the case and lifetime labor and civil rights lawyer; union activist Mike Stout; Professors Joseph Singer, Karl Klare, Michael Fischl and Katherine Stone; Mark Brenner, editor of Labor Notes; and Haeya Yim, of the New York Department of Labor Bureau of Immigrant Workers Rights. For more information, visit our website: http://www.legalleft.org/conference/. Sponsored by the Milbank Fund  
  

Fifth Conference on Law and Mind Sciences: They Psychology of Inequality 

The Fifth Conference on Law and Mind Sciences is taking place on February 26, 2011.  At this conference, leading social scientists and legal scholars will present and discuss their research regarding the psychological causes and consequences of social inequality. Panels include Inequality & Health Outcomes (“Is Inequality Damaging to Population Health”; “Stress and Resilience: Pathways to Social Disparities in Health”), Psychology (“The Perception of Biracials and the Maintenance of Group-Based Social Hierarchies”; “The Malleability of Ideology"), and Law & Policy (“Fair and Balanced: An Embodied Cognition Perspective on Intuitions about Justice”; “Inequality Dissonance and Policy Attitudes”).  Please check out more about the panelists, schedule and to register here: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k13943&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup119727.

--
Become a Fan of the WLA: facebook.com/HarvardWLA