Kline School of Law Opens Center for Law, Policy, and Social Action

The Kline School of Law has launched the Center for Law, Policy, and Social Action to bring together scholars and practitioners from the Law School and the region to help faculty, students and community members become informed, effective advocates for policy innovation.

The center is directed by Professor Rose Corrigan, who holds a joint appointment at the Law School and the Department of Politics at the College of Arts and Sciences.

Under Corrigan’s leadership, the center has already begun developing and offering an ambitious portfolio of activities that include talks and interdisciplinary working groups and academic conferences.

On March 20, Nicole Ramos, director of the Border Rights Project of Al Otro Lado, discussed her work with asylum seekers in Tijuana, Mexico. On April 9, author Sayu Bhojwani discussed her new book, “People Like Us: The New Wave of Candidates Knocking at Democracy’s Door,” which examines the impact of first and second-generation immigrants as political candidates and public servants.

In September, the center will partner with Kline Professor Hannah Bloch-Wehba to host a conference on the use of algorithms, big data and risk assessment in criminal justice policy-making and is helping to plan a seminar for faculty on the interpretation of visual images by legal actors and systems. The center is also engaging current students in its work in varied ways: sponsoring a seminar in public policy analysis, hosting side-by-side discussions about crime and justice with incarcerated individuals and bringing creative legal thinkers and professionals to the Law School.

The center will serve as a critical point of engagement between the Law School, the University and the Philadelphia community.

Corrigan is eager to hear from and collaborate with colleagues across the University on events and workshops. Deans and faculty members with an interest in fostering multidisciplinary discussions about law, legal rules and policymaking are welcome to reach out to Corrigan (clpsa@drexel.edu) to discuss ideas for co-sponsored programs and to share events that may be of interest to the Law School community.

All members of the Drexel community can join the center’s mailing list for more information about the center’s activities.