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Swapping out essays for picture books: A new way to assess future lawyers
Students of a Canberra university have engaged with the law in new forms, including magazines, podcasts, reimagined judgements and even a children’s picture book.
Naomi Neilson
An online exhibition for the Australian National University (ANU) open week challenges the idea that law degrees are about hard and real facts and not arts and creative ideas. Rather than essays, students will present innovative and inspired approaches to law.
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ANU’s College of Law’s course – run by associate professor Heather Roberts and US professor Heather Elliott from the University of Alabama – offered students the chance to engage with themes of Australia-US comparative law by encouraging them to create a variety of approaches to communicate and make accessible ideas about courts.
Commenting on the assignment, Dr Roberts said that being able to communicate and address law “to the broadest possible audience” is a key expectation of the curriculum.
“It is also critical to the ideas that underpin the community’s relationship with our legal system. Making information about the courts, and how they operate, easily accessible to the community promotes a better understanding on their critical role,” she explained.
Fifth-year bachelor of asian students/laws (hons) student Caitlin O’Brien created the children’s book, Suki’s Day in Court. It tells the story of a young girl who, with the help of Lady Justice, learns about important cases in Australia and the US, which includes the Mabo decision and an overview of the Stolen Generation.
Ms O’Brien said she is passionate about incorporating this book – and social and legal studies – into primary education to introduce children to the courts at an early age: “I would love nothing more in my lifetime than to see this curriculum introduced.”
“We can introduce this into something as seemingly obscure as the education system and, in particular, primary school education, which is currently non-existent,” she said.
Dr Roberts said she wanted to ensure that in Comparative Supreme Courts, students could express their individual voices. While writing of formative essays and examining problem-solving [remain] highly critical to the profession, it is “not the only skill for real lawyers”, who are better placed in their career due to creative skills, too.
“After law school, students are expected to be able to communicate complex legal principles clearly, and to non-lawyers, using a variety of new technologies. I saw this course as providing an opportunity for students to develop these skills,” she said.
