Class Bias in Higher Education: Law School

Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Law School Blogs

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Law School

Class Bias in Higher Education

Discussion of class bias in higher education, particularly legal education.
By Jeffrey Harrison

Post Frequency: 0.6/day

Last Entry: July 19, 2010 at 14:40:00

The Disadvantages of the Elite

Posted on September 25, 2008
The following two paragraphs are taken from The Disadvantages of An Elite Education by William Deresiewicz. It is from the Summer 08 issue of American Scholar.Elite schools pride themselves on their diversity, but that diversity is almost entirely a matter of ethnicity and race...

The Clarence Palin Problem

Posted on September 22, 2008
One of the most discouraging things I have experienced in my profession was the realization that "diversity" did not really mean diversity. Several years ago a recruiting committee of which I was Chair made what is to my mind the most extreme effort ever made to hire diversity candidates...

Is Sarah Palin Uppity?

Posted on September 19, 2008
"Uppity" is a word I have never heard used except in the context of discussions about the word "uppity." I see in the press that it is used from time to time to describe people who are asking for greater respect and deference than they somehow deserve...

Sarah Palin and O.J. Simpson

Posted on September 12, 2008
I am not sure I have seen anything like the Sarah Palin phenomenon since O.J. Simpson. Most of you are old enough to recall that the evidence against OJ was overwhelming. Whether you though he "should" be found guilty as opposed to whether he was guilty seemed largely a function of race...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

What to do about Levi Johnston?

Posted on September 08, 2008
When it was revealed that Sarah Palin's daughter was pregnant, I, like many parent did not jump to condemn mother or daughter but thought "there but for the grace of God . . . ." I don't have daughters but it's the same thing when you hear of a son who has been caught drinking underage or smoking dope or far worse things...

What To Do About Sarah Palin

Posted on September 04, 2008
A colleague who is a regular reader came by my office today. "Jeff," he said, "I cannot believe some of the things people are saying about Sarah Palin. You and I both know that if she only had a degree from Harvard or Yale, most of that criticism would go away...

Teach Your Children Well

Posted on August 29, 2008
What do you teach your children to best equip them for the world? You might start with work hard, be honest, do not brag. Isn't it amazing what bad advice this can be. Take for example the world of legal education. There are many hard workers here, but in a "no good deed goes unpunished way," what their hard work becomes is a way for others to free ride...

Class Difference: Part 3, Replay from 2006

Posted on August 27, 2008
Then I got Mary pregnantand man that was all she wroteAnd for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coatWe went down to the courthouseand the judge put it all to restNo wedding day smiles no walk down the aisleNo flowers no wedding dressThe River, SpringsteenParts one and two of my discussion of class bias in law school hiring addressed the different perspective that economically disadvantaged people (e...

Class Differences: Part 2, Replay

Posted on August 26, 2008
Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV.And you think you're so clever and class less and free.But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see.A working class hero is something to be.Working Class Hero, John LennonIn part one of this three part series, I discussed the different perspective of those who were economically disadvantaged people...

Class Differences: Part 1; A Replay From Two Years Ago

Posted on August 24, 2008
Give me your hungry, your tired your poor I'll piss on em Thats what the statue of bigotry says Your poor huddled masses, lets club em to death And get it over with and just dump em on the boulevard. Lou Reed, Dirty Blvd...

Generosity and Counter-Preferential Choice

Posted on August 20, 2008
A couple of things came to my attention today from completely independent sources that appear to me to be connected. The first is a short article in the August16th issue of The Economist about experiments connecting physical contact in the form of massages with generosity...

Behave for Success

Posted on August 14, 2008
It's not an official term but what I use to describe those with working class backgrounds who end up in the world of academics is "socioeconomic displacement." In other words, your parents did not go to college, you are the first in the family to do so and your natural career path might be middle management somewhere...

Two Perspectives

Posted on August 09, 2008
Recently a perceptive reader wrote the following comment:"Doesn't the assertion the law professors are always looking for an order to follow contradict the notion that they always look out for themselves? The posts preceding this one talk about Professors teaching only what they want and not what is needed...

Communication and Class

Posted on August 02, 2008
I hope the handful of people who read this blog do so with a critical outlook. If I've got something wrong, I am interested in hearing why. It is true that if you send a mindless or insulting comment I will not "print" it but anything substantive and on point is welcome...

Sadly, Obama

Posted on July 31, 2008
Clearly, whether ingrained or affected, Obama is an elitist. To be sure he is the candidate of the elitists. This has been no secret but the Times article (July 30) about his time as a law professor reveals things that perhaps only a law professor can appreciate...

The No Shame Zone and Shambotomies

Posted on July 25, 2008
The role shame plays in the lives of some people and not in the lives of others hit me like a love bug hits an interstate windshield. I am sure that shame is the right word. Consider the dictionary definition, "the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, ridiculous, done by oneself or anothers...

Are All Elites Company Men?

Posted on July 24, 2008
One thing that has always seemed odd to me is the quickness with which people begin to identify with "the man" Go to a department store where the clerk is making $10 and hour and say anything critical about the store and most of the time the clerk will take it personally...

More on White People

Posted on July 21, 2008
No doubt most people reading this will be familiar with the Stuff White People Like blog by Christian Lander. It's quite funny and now that the books is out it is getting more national press in the form of reviews. If you've read the blog you know it was not really about white people but, according to the author, "The Stuff is more about class than race...

Entitlement and Teaching Schedules

Posted on July 20, 2008
At most schools (and perhaps other places) teaching loads are, in large part, allocated -- except with respect to the instances in which student needs are observed -- on the bases of sense of entitlement, level of moral development, and opportunity costs associated with time spent badgering...

Did the Elites Invent Tenure?

Posted on July 17, 2008
I do not know but it looks like it. Elites are very good at figuring out ways to redistribute income from those less affluent to themselves. Think about it. Tenure involves a pre commitment in which (for public schools) taxpayers through their agents (faculty) say "No matter what you do over the next 20-50 years, I want to keep employing you...

No Pain Economies

Posted on July 13, 2008
Many people do not realize that budget cuts in higher education to do not mean greater economies and care in how money is spent. All it means is that the state itself is not forking over the money. If you can get the money elsewhere there is little self-interest-based reason to cut spending or tighten your belt...

The Entitlement Test

Posted on July 09, 2008
There a good test for which law faculty have a sense of entitlement and should be sent on their way and which one do not. I am not sure at all that the distinction fall along class lines but there are many reasons it could.Suppose you are teaching international dance law (This is fictional with respect to my own school a sfar a I know) and you consistently draw 5 students...

No Working People Allowed in Law School

Posted on July 08, 2008
If you have not seen it, please read the post by Nancy Rapoport on the latest USN&WR fuss. Briefly here is the issue. If USN&WR includes the data (GPA & LSAT) of part time (often night) students in their rankings, will schools be more likely to eliminate or not institute these programs...

Graduate School Credit

Posted on July 05, 2008
My sense is that on most campuses, law schools are not regarded a quite up to par as far as other graduate programs. If true it is unfortunate. As someone who has done both -- law school and graduate school -- I feel that law students work harder. Plus, given the market for Ph...

Rio Lisboa and Law Faculties

Posted on July 02, 2008
I am not sure how to describe Rio Lisboa because what do you call a bakery, deli, grocery store, juice bar, snack bar, and outdoor caf� that never closes on a street in the Leblon section of Rio. What?s great about the RL is the constant feel of action, movement and goodwill...

Law Schools Should be Juice Bars

Posted on June 29, 2008
One of my favorite things in Rio is the juice bars. This photo is of my personal favorite. They are on virtually every corner. Most have not just juice but what I would call diner food. Actually, I am not sure I ever ate in a diner but it is what I imagine diner food to be...

The Favela Tour

Posted on June 07, 2008
Favelas are the shanty towns throughout Brazil with Rio having perhaps the most well know. If you have seen Children of God you understand what a favela is. On the tourist maps of Rio there are huge areas simply labeled "favela." No streets are indicated...

Class in Cases

Posted on May 28, 2008
I have written here and elsewhere about the pervasive impact of class on virtually everything from hiring to recruitment to the impact on minorities and women. Miriam Cherry in an insightful article discusses class in well-know contracts cases. 28 Pace L...

Watermelon

Posted on May 24, 2008
One of the most pleasant lunches I recall was with Chesterfield Smith. He spoke of attending law school for a semester and the returning to Bartow, Florida to pick watermelons in order to return to Law School.I wonder how many of today's law students have summer time experiences that are as likely to be as important in shaping their perspective for years to come or a life time...

Sensitivity Training and Non Writers

Posted on May 15, 2008
Over on Prawfsblawg, Geoffrey Rapp puts non writers on the couch in order to understand why they do not write. I think he has it pretty much right for why they do not write and in a sense I want to say thank God they do not because 7200 articles a year is enough...

Previous | Next

Related Law Bulletins

Teacher Class Action Case Appears Headed for Trial
Kevin Hickey has been added as co-counsel in a class action lawsui...

Brown's Platinum Shield Association Goes To Head of Class
The 2001 acquisition of Mail Boxes, Etc., Inc. by United Parcel S...

Curriculum May Allow Bible Class in Schools
It may be constitutional for public schools to have a course on th...

President Bush on Catholic Education
On Friday, the President spoke at the National Catholic Prayer Bre...