Call for Panelists: Beyond the Abstract: Implementing Law into the First-Year Composition Classroom
In considering practical applications of first-year composition (FYC) pedagogies, legal concepts offer a window into how writing can have real-world implications for students. Analysis of clarity, ethics, and argumentation found in FYC intersect with legal discourse. Particularly when examining existing court cases, students can engage in practices of critical analysis, argumentative writing, and revision. In considering this intersection, Abrams (2014) argues that “Lack of clarity, Orwell’s major target, normally detracts from the professional missions of lawyers and judges…Without maximum clarity, however, written buck-passing may compel courts to finish the legislators’ work, or may produce an agreement saddled with misunderstandings” (p.69). This panel plans to emphasize how these concepts are intrinsic to the foundational work of first-year composition. Rather than address specialized practices of legal writing, this panel seeks to examine interdisciplinary aspects of law, providing context for the work done in first-year composition. When students can see their expository, research, and argumentative writing practices through a real-world lens of the law, they can be motivated to engage in first-year composition with a sense of social consciousness.
This panel welcomes discussions on practice-based approaches that engage legal concepts in the first-year composition classroom.
If you are interested in presenting on the CCCC-sponsored panel on behalf of the Legal Writing and Rhetoric Standing Group at the 2027 Annual Convention, please send the following to the CCCC Standing Group on Legal Writing and Rhetoric Chair, Dr. Kimberly Bain at kimberly_bain.
- A brief (50-100 words) bio to include your academic title, affiliation, and research interests.
- A 200-word proposal of your panel presentation to include a description of your pedagogical practices involving law in the first-year composition classroom.
Please submit these details by April 20th.
Reference
Abrams, D.E. (2014). George Orwell’s classic essay on writing: The best style handbook for
lawyers and judges. Maine Bar Journal, pp. 65-71,
https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1912&context=facpubs
The CCCC Standing Group on Legal Writing and Rhetoric was developed by Dr. Lindsay Head, Esq. in 2022. It was established as a research-oriented association of faculty, researchers, and students in legal rhetoric and composition. Through collaborations, scholarly works such as Rhetorical Traditions and Contemporary Law were developed. Dr. Kimberly Bain took over as chair during the 2026 Annual Convention in Cleveland.
Best regards,
Kimberly A. Bain, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, English
Director, Writing Central
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Borbe Hall, 131A
Editor, Forum