The 9th International Journal of Clinical Legal Education Conference, in partnership with the 6th Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE) Conference will be hosted by The Institute of Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Valencia from 11-12 July 2011 University of Valencia, Spain
Their rather inspired choice of conference theme is: Life, the Universe and Clinic: What questions does Clinic answer?
"I checked it very thoroughly," said the computer, "and that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is."
"But it was the Great Question! The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything," howled Loonquawl.
"Yes," said Deep Thought with the air of one who suffers fools gladly, "but what actually is it?"
A slow stupefied silence crept over the men as they stared at the computer and then at each other.
"Well, you know, it's just Everything ... Everything ..." offered Phouchg weakly.
"Exactly!" said Deep Thought. "So once you know what the question actually is, you'll know what the answer means."
Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy
Themes of the Conference
We expect a lot from clinical legal education. At the same time it is expected to achieve or encourage professional skills development, ethical awareness, deep legal knowledge, collaborative and lifelong learning, reflective practice, social justice activism and a host of other ambitious objectives. Recent years have seen increased and at times conflicting demands placed on clinics by institutions, by students and by clients and there is rarely an opportunity to pause and re-examine the nature and value of the clinical enterprise, the scope of its aspiration and the path ahead.
This conference will offer participants a chance to ask questions and seek to articulate answers about the purpose(s) of clinical legal education. Papers will explore the educational, socio-economic and political contexts of clinic, the opportunities for achieving more and the pedagogic and other limitations that clinic faces. If clinical learning is not the answer to life the universe and everything the conference will address what it can and should realistically be expected to achieve.
This year’s particular conference themes include:
- The purposes and rationales of clinical legal education
- What clinical legal education can and cannot achieve
- Questions clinicians should ask themselves
- Clinic and professional development: skills, knowledge, ethics, professionalism
- Clinic and lifelong learning: collaboration, teamwork, reflection
- Clinic and personal development: experience, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, maturity
- Clinic and social justice: public legal education, community projects, legal aid schemes, pro bono public, balancing client and student needs
- Clinic and the law curriculum: the learning outcomes of clinic, relationship to other learning methods, clinic and curriculum coverage, curricular innovation, simulated experience, intra or extra-curricular activities
- Clinical collaboration: cross disciplinary initiatives, cross jurisdictional partnerships, barriers to collaboration
Papers are also welcome in relation to standing conference themes:
- Internationalising clinical legal education
- Clinic twinning projects
- Clinical scholarship
- Reporting research findings (final or interim)
- Assessment /grading of clinical legal education
- Evidencing best practice
- New clinics and new clinicians
- Review of clinic operations
- Student and faculty attitudes to clinical learning
Conference overview and partners
The annual IJCLE conference serves as a unique forum in which clinical educators from all jurisdictions can come together to discuss all aspects of clinical teaching and learning, to learn from one another and to share best practice. This year’s conference addresses fundamental questions about the place of clinical legal education in higher education and legal service provision.
In 2011 the conference will be held in partnership with the 6th Global Alliance for Justice Education Conference (GAJE) 12-15 July. The theme of the GAJE conference is “Combatting Social Injustice Through Justice Education”. The conferences will be held consecutively with some joint sessions so as to bring together delegates with a very wide range of interests but to enable each conference to retain its unique identity and character.
GAJE is an alliance of persons committed to achieving justice through education. Clinical education of law students is a key component of justice education, but GAJE also works to advance other forms of socially relevant legal education, which includes education of practising lawyers, judges, non-governmental organizations and the lay public.
See www.gaje.org for further information about the GAJE conference. Discounted rates are available for delegates booking both conferences.
The Institute for Human Rights at the University of Valencia (IUDHUV) is a research unit within the Law Faculty. It offers courses on human rights, law, and international protection of rights and participates actively in post-graduate courses and organizes practicum for its students in the field of human rights. It also serves as the host unit for the pioneer legal clinic focusing on international protection of human rights. More information is available at: www.uv.es/idh/.
More details will be available soon at the conference website: www.ijcle.com.
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