Page last modified 03:06, 18 Jul 2008 by profkang

FAQ

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Specialization in Critical Race Studies

Prospective Students to the UCLA School of Law

I am a prospective student, who is interested in CRS at UCLA Law. Does the CRS Program have a separate admissions track?

No, the CRS Specialization is not a separate admissions track into the law school. (In this way, it differs from the Public Interest Law Program.) You may elect the specialization before your second-year to enter the program. By successfully completing its requirements, you graduate with a certification on your transcript. Of course, your interest in and potential contribution to the Specialization may be one among myriad factors considered during the admissions process.

On my application, how do I express my interest in the CRS Specialization?

A student's contribution to law school curricular programs may be a factor relevant to the overall admissions calculus. Please indicate clearly on your application why you are interested in CRS. The CRS faculty are interested in serious students eager to accept the challenge of thinking hard about race, ethnicity, law, and legal institutions. Therefore, make sure to articulate specific past study and experiences that may be relevant to the CRS curriculum. In addition, explain how this specialization fits in with your future goals or plans, for example as a practitioner or academic. You should express your interest in being part of the CRS specialization by writing a detailed statement indicating how your admission would strengthen our program. Remember, a passing or casual interest on matters of "race" will not distinguish you from other applicants. Because the application form has limited space, please append additional pages as necessary.

I have pretty eclectic thoughts about race. I'm concerned that my views may not dovetail with the faculty's or other students. Should I be concerned?

There is no orthodoxy in the CRS program. The participating faculty have widely divergent views and methodologies. Intellectual freedom and curiosity as well as the ability to test controversial ideas are a hallmark of this program. What unites those affiliated with the specialization are (1) a belief that studying race and its interconnections with law is extremely important and difficult, and (2) traditional assumptions and beliefs should be challenged and critiqued. If these principles seem sound to you, then we invite your participation.

I am a prospective LLM student. Can I participate in the program?

The LLM degree does not indicate any specific certification in CRS. The CRS faculty would, however, be delighted to have LLM students take our courses. The courses are not closed to anyone in the law school community, and most have typically not been over-subscribed by students (with some exceptions). Although some CRS events are for declared students only, a majority of these lectures, conferences, and events are open to the larger intellectual community of the law school and the university.

Current Students at the UCLA School of Law

I am a student at UCLA Law. When do I have to elect the Specialization?

Updated: July 15, 2008 Ideally, you should make your election before the first semester of your second year. At the latest, you should make your election by the end of your second year, with exceptions only by petition to the CRS Committee. Beginning with the Class of 2011, those students who indicated their interest in CRS when they applied to the law school will be given first priority in electing the Specialization during the Fall semester of their first year. In addition, we will accept time-stamped Intent to Declare forms from any other first year students at any time during the first year. The first applications recieved will have first priority for enrolling in any impacted core courses during the second year.

What paperwork must I fill out to join the Specialization?

A simple election form is available here and at the Registrar's office. This form must be turned in at the end of the first year of law school. Remember that it is your responsibility to schedule the appropriate courses and complete the writing requirement. To graduate with the certification, you must have at least a B- average in these courses.

What does the writing requirement comprise?

To satisfy the writing requirement of the specialization, you must produce a 35 page (double-spaced) paper that seeks to be publication worthy. This paper must be written either through supervised independent writing (for 3 academic credits) or through a pre-approved seminar. Even if the approved seminar normally requires a shorter paper, a 35 page paper is necessary to satisfy the specialization.

At year's end, we hope to have some public presentation of papers with CRS faculty present to listen and to ask questions.

What about papers written in classes that satisfy other requirements in the Specialization?

Generally, there will be no double counting. So if you take a class in the Comparative Subordination requirement that involves writing a paper, that class/paper will count either in satisfaction of the Comparative Subordination requirement or the Writing Requirement, but not both. Individual petitions may be considered in extraordinary circumstances.

What about building on a previously written paper?

The CRS faculty are keen on producing works of scholarship that are publishable in quality. If building on previous work will make this possible, that is perfectly acceptable. Of course, we will make sure that work isn't being recycled and that there is substantial revision, improvement, and growth in the writing project.

Can a paper that I have already written, before declaring the Specialization, satisfy the writing requirement?

No.

Sequencing: What must be taken in the 2nd year?

Updated: July 15, 2008 -- You are encouraged to take the two core courses during the second year of law school, but are not required to do so. Priority enrollment in the core courses is given to students who elect the specialization at the end of the first year. Priority enrollment means you do not have to use any of your enrollment passes for the core courses and that you will be enrolled in a core course before any student who has not officially elected the CRS Specialization. However, if enrollment is impacted in a core course on a given semester, the Records office will enroll students by lottery that semester and any student not enrolled by lottery in that semester will be given priority enrollment in a future semester.

In which semester should I satisfy the writing requirement?

The writing requirement should be seen as the capstone of your studies, a culmination of your learning within the Critical Race Studies Specialization. Accordingly, we encourage the paper to be written in the third year, after more CRS coursework has been completed. Your writing will likely be better informed, better researched, and analytically more sophisticated. The Committee, however, recognizes that many students may choose to write their paper in their second year for publication in student journals.

When was the specialization created?

The UCLA School of Law faculty approved the specialization in May 2000, for its official start in the 2000-01 academic year. That year, the first two students graduated with the specialization. The second full year of official operation was 2001-02; this was also the first year in which the admissions process allowed curricular contributions to be considered a factor in admissions.

How many students are in the Specialization?

Updated: July 15, 2008 -- As of July 2008, we have approximately 95 law students (2Ls and 3Ls) officially enrolled in the specialization. We have approximately 20 incoming 1Ls who have expressed interest in joining the CRS specialization. Each year, several dozen law students actively participate in CRS courses and activities without officially declaring the Specialziation.

The registrar’s office may have the information you seek. You can also e-mail the CRS Administrative Director, Saul Sarabia, at sarabia@law.ucla.edu

Retrieved from "http://crsonline.law.ucla.edu/CRS_Program/FAQ"

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