Sandra Huerta’s Profile Student Toggle navigation

One’s suc­cess in the work­place de­pends al­most as much on what you know as how you com­mu­ni­cate with oth­ers. With­out the skills of writ­ing a va­ri­ety of doc­u­ments, speak­ing con­fi­dently to an au­di­ence, and per­form­ing mean­ing­ful re­search that en­riches your work and en­ables oth­ers to do their work, you will find your­self left be­hind while oth­ers with those so-called soft skills make strides in their own ca­reers. This class gives you op­por­tu­ni­ties to strengthen your work­place com­mu­ni­ca­tion skills through pro­jects and daily writ­ing ac­tiv­i­ties. It is through doing this work over time that you de­velop com­mu­ni­ca­tion acu­men.

One’s success in the workplace depends almost as much on what you know as how you communicate with others. Without the skills of writing a variety of documents, speaking confidently to an audience, and performing meaningful research that enriches your work and enables others to do their work, you will find yourself left behind while others with those so-called soft skills make strides in their own careers. This class gives you opportunities to strengthen your workplace communication skills through projects and daily writing activities. It is through doing this work over time that you develop communication acumen.

We will ex­plore is­sues of law, its sys­tems, its ap­pli­ca­tion, and its chal­lenges through works of lit­er­a­ture. The way in which we will read and ac­cess the lit­er­ary works as­signed as read­ings will be part of our con­ver­sa­tions. The cul­tural and his­tor­i­cal con­text for the works we read will com­prise an im­por­tant as­pect of our think­ing and in-class dis­cus­sion. Fi­nally, we will con­sider how lit­er­a­ture can and does in­flu­ence the de­vel­op­ment of law. In order to be suc­cess­ful in this course, stu­dents are re­quired to main­tain the read­ing sched­ule and come to class pre­pared to dis­cuss the as­signed read­ing. It is highly rec­om­mended that stu­dents ap­proach the course with their cu­rios­ity and an ea­ger­ness both to learn and demon­strate what they have dis­cov­ered on their own ini­tia­tive.

We will explore issues of law, its systems, its application, and its challenges through works of literature. The way in which we will read and access the literary works assigned as readings will be part of our conversations. The cultural and historical context for the works we read will comprise an important aspect of our thinking and in-class discussion. Finally, we will consider how literature can and does influence the development of law. In order to be successful in this course, students are required to maintain the reading schedule and come to class prepared to discuss the assigned reading. It is highly recommended that students approach the course with their curiosity and an eagerness both to learn and demonstrate what they have discovered on their own initiative.