Contracts Panels and the Virtual AALS Conference

Information provided by Miriam Cherry

Section on Contracts – Panel 

Title: “Current Events in the Contracts Course and in Contracts Scholarship” 

Saturday, January 8, 2022 

3:10pm-4:25pm ET

Description: This program will focus on the use of current events both in the contracts course and in contracts scholarship.  The pandemic, movements concerned with racial justice, and many other newsworthy events have prompted new lines of inquiry into established contract doctrines.  For example, litigation around the pandemic has challenged the scope of force majeure clauses.  The panelists will examine these as well as other newsworthy events, and discuss how they have been able to integrate current events into their teaching and scholarship.  The use of current events can assist with student engagement in the course, and also help to spark new ideas for research.  This panel also evokes larger questions:  How do current events shape (or reshape) the law of contracts? Which recent events will fade away, and which will have lasting impact on practice, doctrine, and the content of the contracts course?

Cheryl Wade (St. John’s)

Jennifer Taub (Western New England)

Lawrence A. Cunningham (George Washington)

Brian Bix (Minnesota)

Section on Contracts – Pedagogy Panel (Co-Sponsored with the Section on Consumer & Commercial Law) 

Title: “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and the Teaching of Contracts and Commercial Law,” 

Sunday, January 9 

4:45-6pm ET

Description: Significant scholarship shows that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to our understanding of commercial law. Yet these issues are rarely highlighted in the teaching of contracts, consumer protection, and other areas of commercial law. This panel will focus on pedagogy centered on race, gender, disability, and sexual orientation, and will explore the implications for bringing diversity into the contracts course. This panel brings together a range of expert instructors to discuss their materials, methodologies, lesson plans, and class activities, in the hopes of enriching the teaching of all commercial law topics.

Adrienne Davis (Washington University – St. Louis)

Creola Johnson (Ohio State)

Hila Keren (Southwestern)

Dean Sean Scott (Cal Western)

Chris Bradley (Moderator)