Sabrina Becomes a College Professor..Again!

From time to time I blog about fun experiences I have as an attorney.  Last week, I was a guest lecturer for a Civil Rights course at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.  I gave the students some background information on the current Central American refugee crisis.  We talked about the difficulties that unaccompanied minors face in the court system (especially if they don't have an attorney) and the family detention nightmare.  I showed them youtube clips of attorneys who volunteered their time in Artesia, New Mexico, and we brainstormed how non-lawyers could organize in a meaningful way to help these families.  It was a ton of fun for me, and I hope as much for the students, too!

Sabrina Becomes a University Professor....

On Tuesday, I embarked on a new career as a university professor.....for one night.  A colleague and friend of mine is a professor in the anthropology department at California State University, Los Angeles, and she invited me to be a guest lecturer for the second year in a row.  This year, I put together a fun exercise on the use of language in the immigration law (the class had a linguistics focus).  

I presented the class with a phrase or pair of phrases found in the immigration law (i.e. "extreme hardship" and "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship") and asked them what they thought the phrases meant.  When working with a pair of phrases, we brainstormed what the difference between the phrases might be (i.e. is extreme hardship more or less hardship than exceptional and extremely unusual hardship).  After the conversation, I revealed the meaning of the phrase in the immigration law.  

The students were so participatory and had so many fabulous ideas.  The discussion about "good moral character," in particular, sparked a lively debate - is adultery worse than theft? What about a DUI?  

It was great fun for me, and I hope to be able to do it again soon!