CFP - LAWYERS AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN POPULAR CULTURE (SWPACA Conference, Feb. 2022)
LAWYERS AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN POPULAR CULTURE
The United States prides itself on being a country based on the rule of law, and often the courtroom is seen as the “great leveler” of socio-economic classes in America. Thus, Lady Justice is often depicted as being blindfolded while carrying both scales and a sword.
In popular culture, lawyers run the spectrum, shown sometimes as high priests who adhere to the most rigid standards of truth seeking and ethical behavior (Atticus Finch, Jack McCoy) and sometimes shown as all-too-willing to be on the wrong side of the law (Tom Hagen, Saul Goodman).
Suggested topics include, but are certainly not limited to:
Actual people in the legal profession who have been fictionalized, such as Daniel Webster, Clarence Darrow (as Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind), or Erin Brockovich
Defending unpopular clients, such as the war criminals in Judgment at Nuremberg
Fictional women in the legal profession, such as Amanda Bonner in Adam’s Rib, the title character in Ally McBeal, Patty Hewes in Damages, or Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder
Films centering on the law, such as 12 Angry Men, Devil’s Advocate, or Philadelphia
Legal ethics as depicted - rightly or wrongly - in popular culture
Particular fictional lawyers, such as Shakespeare’s Portia or Perry Mason
The law as depicted in animated shows through characters such as Lionel Hutz (The Simpsons) or Harvey Birdman
The legal profession as a force of evil, such as Wolfram & Hart on Angel
The stereotype of the “simple country lawyer” such as Ben Matlock or Hyper-Chicken (Futurama). This topic could also easily include real-life figures such as Cicero, Abraham Lincoln, Sam Ervin, or Gerry Spence
The tension between reality television with paid participants and wildly popular courtroom shows involving small claims litigants
Using popular culture examples of the law and lawyers in the classroom to teach particular concepts.
All proposals must be submitted through the conference’s database at http://register.southwestpca.org/southwestpca
For details on using the submission database and on the application process in general, please see the Proposal Submission FAQs and Tips page at http://southwestpca.org/conference/faqs-and-tips/
Individual proposals for 15-minute papers must include an abstract of approximately 200-500 words. Including a brief bio in the body of the proposal form is encouraged, but not required.
For information on how to submit a proposal for a roundtable or a multi-paper panel, please view the above FAQs and Tips page.
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2021.
SWPACA offers monetary awards for the best graduate student papers in a variety of categories. Submissions of accepted, full papers are due January 1, 2022. SWPACA also offers travel fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, visit http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/
Registration and travel information for the conference will be available at http://southwestpca.org/conference/conference-registration-information/
In addition, please check out the organization’s peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, at http://journaldialogue.org/
K. Dale Guffey
Associate Prof. of Business Law, Limestone University