|
 
Co-Directors Richard
Reuben of the law school's Center for the Study of Dispute
Resolution, left, and Michael Grinfeld of the School of
Journalism are collaborating to form a center that focuses
on the relationship between the media, law and social conflict.
|
Conflict,
Law and
Media Converge
in New MU Initiative
Forging a unique partnership between two
schools at MU, the new
Center for the Study of Conflict, Law and the Media links
the School of Law, and
its Center for the Study
of Dispute Resolution, and the School
of Journalism. Faculty from both schools will conduct research
on the relationship between the media, law and social conflict,
develop new courses for both law and journalism students and conduct
professional outreach activities.
“We live in a time of unparalleled conflict
at the local, national and international levels — racial
and ethnic conflict, economic conflict, interpersonal conflict,
political conflict, class conflict, identity conflict, among others,”
says law Professor Richard Reuben, a founding co-director of the
Center. “The media and the law have a vital role to play
as these conflicts unfold, yet remarkably, few academic institutions
have focused on the relationship between the media, law and social
conflict.”
The mission of the new center is to fill this
gap by harnessing the resources of top-ranked programs in journalism
and conflict resolution to create ground-breaking research, education
and public service.
Journalism Professor Michael Grinfield also
was named a founding co-director of the Center.
“This center is the culmination of years
of work by deans and faculty at the schools of law and journalism
who deserve our thanks for having the vision to forge this alliance,”
Grinfeld says. “Their foresight means that we'll be able
to address in a meaningful way the increasing role media play
as conflicts unfold throughout the world.”
The establishment of the new Center centralizes
an array of initiatives that have been underway at the two schools
during the last several years, including the addition of courses
in law and conflict at the School of Journalism, and the cultivation
of several cross-learning opportunities for law and journalism
students. The Center also will support and act as an umbrella
for other programs and projects already in existence or currently
under development.
For example, the Center is supporting projects
like the one where law and broadcast journalism students teamed
up to investigate the legal system’s response to calls for
help by victims of domestic violence. The study of three central
Missouri counties found that there was disturbingly little follow
up on those calls for help. These findings were broadcast in a
three-part series on a regional television news program and led
to systemic changes in at least one of those counties.
“The Center also is supporting a new
program that will allow students to investigate the cases of people
allegedly wrongfully imprisoned,” Grinfeld says. “Another
project under development is a magazine that will explore media
reporting on conflicts and would allow journalism and law students
to work together in a publishing environment.”
The partnership has created a novel curricular
program that seeks to give tomorrow’s journalists a better
understanding of law and conflict resolution and future lawyers
a better understanding of the media. The initiative includes several
dual degree programs that uniquely qualify graduates for positions
in the media, law or academia. In addition, the degree programs
allow law students (JD or LLM) to earn a master’s or doctoral
journalism degree in less time, and for less money, than they
would spend pursuing the degrees separately.
“We have already sent graduates to
national-level journalism faculties, legal publishers and public
relations firms, and just this past year, had an intern spend
a semester covering the U.S. Supreme Court with leading Court
Reporter Tony Mauro,” Reuben says.
Center faculty also have developed credentialing
programs that allow law students to earn a Certificate in Legal
Affairs Journalism or a Certificate in Strategic Communications
by taking courses at the School of Journalism. One graduate has
already started her own lobbying firm in Jefferson City, Mo.,
Reuben says. Similarly, Journalism master’s and doctoral
students can earn minors in law and conflict resolution by taking
courses at the Law School, which allows them to deepen their reporting
or other professional interests with legal studies.
Looking ahead, the Center is currently organizing
a major conference that will explore relationships among the media,
conflict and democracy. The conference will bring together scholars
from dispute resolution, law, journalism, communications, and
political science.
“We’ll also be planning other
programs and events that will help advance standards of professional
practice in law and the media and the public’s participation
in the process by which community consensus is achieved,”
Grinfeld says.
Archives
| Comments | Home SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe
| Change Your
Address | Unsubscribe
Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
DMCA and other copyright information.
All rights reserved.
An equal opportunity/ADA institution.
Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
Questions? Comments? E-mail comments@mizzoualumni.org
Last Update:
March 12, 2007
|
