Volume 5 Winter 2011 Number 2 - Charleston Law Review

ALTERNATIVE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR LAWSCHOOL ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAMS:SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY, AUTONOMYSUPPORT, AND HUMANIZING THELAW SCHOOLLouis N. Schulze, Jr. I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................... 271II. WHAT IS LAW SCHOOL ACADEMIC SUPPORT? ......... 273A. Law School Academic Support Programs ................... 274B. A Brief History of Law School Academic Support ...... 274C. The Current Methodologies of ProvidingAcademic Support ........................................................ 2781. Pre-Law School Academic Support Methods ......... 2792. First-Year Academic Support Methods .................. 2803. Upper-Class Academic Support Methods .............. 2854. Post-Law School Academic Support Methods ........ 288III. WHAT IS “HUMANIZING LEGAL EDUCATION”? ........ 288A. A Brief History of the Humanizing Movement ............ 289B. What Is “Humanizing Legal Education”? .................... 290C. Why Humanize Legal Education? ................................ 2941. Improving Student Learning .................................. 2942. Creating an Environment Less PsychologicallyHarmful to Students ............................................... 2963. Providing an Environment More Open toFemale Law Students and Students of Color ........ 298 Associate Professor of Law and Director, Academic Excellence Program, NewEngland Law | Boston. I extend my thanks to Professors Elizabeth Bloom andLawrence Friedman (both of New England Law | Boston), Ruth Ann McKinney(of University of North Carolina School of Law), and Michael Hunter Schwartz(of Washburn University School of Law) for their insight on this piece. I alsothank those who commented upon my Work-in-Progress presentation of thispaper at the Law School Admissions Council, Academic Assistance Workshop,Elon University School of Law in June of 2010. My research assistant, NicoleDapcic, significantly improved this paper, and I thank Dean John O’Brien andNew England Law | Boston for supporting this project.269