Willamette University College of Law's Faculty Development Conversation Series is a forum for faculty to present and share recent scholarly work. Scholars from other law schools are invited to present their work as well and take part in this lunch talk. Faculty receive feedback from scholars in their area and build their network in an informal setting. Events include the following:
Research Slam
There are several one-hour Research Slams during the first semester where faculty members provide a brief overview—no more than five to eight minutes—of their summer work. Each presenter will then take questions/comments for five to eight minutes. No one will be asked to read or comment on drafts; rather, this is simply an opportunity for faculty to listen to what our colleagues are working on. We hear from approximately 2-3 colleagues at each Research Slam. The presentations and ensuing conversations are intentionally designed to be informal. All faculty and staff are invited to attend.
External Speaker Series
Our exchange series invites scholars from other law schools to provide us with a lunchtime presentation on a recent scholarly work. A draft of the speaker’s work is circulated beforehand and attendees are expected to read the draft and be prepared to engage in a discussion about it. Apart from the traditional lunch talk, we also assemble an optional (at the speaker’s decision) small-group workshop with area-specific scholars from our faculty. Doing so enables the speaker to receive more precise feedback from scholars in his/her area, allow for more informal networking, and provide an informal arena for the speaker to exchange other possible scholarly ideas. All faculty and staff are invited to attend the lunch talk.
CLPE
This is our “Continuing Law Professor Education Series.” The Series, informally called CLPE, provides us with a format to primarily discuss our teaching but also to hear from other speakers on related topics. In this setting, each CLPEs will have a main speaker who will receive ten minutes to discuss that day’s topic. After a ten-minute presentation, we open the discussion up for group input. All faculty and staff are invited to attend.