CLW 420

Law and the Community

2017

Faculty of Law

Department of Jurisprudence

SECTIONA:Organisationalcomponent1 IntroductionWelcometotheModuleLawandtheCommunity(CLW)420.Thisisanelectivemoduleandthefactthatyouchoseitsayssomethingaboutyou.Ourhopeisthatyourinterestincommunityengagementwillbeencouragedanddevelopedthroughthismodule.Thisstudyguidefurnishesyouwithimportantadministrativeinformationandguidelinesregardingwhatareexpectedofyou.Thismodulewillemphasiseself-directedlearningandyouwillberequiredtoworkcloselyinteamswithotherstudents.ThemoduleCLW420ispresentedbythedepartmentofJurisprudence.TheteachingphilosophyofthedepartmentofJurisprudenceisaimedtowardscritical,creativeandindependentthoughtandweremindourselvesandour students tobeawareof, and toaddress, thepost-apartheid social contextand thedemandsofpoverty,sexualviolence,unequalpowerrelationsandHIV/Aidsinourteachingandresearch.Membersofthedepartmentarecommittedtothevaluesoftransformation,equality,dignity,freedom,democracyandtransparencyasentrenchedintheConstitution,andthevaluesofintegrity,honestyandmodesty.Wewantstudentstostartexamininglaw’sroleinconstructing,perpetuatingandaddressingforms of social exclusion and oppression based on race, sexuality, gender, class, nationality etc.Furthermore,thiscourseunderstandslegaleducationasanexerciseindevelopingthecapacitytothinkandactasanactive,thoughtful,democratically-mindedandpublically-orientedcitizen.2 General2.1 ContactinformationTheHeadofDepartmentisProfKarinVanMarleLawBuilding2-200124202393Thelecturersinthecourseare:TshepoMadlingozi(coursecoordinator)LawBuilding2-21Tshepo.madlingozi@up.ac.zaIsoldedeVilliersLawBuilding2-190124205404isolde.devilliers@up.ac.zaTheDepartmentaladministratoris: MrsSunétSlabbertLawBuilding2-110124203756

2.2 Time-tableTheUniversity’stimetableprovidesfortwoformallecturesperweekonFridays.Somelectureswillbepresentedbycommunitymembersandincommunities.Thescheduled/agreedlecturetimeis:07:30to09:30onFridays3 StudymaterialsWillbeplacedonclickUP

4 ModulerulesTheFaculty’syearbookisavailableonthismodule’sclickUP.Kindlyperusetheyearbookforinformationregardingexaminationpolicy,testpolicy,plagiarismetc.5 Descriptionofthemoduleandcorethemefor2017Themainaimofthecourseistoexplorethemeaningof“law”andof“community”andtherelationship(s)between them. In this module we decenter juricentric approaches in favour of more bottom-upapproachestolawtoexplorehowthelawimpactson“community”andhowthe“community”impactslaw.Methodologically, then, thiscoursecombinesboththe lawandsocietyapproachandthegeneraljurisprudenceapproach. Inaddition todecentering court-centricapproaches, this courseaims to takestudentsoutofthetraditionalpedagogyofthe‘ivorytower’ofacademiatowardswhatPauloFreirecalls“the pedagogy of the oppressed” achieved through dialectical conscientisation between students,communityactivistsandcauselawyers.Weaimtoachievethisthroughacombinationoftwokindsofseminars: discussion seminars where we reflect on critical texts and theories; and seminars withcommunityactivistsandotherpractitionersengaged,directlyandindirectly,inusinglawtoachieveradicaltransformation in various communities. The provocation for this semester is law, community anddecolonisation.Inlightofemergentcallsto“decolonise”SouthAfrica,thiscoursewillbeanimatedbythefollowinginter-relatedquestions:

• Is“coloniality”/neo-apartheidarealityinSouthAfrica?• whatroledoesthelawplayin“coloniality”/neo-apartheid?• Canthelawandtheconstitutionembodydecolonizingsensibilities?• What role do social movements and other community organisations play in the quest for

decolonisationand/orradicaltransformation?• Intheirtacticalorstrategicuseofthelaw,arecommunityorganisationsappropriatingthelawto

decolonise‘community’oraretheybeingco-optedinto“coloniality”/neo-apartheid?Becauseofitspracticalnature,thecourseinvolvesalargeamountof independentworkandinitiative.Students are expected to independently identify, research and prepare material needed to offerworkshopsand lessons.Studentsarealsoexpectedto liaisewithcommunitygroupsthat theywishtoengagewith.

History:ThiscourseusedtobepartoftheStreetLawprogramme.TherootsofthecourseStreetLawinSouthAfricalieinthemid-eighties.DavidMcQuoid-MasonfromtheUniversityofKwa-ZuluNatalinitiatedthecourseamidstprecariouspoliticalcircumstances.Thelarge-scalelegitimacycrisisinSouthAfricahadtobebridgedthroughtraining,legalservices,educationandreformandthecoursewasestablishedatotherUniversities in South Africa. Streetlaw developed from the context of a state of emergency and itsubsequentlychangedalongwiththeshiftsinSouthAfrica’shistory.Arguably,SouthAfrica’slegitimacycrisisofishowevercontinuing,asseeninratesofpoverty,‘waragainstwomen,’institutionalisedracism,corruption,starkinequalitiesandpublicandprivatesectorcorruption.MaingoalsThereisoftenadisjuncturebetweenthelawandthecommunityforwhichthelawiscreatedinthefirstplace. This course is also an attempt to sensitise law students to the fact that laws are often violenttowardsthosewhomitissupposedtoassist.Duringthiscourse,studentscomeintocontactwithstoriesofhowthelawfailedmembersofthecommunity.Studentsshouldlearnfromthecommunityratherthanimposingtheirknowledgeofalegalsystemonthecommunity.Thisawarenesswillhopefullybringaboutadeeperappreciationoftherelationshipbetweenthelawandthecommunityandadifferentapproachtolaw.Thebroaderissuesofthiscourseareaccesstojusticeandparticipatorydemocracy.

SECTIONB:SemestercalendarFriday21July Theory Seminar: TMadlingozi.Overviewand Introduction to theCLW

420 and Readings: Social Justice in a time of Neo-apartheid

constitutionalism: Critiquing the anti-black economy of recognition,

integrationanddistribution(2017)andLegalacademicsandprogressive

lawyers in South Africa: Beyond the ivory tower (2006) both by T

Madlingozi

Friday28July Dialectical Conscientisation: Women community organizations,

decolonisation, and the law with Amandla.mobi, Khulumani Support

GroupandBlackhouseCollective,Soweto

Friday4August Theory Seminar: Isolde de Villiers. Readings: Freire’sPedagogy of the

OppressedandSASO‘RoleofBlackstudents’

Friday11August Dialectic Conscientisation: UP Student representatives on Student

protests,decolonisation,andthelaw

Friday18August TheorySeminar–ProfRichardPithouse.Readings:LivingLearninga

bookletoftheUniversityofAbahlaliand“LessonsfromeThekwini:

PariahsHoldTheirGroundAgainstaStatethatisBothCriminaland

Democratic”(2007)aresearchreportbyMarkButlerandRichard

Pithouse.

Friday1September Submitportfolioandpresent [20]

Friday8September Portfoliopresentationscontinue

Friday15September Portfoliopresentationscontinue

Monday25September OptionalGroupvisittoFreedomPark

September&October CommunityInvolvementandassessment

Friday15October CommunityInvolvementandassessment

Friday22October Dialectic Conscientisation: The Role of Progressive Lawyers in the

Decolonisation Struggle: Adv. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Adv. Buhle

LekokotlaandAdv.JacobvanGarderen

Friday29October Revisionandexaminationpreparation

SECTIONC:Studycomponent6 Assessment6.1 SemestermarkArtisticsubmissionforfacultyfestival 102xwrittenassignments[10each] 20Portfoliowithlessonplan/involvementplan[10forplanand10forpresentation] 20Total 506.2 ExaminationTheexaminationwillconsistofatake-homeexam.ANNEXUREPORTFOLIOPRESCRIBEDFORMATYouarerequiredtodrawupaplanforyourengagement.Youmusthaveatleast3contactsessions(20hoursintotal).Yourplanshouldbasicallyfollowthisstructure:APPROPRIATEHEADINGBACKGROUNDONCOMMUNITYANDMOTIVATION(Atleast1pagethatdescribesthecommunityandtheirneedsaswellasyourmotivationtobeinvolved)AUDIENCE&DATE:(Withcontactpersonandcontactdetails)IPURPOSEStatewhatyouwanttoachieveIIOUTCOMES(AIMSANDOBJECTIVES)Statewhatyouwantyouraudiencetoknoworunderstandbytheendofyourlessonorseminar

Bytheendofthislesson,theaudienceshould:…IIISOURCESListthesourcesyouconsultedinordertoprepareyourlesson,e.g.Youhavetosummarisethesourcesandshowhowtheywillcontribute.IVMETHOD:ExplainthenatureofyourengagementVMATERIALSAnythingthatyouwilluseinyourengagement.Avoidelectronicequipment,slideshowsetc.Bespecifice.g.• Abigpostersettingout….VICOMMENTS/REFLECTION/JOURNALLeftblank-onlytobecompletedafteryourengagement.Consistsofgeneralobservations.VIICOMMUNITYFEEDBACKCompileasheetonwhichthememberscangiveyoufeedbackafteryourengagement.