Discussion Issues – Concurrent Session on Family Law/Gender/Sexual Orientation
E. Gary Spitko, Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis

Generally, how might we heighten students' awareness of and interest in issues of wealth and inequality as they relate to family law, gender and sexual orientation?

What is the relationship between gender and sexual orientation inequality and wealth? What should we be discussing in class with respect to these matters? To what extent do we express a message of valuing or devaluing these concerns by what we choose to focus on in class?

How might the professor's membership in a disadvantaged group or in an advantaged group influence class discussion, and how might we maximize these positive influences and minimize these negative influences? For example, if students in the class are aware that the professor is gay or lesbian, might the students be less inclined to offer an opinion that is not gay/lesbian-friendly? How might the professor counteract this factor? To what extent or how best should the professor in a disadvantaged group offer personal life experiences to stimulate discussion? If the professor is in a relevant advantaged group, how might she make disadvantaged students feel more comfortable speaking on issues of particular importance to them?

Generally, how might we make disadvantaged students more comfortable raising issues of particular importance to them? How might we better utilize the life experiences of disadvantaged students to inform class discussion? To what extent might we utilize outside speakers from disadvantaged groups to inform class discussion?

What techniques might we use to help our students to empathize with those who do not share their economic status, gender or sexual orientation and to better represent such people after graduation?