Professional Identity Formation

Catalog description

Loyola's mission is to educate diverse, talented students to be responsible leaders in a rapidly changing, interdependent world, to prepare graduates who will be ethical advocates for justice and the rule of law, and to contribute to a deeper understanding of law and legal institutions through a commitment to research, scholarship and public service. The Professional Identity Formation course seeks to advance the mission of the law school by fulfilling two of the main education goals as Loyola Law: advancing the Jesuit tradition of social justice and ethics and law; and to prepare students to be accomplished and ethical leaders in the legal profession and the larger community. The individual development of a professional identity is critical to meeting these goals. This required 1 credit, 5 week first year course seeks to assist students in the recognition and elimination of personal bias and building awareness of how diversity and inclusion of others whose world view is different from one's own is critical to professional development and success in the practice of law. The course objectives include the education and development of professionals prepared to enter the workplace with the tools needed to successfully engage and manage diverse environments with the ability to think critically about various legal issues, problems and solutions and how they impact different groups of people and communities differently based on identity, privilege and oppression. This course is only open to incoming first year Juris Doctor students.