Stephen M. Rich was asked in January to teach the first required course on race, racism and the law at University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, and he happily accepted the task. He recognizes, though, that the student makeup of the course may be different than it would be for an elective course on the same topic.
“There will be students from both ends of the political spectrum. There will be very divergent views on things like criminal procedure. We have to accept that fact, and we have to make room for people to communicate clearly and professionally,” says Rich, who also has a master’s degree in African American studies and previously practiced law with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
