We’re nearing the end of the fall semester, and course registration is almost upon us. For 1Ls, that means being able to choose your spring 1L elective. While the idea of an extra class may seem overwhelming, for me, the 1L elective ended up being an opportunity to discover a new area of the law.

The 1L electives fall into three buckets. The large majority are “Experiential” classes that allow 1Ls to gain practical knowledge from practitioners, in topics ranging from Mergers & Acquisitions to Criminal Law to Work Law. Some are “Perspectives” courses which push students to think about the meaning of “law” and “justice” through the humanities and social sciences. My 1L elective, Introduction to Human Rights, Refugee, & Humanitarian Law, was a Perspectives course, and taught me both the successes and challenges of defining and litigating human rights issues. Our class also visited the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington D.C. to see this work in action (check out Alex’s great article about the trip!). Finally, the policy-oriented courses, like Restorative Justice in Courts, take a critical look at our legal institutions and explore pathways for reform.