What took place in this class was plenty of disagreement, but it was a very different kind of disagreement. People wanted to understand, to trace back to the source why they were disagreeing. The disagreement became a source of creative tension in the class.

Conflict is often viewed as a competition that produces a winner and a loser. Conflict, however, need not be zero-sum. Indeed, conflict can be a basis for learning. In one class, our students disagreed about the role of stigma in the context of affirmative action. We prodded them to understand why they disagreed. Surprising connections were made between both ideas and people.
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Not every class works, and our “failures” frequently cause disagreement, frustration, and stress. Conflict is not always resolved. When left unresolved it can reinforce antagonism and can make collaboration more difficult. Without these uncomfortable elements, however, students might not be stimulated to do any new or introspective rethinking. Instead of shutting down conflict, we keep the heat on by revisiting tense issues in subsequent classes. Seminar participants learn to identify patterns and connections, generate principles, experiment, and then reflect from their insights to question and revise their theories. As they grow to trust each other, they feel more comfortable expressing themselves. The extent to which students have gotten to know each other outside of class – as well as the opportunities for informal class meetings – helps this process. We call this “the failure theory of success.”

The multi-racial learning community aims to create a space where students can rethink their assumptions about what it means to be a lawyer and reconnect with the aspirations that led them to law school in the first place. The learning community exposes students to alternative models and approaches to practice, urging them to claim responsibility for defining their identity as lawyers. Students are encouraged to develop and enact innovative strategies for addressing complex problems. Role innovators – people who are willing to experiment in their professional or community practice – are invited to join the students in developing lesson plans, creating group projects or working on field research. By observing others who redefine their professional or community roles to mobilize information, construct relationships across difference, and address the systemic nature of the problems they confront, students see the possibility that they too can be role innovators.