Wiley-Online-Library: Journal of Legal Studies Education: Table of Contents

Editor's Note: Enduring Goals

Tonia Hap Murphy — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Journal of Legal Studies Education, Volume 43, Issue 1, Page 5-6, Winter 2026.

Ad IRAC Per Aspera: Using Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to Introduce Legal Reasoning to Business Students

Anthony L. McMullen — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Abstract

This teaching note explores using the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Ad Astra Per Aspera” to teach legal reasoning in a legal environment of business or business law course. The note provides an overview of the IRAC method and explains how the law school method translates well to an undergraduate legal studies course. It provides a synopsis of the episode and details how to use scenes from it in class to develop familiarity with IRAC analysis. The note additionally suggests the episode as a vehicle for addressing other legal topics, including religious freedom, asylum, and sedition.

Acting, Drawing, and Playing It Out: Enhancing Your Examples with Kinesthetic Learning

Ilisabeth S. Bornstein — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Abstract

This teaching note offers examples of kinesthetic learning—acting, drawing, and playing—to enhance all law-related courses. The note explains what these kinesthetic learning activities are, and how and why to use them. Torts is used as an example here, but the exercises can be used for any legal topic, from contracts to agency to securities. Students will increase their classroom engagement and their understanding in all content areas when kinesthetic learning is part of their instruction. The pedagogical benefits of kinesthetic learning are explained and demonstrated in the note and supporting materials.

Making the Case for Studying Business Law: A Teaching Note Providing a First Week Blueprint for First‐Time Instructors

Jason R. Hildebrand — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Abstract

Most business students are not interested in becoming lawyers. Therefore, business law and legal environment instructors must convey why students should study business law. To assist instructors (especially first-time ones), this teaching note presents interrelated pedagogical questions to introduce the first week of class. Why must business students study business law? What is the role of business leaders with respect to legal issues? How can business leaders effectively make business decisions with respect to legal issues? Referencing leadership expert Simon Sinek's “golden circle,” this note builds upon one simple principle: business law is ubiquitous , that is, it is ever-present and everywhere.

Hear Me Out: A Lesson in Civil Discourse

Cheryl L. Black — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Abstract

This article describes an innovative and engaging lecture and class exercise designed to teach students how to think critically about issues from different perspectives and communicate effectively with those who disagree with them. The interactive lecture and class exercise introduce a civil discourse framework to encourage constructive dialogue. Developed for business law and ethics courses, the civil discourse framework enhances any curriculum that addresses controversial topics or different perspectives on complex issues. The lecture and class exercise offer a concrete, replicable model to teach civil discourse.

Education Theory Integrated in Business Law

Robin Boyle‐Laisure — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Abstract

Education theorists have identified three pedagogical techniques that enhance student learning and retention of knowledge, namely, scaffolding, interleaving, and schema-building. These techniques help students transfer knowledge from short-term to long-term memory, where it is best retained for future use. Scaffolding involves part-task sequencing and whole-task sequencing. By interleaving tasks, professors present steps out of order or new material before the prior material is fully understood. Assisting students in developing schemas can help them store their knowledge in long-term memory. This article explains and explores these techniques as applied in an undergraduate business law course. The appendices provide detailed exercises that integrate these theoretical concepts with lessons.

AI and Student Flourishing: Chasing What Matters in Life

Corey A. Ciocchetti — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a defining feature of the modern college experience, promising efficiency, connection, and academic advantage. Yet students often adopt AI without reflecting on how its use shapes the deeper aims of education and life. This essay contends that student flourishing is not achieved through the relentless pursuit of grades, credentials, or technological shortcuts, but through commitment to three enduring concepts: meaningful friendships, virtuous character, and authentic contentment. Using a narrative metaphor that distinguishes “real” from “fake” pursuits, the paper introduces the concept of the AI Trap—the tendency to rely on AI in ways that bypass the human effort, struggle, and relational presence required for flourishing. The essay examines AI's influence on student relationships, character formation, and contentment, drawing on empirical research on loneliness, Aristotelian virtue ethics, and psychological studies of wellbeing. It concludes by arguing that while AI is an indispensable tool in higher education, educators have a moral obligation to guide students toward forms of AI use that support—rather than displace—the human practices through which flourishing is ultimately achieved.

Issue Information

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:35:28 -0800

Journal of Legal Studies Education, Volume 43, Issue 1, Page 1-3, Winter 2026.