Jump to Fall 2024 Lab Sections
The Appalachian Justice Research Lab (AJRL) is an interdisciplinary laboratory space designed to conduct and disseminate research that supports the needs and priorities of Appalachian communities directly impacted by poverty, inequalities, and various forms of violence. The AJRL is made up of a Lecture (1 credit) and Lab (3 credits) which run as co-requisites and which we refer to together as the AJRL. Each semester a new group of faculty come together, each with responsibility to directly supervise students in research teams, projects, and curricula; the Lecture is coordinated by the co-directors of the Appalachian Justice Research Center who, in collaboration with each semesters’ faculty cohort, design and deliver the AJRL.
The AJRL is modeled on the structure of curricula in clinical legal education. To participate in the AJRL, students will apply (during registration) to participate in a particular section of the Lab. Each section will have a particular research focus and will often include undergraduate and graduate students, including law, social work, and other professional students (Yes, everyone in one course – just like the real world!). As is the case in legal clinics, the project work conducted by students and faculty is at the core of the curriculum. In addition to regular instructional hours, faculty teams supervising work during the semester will meet at least once a week with their teams, designing and supervising work plans and supporting students in the creation of work products and community deliverables. This is the “lab” component of the course, which takes up most of students’ course hours.
While students will spend most of their time working in their sections on their specific research projects, students will also meet regularly as a larger group which will include all students enrolled in any section and any project of the AJRL. In those larger lecture and workshop settings, students will participate in the following activities:
Conceptual and Theoretical Modules
Students will study and discuss foundations in sociolegal and justice theories, concepts, and emergent debates. In addition, every semester will launch with instruction around what community collaborative and participatory action research is and how it differs from other modes of research and engagement.
Skills Modules
In any given semester, projects will require methods and skill sets instruction on specific topics. Students may for example study oral history, legal research and reasoning, interviewing and focus groups, archival research, and A.I. image generation.
Rounds
At least once a month all AJRL students, regardless of project team, will meet together in AJRL rounds. During those sessions student teams will present their work to each other and will engage the entire class in collaborative problem solving applicable to their ongoing work.
Fall 2024 Lab Sections
Section 1: Community Safety Interventions with ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ (Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi) / Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Instructor: Professor Michelle Brown (College of Arts & Sciences, Sociology)
Course description: The Fall 2024 “Community Safety Interventions with ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ” section of the Appalachian Justice Research Lab (AJRL) will collaborate with the ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ (Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi) / Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to develop a violence reduction tool focused on intimate partner violence in its immediate aftermath, with strategies for long term safety planning. This tool will be grounded in the structural and cultural contexts specific to the needs of the EBCI and the residents of Qualla Boundary and lands held in trust by the EBCI, and it will be used to support decision-making in the context of intimate partner violence arrests and prosecutions. In this course, students will engage in listening sessions with key EBCI departments, the EBCI Justice Center, and community organizations who seek to build meaningful forms of violence reduction in their community. We will also work closely with scholars, organizers, and people who have survived and committed violence to identify best practices in violence intervention. Students will engage in a legal analysis of sovereignty, tribal law and its intersections with US law; a review of research on domestic violence risk assessment and violence intervention/interruption models, and listening sessions and consultations with the EBCI and national organizations focused on emergent practices around community safety. Course content will include material on violence, abuse (sexual, emotional, physical), and intergenerational trauma connected to settler colonialism and racism.
Section 2: Engaging Democracy: Deep Listening for Collective Change
Instructor: Professor Meghan Conley (College of Arts & Sciences, Sociology)
Course description: The Fall 2024 “Engaging Democracy: Deep Listening for Collective Change” section of the Appalachian Justice Research Lab (AJRL) will partner with the League of Women Voters of Knoxville-Knox County (LWVKKC) and the Voter Turnout Coalition (VTC) to engage young adults in critical conversations about democracy and participation with the democratic process. The League is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. VTC is a nonpartisan collective network of community organizations and individuals that work to increase registered voter turnout in local, state, and national elections. This section will work collaboratively with these groups to plan, organize, and carry out a nonpartisan voter engagement campaign with young adults.
Section 3: Retail Theft, Shoplifting, and Community Impacts
Instructor: Professor Kyra Martinez (College of Arts & Sciences, Sociology) with Professor Wendy A. Bach (College of Law)
Course description: The Fall 2024 “Retail theft, Shoplifting, and Community Impacts” section of the Appalachian Justice Research Lab (AJRL) will partner with Community Defense of East Tennessee (CDET) to investigate legal charges of shoplifting, burglary, and theft in the region. CDET is a grassroots, community-based organization that supports people facing charges, their families, and communities to impact the outcomes of cases and transform the landscape of power in the court system. This section will follow the popular retail theft narrative in the US and its legal and community impacts in our region. Shoplifting charges are so widespread in some regional court systems that entire days are given to the docket of cases, referred to as “Walmart Wednesdays”. In this course, students will collect and analyze data on shoplifting and retail theft, including the nature and level of legal charges, the range and scope of punishment; the role of retail companies, root causes of theft, and overall impacts on individuals and communities. The section will also research interventions and alternatives to criminal justice-based approaches.
Section 4: Southern Exceptionalism? A Critical Analysis of the Housing Crisis in Knoxville
Instructor: Professor Solange Muñoz (College of Arts & Sciences, Geography & Sustainability)
Course description: The Fall 2024 “Southern exceptionalism? A critical analysis of the housing crisis in Knoxville” section of the Appalachian Justice Research Lab (AJRL) will engage students in the development of research on the topic of housing access with a focus on the case study of Knoxville, TN. Students will examine the legal, political, private, and civic institutions and organizations that impact the housing crisis in Knoxville, and then explore how these state and local structures and conditions have both contributed to the housing crisis and impact opportunities to solve and/or mitigate its effects. While this will be a multi-phase project, students in the inaugural Fall 2024 course will collect data on specific organizations involved in housing – local & state offices, civic organizations, and the private sector – and analyze how this data fits into the broader project.
How to Apply for the AJRL
Students are required to complete an AJRL application and receive approval prior to registering for the AJRL. Applications are open to undergraduate students, graduate students, and law students.
Undergraduate and Non-Law Graduate Students: Click here to apply for the Fall 2024 AJRL
Law students: Applications have closed for the Fall 2024 semester.
Where can I learn more about the Fall 2024 AJRL?
Undergraduate and Non-Law Graduate Students: Social sciences students can review this information sheet for additional details.
To stay in the loop with future AJRL courses, sign-up for the AJRC mailing list.