JSP FAQ

How do you make efforts to reach out to applicants from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds?

We direct JSP advertising to around a thousand colleges, including historically black colleges and universities in Canada, Europe, and other regions. Additionally, we reach out to academics to recommend diverse applicants to JSP and make efforts in our own JSP and Berkeley Law community to connect with affinity groups. We also have a standing JSP Diversity Committee in charge of working with the Graduate Admissions Committee and Berkeley Law to recruit and retain diverse students.

Are JSP students teaching during their time in the program?

Yes, students start their teaching appointments during their second year in the Ph.D. program. During their third, fourth, and fifth years in the program, the JSP funding comes from the students' graduate student instructor (GSI) appointments in the undergraduate Legal Studies program. If they so wish, students can also receive more campus fellowships towards the end of their time in the program, so as to not be teaching so much during the research and writing process for their dissertations.

How many courses do GSI’s usually teach?

GSI’s are usually assigned to one lecture course a semester and teach two smaller discussion sections of that course. GSI’s also have to attend the bigger lecture, offer office hours, and help in the grading of assignments and exams. Furthermore, they might have meetings with the members of the faculty teaching the larger course. However, the GSI appointments are 50%, thus the total number of hours per week that the GSI works is not more than 20.

How does the summer funding work?

Students will work with professors on research projects for a stiped of $3,000 per summer for the first two years. We have a matching process that pairs students with professors and the projects they have going on at the moment. After the first year, students will often combine the research apprenticeship with teaching or GSI work.

Will students in the JSP program ever be the primary instructors for a course?

The more advanced Ph.D. students have the ability to teach smaller, writing-intensive freshman or sophomore courses. Additionally, students who already have their JDs might have the opportunity to teach JD seminars, although this isn’t an established practice quite yet. Furthermore, students have the ability to be the GSIs for more advanced graduate-level courses in other academic disciplines on the Berkeley campus. This position will be trained through a pedagogy seminar in JSP.

What is advising like in the JSP program?

First-year students are assigned a temporary advisor based on their academic interests. For about half of the students this temporary advisor ultimately becomes a permanent advisor, but sometimes the student’s interests shift and the student changes advisors. Furthermore, the Chair of the JSP Admissions Committee is a general advisor for the cohort. At the end of the second year, students also have a review with two faculty members where they can discuss what the students have been doing during their time in the program so far. The students also work closely with faculty...

How is the intellectual community built in the JSP program?

JSP students meet up at several social and professional events. Student-led events include those organized through the JSP Law and Society Graduate Students Association (LSGSA), such as the Friday Forum where they present research to each other. There is also the Gateway Conference for first-year students, where students get to present their research and they get feedback from more advanced JSP students and faculty. JSP also offers funding for students to go to conferences to connect with a greater network of academics. Furthermore, there is a network of about 150 alumni...

How does the pedagogy seminar train students for GSI positions?

The seminar is meant to teach a graduate student how to lead a discussion section of a larger lecture, but truly touches on all aspects of how to teach, including structuring a course, leading course discussions, grading, making assignments, and putting together a syllabus. Furthermore, the course goes through some of the practical aspects of being a teacher, such as dealing with questions of inclusion and diversity and working with students who require special accommodations. The teachers for this course are usually students who have won campus-level teaching awards for...

How many years does the JSP program usually take?

It generally takes six years to complete the Ph.D. program. It can take seven years if the student also earns their JD at Berkeley Law with the JSP Ph.D. If the student chooses to earn their JD at another law school, which requires taking a leave from the JSP program to do so, it may take another two to three years to finish the program, depending on how many courses count at both schools. The JSP Ph.D. program itself is about two and a half years of coursework, a year of independent and small group study to prepare for the exams, and lastly two and a half years of...

What opportunities are there for mentoring with regards to the job market?

JSP students get one-on-one mentorship from their advisors, in addition to having access to professional development workshops throughout the program. These workshops include topics such as the job market, publishing, advising relationships, etc. We encourage our students to start attending these job workshops in their second or third years.