When Taylor Flynn, a professor of law from Western New England College, found she could not teach this semester’s Philosophy of Law class, the job fell to someone with more practical experience in the courts.
Associate Justice Ariane D. Vuono, a judge on the Massachusetts Appeals Court since 2006, stepped in to teach the course.
Professor Lee Bowie, chair of the philosophy department, said the department had initially sought an academic for the position. With limited time, Bowie asked his daughter, who worked under Vuono, to inquire as to whether any of Vuono’s associates would be interested in the job. Vuono herself expressed interest and was hired, allowing the department to offer the popular class.
Vuono cited her passion for the law as one of the reasons she agreed to teach the course. In addition to practicing law for 20 years before being appointed to the appellate court, she says she has wanted to teach law since “[matriculating] in kindergarten.”
Although Vuono has taught other college courses before, most of them were concerned with the practice of the law. They included courses on trial methods, legal writing and a Capstone Seminar on criminal justice at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. A native of Northampton, Vuono became familiar with the academic culture of the Five Colleges partly through her husband, a professor at Smith College.
According to Vuono, a grasp of the main documents of philosophy of law is not necessary to complete the job of a prosecutor or judge, but it improves the future performance of students in legal professions.
“Legal philosophy problems are the same problems we face in the court every day,” she said.
Vuono hopes students will develop their abilities to think critically and examine the practical applications of principles laid out by legal intellectuals.
Bowie noted that many Mount Holyoke students are interested in pursuing legal careers and consider the Philosophy of Law class fitting preparation. At this point, the course cannot be offered regularly, but the department hopes to fill a position that includes responsibility for the course in the future.
According to philosophy major Deniz Aktas ’11, the class helps provide “a foundation of how the theory of law has developed.” She added that the class is especially useful for students who have taken Christopher Pyle’s Constitutional Law course.
Aktas said the readings are fairly similar to those in other classes that deal with the philosophical principles of law, but class sessions so far have focused on the practical applications of law.
Asked if she would teach the class again, Vuono replied that it was a major commitment, but so far a “terrific experience.”
“I love the students at Mount Holyoke,” she said, adding that they have been lively, interested and prepared.
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