Recent developments at the Watson Institute for International Affairs have worried some corners of the Brown community. In an effort to strengthen Watson's global governance expertise, interim director and Vice President for International Affairs David Kennedy '76 has brought in scholars whose primary academic focus is law. Some professors suspect that Kennedy is launching a full-scale legal studies program on the sly, particularly after hearing of an abandoned campaign to enable Watson to give tenure independently. Such a program, say the critics, would run the risk of devoting considerable University resources to a bevy of lawyers whose talents and training are better suited to practice or law-school teaching, and who might view a university post as a sinecure to help them avoid competing with America's glut of legal professionals.
These are legitimate concerns. But so far, Kennedy's recruitment decisions have been sound. The lawyers he has brought on board are also accomplished scholars who will enhance Watson's ability to study international issues heavily influenced by legal thought and structures. Furthermore, Brown shouldn't be afraid to increase the legal experience of its faculty in other areas. The law is a crucial element of any social science, helping students and professors to better grasp its interaction with society's many facets and injecting a dose of practicality into the often-airy realms of ivory tower contemplation. Even burgeoning scientists will benefit from basic knowledge of patent law and other subjects, whether they spend their careers in the private sector or in medical academia. And, of course, lawyerly professors are a particular boon to future law students.
When it has weathered the current financial storm, the University should seriously consider amplifying these advantages and expanding its influence by founding a law school. The University's charter obliquely discourages but does not forbid such professional schools, and the medical school has already broken down that barrier. And compared to this latter institution, revived in 1975 and now one of the University's finest assets, a law school would not be capital-intensive. If the time comes for Brown to take that step, departmental legal studies programs could help pave the way for the new institution. Until then, however, legal scholarship should be the preserve of a smattering of professors across various disciplines. Kennedy can be proud of what he has done for Watson and Brown, but he and his successors must be wary of giving momentum to what should be an auxiliary element of Brown's social sciences before plans are in place to fulfill the lawyers' potential as professors in Brown's next great institution.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
