The Classroom on Trial: Sending Undergraduates to Court

This article presents survey findings from an extensive introductory course program that sends political science undergraduates to courthouses twice throughout the semester at both the federal and state levels. In both visits, students engage with various court members, including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, translators, administrators, and other court members. The findings in this article are ongoing and present data from the Fall 2024 semester, which enrolled 286 students. We plan to repeat the surveys with an enrolled class of approximately 165 students throughout the Spring 2025 semester, increasing our sample size to approximately 450 students for the full 2024/2025 school year. We survey the role of race, gender, and representation in the courts and its effect on undergraduate decisions to pursue careers in law.