A Comparative-Law Perspective on Street Law in Italy: Drawing Best Practices from Common-Law Traditions to Boost Civic Engagement in a Civil-Law Context

The chapter provides a comparative-law perspective- specifically the US and Italian models - on legal, civic and legal educational cultures. In particular, it describes the content of a proposed course in Street Law, being taught for the first time in Italy in the spring of 2019 at Roma Tre University. The course will instill law students with the tools and techniques needed to teach high school students the basics of civic education - including concepts such as rule of law, subsidiarity and democracy - largely lacking in the Italian educational system. By partnering with the non-profit volunteer organization Retake Roma, the course participants will organize a cleanup, involving the local Retake neighborhood group and a local high school. Didactic approaches, a best-practices lesson plan and interactive strategies are explored, as well as the challenges such a course will meet in the Italian legal-education system and local context. Other contributers to this volume include: Rebecca Grimes, Lee Arbetman, David McQuoid-Mason, Ulviyya Mikayilova, Lamiya Sharafkanova, Vitaly Radsky, Jeff Giddings, Arpeeta Mizan, Rolf Gollob, Lucia Madlenakova, Harrison Belley, Angeliki Aroni, Rosa Tedjabuwana, Hesti Septianita, Leni Widi Mulyani, John Lunney, Sean Arthurs, Chris Malcolm, Ramona Biholar, Bruce A. Lasky, Wendy Morrish, Stephen A. Rosenbaum, Bebs Chorak, Chigizori Ojiaka, Boubacar Tall, Coline Bruintjies, Nancy Flowers, A Gascón-Cuenca, Rainer Adam, Pimrapaat Dusadeeisariyakul, Ben Fourniotis, Seda Gayreti, Ted Huddlestone, Richard Grimes, Margaret Fisher, Judy Zimmer, Mary C. Larki