** Outlaws & Justice **

(Out)Laws & Justice (formerly (Out)Law & Order) is an eighth-grade interdisciplinary curriculum of history/social studies, language arts and drama. Students explore core American values of honor, justice, rugged individualism and the right of self-defense that formed public policy and individual behavior during 19th century westward expansion, and the legacy of those values in their own lives today. Students then dramatize what they learn in original plays that they write and perform.

(Out)Laws & Justice is a project of Community Partners a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Funding is provided by private donations. Contributions are tax-deductible.

MISSION

The mission of (OUT)LAWS & JUSTICE is to foster a just and civil society by improving literacy and developing critical thinking about the roots of violence and conflict-resolution skills to deal with disputes. This is achieved through an 8th-grade history, language arts and theatre arts multidisciplinary curriculum. Students examine and reflect on violent events resulting from westward expansion, and the American legal doctrine of “no duty to retreat,” its origins in the American frontier, and its influence on their own lives today.

Students explore core American values.