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Eric Madfis, PH.D.
arrow_drop_down_circle Eric Madfis, PH.D.
Dr. Eric Madfis, Professor of Criminal Justice and Director of the Violence Prevention
and Transformation Research Collaborative, School of Social Work & Criminal Justice
Titles of law-related courses that you teach
Abolitionism and Revolutionary Criminology, Criminal Homicide, Criminological Theory, Diversity and Social Justice in Criminology, Mass Shootings in the United States, Sociology of Deviance and Social Control, Youth and Juvenile Justice Systems
What got you interested in studying issues related to law?
I became interested in studying issues related to crime and law as a result of growing up, seeing some of my friends get into trouble, and witnessing various forms of injustice as a result—seeing how certain people were treated unfairly based on who they were, how much money they had, or what they looked like. As a young person, those experiences left me with a deep sense that the system wasn’t working equally for everyone. Over time, I came to see both the law and the field of criminology as powerful tools—not just for understanding why harm and injustice happen, but for imagining and building a world that’s fairer and more successful at helping people in the wake of serious harms and injustices.
Discussion of any law-related experiences that you have had outside of teaching/research
I do consulting and public policy work with education and government organizations
around issues of school safety, violence prevention, and behavioral threat assessment.
I also serve on the community threat assessment team for all public schools across
Pierce and King counties.
Advice to students who are interested in pursuing law-related careers.
I encourage students pursuing law-related careers to see the law not just as a set of technical rules, but as a reflection of the unequal systems that created those rules. It’s important to understand the context behind laws and ask: Who benefits? Who is harmed? Who is left out? It’s also important for students to understand that legality and justice are not always aligned. Many law students enter the field wanting to “do good,” but without critical grounding, they risk becoming passive participants in systems of harm. You can’t change the system overnight, but you can work strategically within it to create openings for justice. You can also work from the outside as an activist, scholar, or advocate. Whatever your career goals are, ground your work in ethics, equity, and evidence.
As a criminologist who studies violence, for example, it is crucial to understand the root causes of violence—like strain, trauma, and social exclusion—so that we can advocate for real solutions like prevention and systemic change to achieve real justice not just punishment. Above all, stay grounded in empathy, question the system, and use the law as a tool to reduce harm and promote human dignity.
Sushil K Oswal, PH.D.
arrow_drop_down_circle Sushil K. Oswal, PH.D.
Sushil K. Oswal, Professor of Human Centered Design, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
Titles of law-related courses that they teach
My TWRT 291 in autumn term focuses on disability and accessibility. It tracks Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act and updated ADA closely in relation to accessibility compliance.
What got you interested in studying issues related to law?
My research area is accessible computing and design which requires knowledge of all the disability laws.
Discussion of any law-related experiences that you have had outside of teaching/research
I was the invited speaker by the City of Seattle for their 50th anniversary celebrations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Advice to students who are interested in pursuing law-related careers.
Disability law is an under-studied field. Practicing disability law will not make you rich but you will not regret the amount of public service you will perform while doing your job.
Grant Tietjen, Ph.D.
arrow_drop_down_circle Grant Tietjen, Ph.D.
Grant Tietjen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice.
Titles of law-related courses that you teach
T CRIM 372 Punishment, Incarceration, and Society
T CRIM 362 Criminological Theory
T CRIM 377 Reentry Success: Exploring Experiences and Programs for Returning People
What got you interested in studying issues related to law?
In addition to being a professor, I have lived experience within the criminal legal system, as a person who is formerly incarcerated. I serve as the Vice-Chair of the Division of Convict Criminology within the American Society of Criminology
(https://concrim.org/about/officers-committees/). As an undergraduate student in college, I had a professor that took an interest in me, and became my mentor. This professor heard the story of my system-impacted background, and encouraged me to continue on from undergraduate to graduate school.
Discussion of any law-related experiences that you have had outside of teaching/research
The pathway to becoming a criminologist is somewhat unconventional. As a person who is formerly-incarcerated, I have had many law-related experiences outside of teaching and research, and before my academic career. I write/publish about this subject extensively. My research focuses on how to support and provide higher education to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, of which many system-involved people that I know have gone on to become lawyers. My research and my lived experience seeks to demonstrate that with higher education within legal and law related careers, system-involved people can go on to productive and successful careers.
Advice to students who are interested in pursuing law-related careers.
Network and find good mentorship. Yet, more importantly, find many mentors, a network of mentorship. This has been integral to the success of most of the most successful individuals that I know within law-related careers.
Angel Cabrera Silva, S.J.D.
arrow_drop_down_circle Angel Cabrera Silva, S.J.D.
Angel Gabriel Cabrera Silva, Assistant Professor of International Law and Human Rights, SIAS.
Titles of law-related courses that you teach:
TLAW 363-Law in Society; TLAW 215-Intro to International Organizations; TLAW424-The Law and Politics of Int'l Human Rights; TLAW423-International Law. Next year I am planning to offer a "Fieldwork on Law and Policy" class and maybe a "Comparative Courts" class.
What got you interested in studying issues related to law?
Growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, I knew I wanted to make a change in my society - I just didn't know how to go about it. At first, going to law school was a strategic decision. Since I was uncertain of what path to take, I just wanted to get a degree that would open up a decent amount of job opportunities. Once in law school, I discovered human rights as a field that would allow me to pursue my ulterior objectives. Slowly, I started to specialize in human rights and international law. This newfound passion got to me to start a career in human rights advocacy which then led me to grad school and eventually to academia.
Discussion of any law-related experiences that you have had outside of teaching/research.
I am a member of Colectivo Emancipaciones, a legal services organization that supports indigenous communities in Mexico. Before, I was a a human rights attorney at the Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de Derechos Humanos (Mexico); an international lawyer at the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (Buenos Aires); I interned for the World Bank Legal Vicepresidency and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. I also taught at the Human Rights Clinic of Boston University's School of Law.
Advice to students:
Dream big (as big as you can!). Do you want to be an Ambassador to the UN? That's great! Then take small steps towards that goal. Small steps can take many forms: reach out to professors and local organizations to seek opportunities. Apply for anything that sounds interesting - even if you think its out of reach at the moment you can develop a plan. Read a book, then another, then a case, then read, read and read more about whatever your passion is- once you feel you know a lot, start surrounding yourself with people that know even more. Whenever possible, go to events and introduce yourself to people that share your passion. The path won't be easy. A legal career requires a long-term commitment to gradually develop new skills, grow your networks, increase your knowledge and sharpen your analytical gaze. However, the path itself becomes enjoyable once you realize that the law is such a powerful, rewarding and noble profession.
Chris Demaske, Ph.D.
arrow_drop_down_circle Chris Demaske, Ph.D.
Chris Demaske, Professor of Communication, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and
Sciences
Titles of law-related courses that you teach
TCOM 454 Communication Law
TCOM 465 Contemporary Free Speech Issues
What got you interested in studying issues related to law?
I came about my interest in First Amendment law in a roundabout way. My first love was
journalism. When I was in 6 th grade, I decided that I was going to be an investigative
reporter when I grew up. That interest took me through both my undergraduate and my
masters degrees, and during my pursuit of those degrees, I took media law classes. In
Journalism and Mass Communication Programs, those law classes are typically the
most challenging. I loved the challenge. I loved the way that the application of law is
both solid and malleable and that it has the power both to benefit society and to
constrain it in way not always in everyone’s best interest. I loved those early classes so
much that years later, when I decided to leave my editor’s position and pursue a PhD, I
chose to focus my research interest on First Amendment law, first narrowly on media
law and then as I progressed, expanded into broad free speech and free expression
concerns.
Discussion of any law-related experiences that you have had
outside of teaching/research
I have participated on community panels and in international projects that allowed me to
take my work to a broader audience. However, I would consider those experiences still
related to my teaching and research.
Advice to students who are interested in pursuing law-related
careers.
My advice to students interested in pursuing law-related careers is the same advice I
have for students who are interested in pursuing any future avenue – approach it with a
mixture of curiosity and action. Curiosity will allow you to explore your passions in ways
that can make visible to you paths and routes not as obvious or clearly marked. Action
is the necessary component to moving your from wild ideas to lived experience – talk to
your faculty, take courses that will help you expand your knowledge in your areas of
interest, do internships, make a career plan and follow through.
Danica Miller, Ph.D.
arrow_drop_down_circle Danica Miller, Ph.D.
I am a citizen of the Puyallup Nation and I was raised on the Puyallup reservation. I am an Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at University of Washington Tacoma. My academic work focuses on Indigenous sovereignty, Federal Indian law, and Puyallup resistance. I am also the Co-Director of the UW Center of American Indian and Indigenous Studies (CAIIS). I continue to live and work on my ancestral land and my life is innately intertwined with my Puyallup relations.
Stephen Ross, Ph.D.
arrow_drop_down_circle Stephen Ross, Ph.D.
Stephen J. Ross, Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Social Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
Titles of law-related courses that they teach:
TPSYCH 421: Social Psychology, Law, & Society
TPSYCH 422: Psychology & the Legal System
TPSYCH 471: Applied Issues in Cognition (note: this covers a variety of topics – not all of which are law-related)
What got you interested in studying issues related to law?
When first attending college, I was a double major in marine biology and psychology with plans to spend my career studying cetacean communication. However, during my second year at college I took a course on cognitive psychology in which we read the book “Witness for the Defense” by Elizabeth Loftus. The impactful stories of the miscarriages of justice related to eyewitness errors and experiences serving as a trial consultant shared by Dr. Loftus in that text, along with a tremendous faculty mentor who worked in similar spaces, was the catalyst to my pivot to investigating how psychological science can be used to understand, inform, and reform the legal system.
Discussion of any law-related experiences that they have had outside of teaching/research
Outside of my teaching and scholarship, I provide consultation services for agencies, policy-makers, and attorneys. Some examples of this work include trainings to law enforcement agencies and attorney organizations, developing new, state-wide investigative policies as co-chair of a Washington State legislative work group, and consulting on over 100 criminal, civil, and post-conviction cases throughout the United States.
Advice to students who are interested in pursuing law-related careers:
There are many ways to pursue law-related careers without going to law school. Consider the type of opportunities that bring you passion and explore from there.
Reach out to others in the fields you want to explore and learn about how they got to where they are currently. There is no one “right” pathway. Ask questions. Listen. Learn.
