Race and the Foundations of American Law: A Virtual Coursebook Release Celebration
Integrating Doctrine & Diversity Speaker Series - Race and the Foundations of American Law: A Virtual Coursebook Release Celebration
Join the book authors and contributors (and editor) as we unveil Race and the Foundations of American Law—a powerful new book tracing how race has been woven into the legal fabric of the United States, what that means for justice systems today, and the ways in which impactful action and change for the better may be possible. Hear from the authors about the book’s perspective, scope, and its modularity for reuse in existing doctrinal classes. Come ask questions, raise a virtual glass, and be part of the conversation!
This event is co-sponsored by Roger Williams University School of Law, City University of New York School of Law, Berkeley Law, JURIST, and Antiracist Development Institute.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST
In 2021, RWU Law began sponsoring an ongoing Integrating Doctrine & Diversity Speaker Series in collaboration with CUNY School of Law and JURIST. Each previous installment has been attended by hundreds of legal education professionals from across the country.
Register - September 17 - Integrating Doctrine and Diversity Series
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Elizabeth B. Dobkowski
Managing Editor, Aspen Publishing
Elizabeth is a managing editor with Aspen Publishing and works with authors to develop innovative casebooks that meet the teaching and learning needs of today’s professors and students. She has made a career at the intersection of law, education, and publishing and holds a JD from New England Law | Boston (New England School of Law), a BA from Boston University, and lives on the North Shore of Boston. Raised in Rhode Island, it has been a special honor to work with Nicole, Diana, Monica, and their colleagues at Roger Williams University School of Law.
Diana Hassel
Professor of Law, Roger Williams University School of Law
Diana Hassel is a Professor and former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island. Professor Hassel teaches Constitutional Law, Civil Rights, and Critical Race Theory and has published in the areas of individual rights and civil rights litigation. Professor Hassel is a recipient of the UCLA School of Law Dukeminier Award for the Best Sexual Orientation Articles. She has been a member of the faculty at RWU Law since 1995 and Associate Dean from 2001- 2006 and 2013 - 2018.
Prior to joining the RWU Law faculty, Professor Hassel was Lawyering Program Instructor at New York University School of Law. She practiced as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and as an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton & Garrison and is a member of the bars of New York and Rhode Island. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and received her J.D. from Rutgers Law School – Newark.
Dr. Taino J. Palermo
Co-Founder, The Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights and Adjunct Professor of Law, Roger Williams University School of Law
For over 20 years, Dr. Taino J. Palermo has worked to affect change in policy and practice in the areas of nonprofit management, community and economic development, and education reform. Dr. Palermo is a founding faculty member of College Unbound and served as the Director for both the Community Development and Healthy Communities degree programs at Roger Williams University’s University College in Providence, Rhode Island where he founded the state’s first and only graduate program in Community Development. In 2022, Dr. Palermo completed his law degree at Roger Williams University School of Law where he co-founded the American Indian Law Student Association, and most recently, co-founded the Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights, the only pro bono legal services and policy center on the east coast. Dr. Palermo also teaches Federal Indian Law and Tribal Courts & Governments courses at Roger Williams University School of Law.
Jason C. Preciphs
Shareholder, Roberts, Carroll, Feldstein & Peirce
Jason C. Preciphs is an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University School of Law and an instructor in the Race and the Foundations of American Law course. He practices law as a Shareholder of the firm Roberts, Carroll, Feldstein & Peirce. Professor Preciphs is a graduate of Brown University (A.B. 1998) and University of Michigan School of Law (J.D. 2002).
Monica Teixeira de Sousa
Distinguished Research Professor of Law, Roger Williams University School of Law
Monica Teixeira de Sousa is a Distinguished Research Professor of Law and Director of the Housing Policy Clinic at Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island. At RWU Law, she teaches Property, Housing Law and Policy, Education Law, Family Law, and Race & the Foundations of American Law.
Professor Teixeira de Sousa joined the RWU Law Faculty in 2022, where she was honored as Professor of the Year in 2024 and co-led the inaugural Mandell-Boisclair Social Justice Camp for middle school students. Also in 2024, Professor Teixeira de Sousa was invited to teach a course on America’s Housing Law and Policy at the Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal. She is a co-author of the Aspen Casebook “Race and the Foundations of American Law,” published in 2025. Professor Teixeira de Sousa also launched RWU Law’s first legislative advocacy clinic, the Housing Policy Clinic, in 2025.
Previously, she was a tenured professor at New England Law | Boston, where she created and directed the First Generation Students Program. She also served as Director of the Summer Program on International and Comparative Human Rights Law in partnership with the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Galway, Ireland. Her academic work focuses on critical class studies, education law and policy, and housing.
Professor Teixeira de Sousa began her legal career at Rhode Island Legal Services as a Skadden Fellow, addressing the unmet civil legal needs of people living in poverty. She created an innovative school-based legal clinic at her former elementary school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, representing parents and students in matters including public benefits and eviction defense. In 2014, she returned to Rhode Island Legal Services during a sabbatical to volunteer in their Public Benefits Unit.
Committed to community service, she served for many years on the Rhode Island College Upward Bound Program Alumni Scholarship Committee and currently serves on the boards of Justice at Work, and Project Weber/RENEW. Professor Teixeira de Sousa is also a member of the Rhode Island Community Investment Cooperative’s Investment Committee, supporting investments in local real estate projects and related ventures to create and preserve local ownership and economic activity.
Professor Teixeira de Sousa holds a J.D. from Georgetown Law and a B.A. from Brown University.
Natasha Varyani
Professor of Law, Roger Williams University School of Law
Professor Natasha Varyani, a dynamic legal scholar, has joined the faculty at Roger Williams University School of Law. From 2020 to 2023 she served as an associate professor of law at New England Law | Boston where she led their First-Generation Student Program and co-chaired their Charles Hamilton Houston Enrichment Program. Previously, Professor Varyani served as the Associate Director of the Academic Enrichment Program and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Law.
With an impressive background in private practice, specializing in complex tax planning and litigation for nearly a decade, Professor Varyani brings a wealth of practical expertise to her teaching. Throughout her career, Professor Varyani has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting diversity in the legal profession. She has actively engaged with affinity bar associations at both local and national levels, assuming leadership roles to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession. In addition, she has collaborated closely with various organizations in her community, including the Boston Bar Association and the Boston Public School system, contributing her expertise to help change the face of the legal profession.
Professor Varyani brings an impressive combination of teaching and business experience to RWU Law where she empowers students and fosters belonging with her infectious passion for teaching and social justice.
MEET THE MODERATOR
Nicole P. Dyszlewski is one of the editors of Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Inclusion and Equity in the Law School Classroom. She currently serves as Assistant Dean of Academic Innovation at Roger Williams University School of Law. She received a B.A. from Hofstra University, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. She is a member of the Massachusetts State Bar and the Rhode Island State Bar. Her areas of interest are mass incarceration, access to justice, and systems of race and gender inequality in law. Nicole was the 2020 recipient of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Volunteer Service Award and the 2015 recipient of the AALL Emerging Leader Award.
Check back for speaker and registeration details.
Integrating Doctrine and Diversity Series - Previous Sessions
Register - September 17 - Integrating Doctrine and Diversity Series
Did You Know? Since its launch in 2021, representatives from over 97% of ABA law schools have participated in RWU Law’s monthly webinars on incorporating diversity issues into their curriculum.