Ramji Kaul talking with students in Upper Commons

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Challenge yourself with a Problem Solving Initiative class taking a multi-disciplinary approach to real world problems

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Fall 2023 PSI Classes

Slavery and the Built Environment: The Plantation

In this class, U-M and Yale University will partner to confront the problem of how land use and the regulation of materials supply chains have not only been limited in their ability to confront forced labor but are also shaped by slavery and its legacies. Students from law, architecture, history, policy, business, and other disciplines will develop skills to manage a project, apply problem-solving tools, interview experts, understand historical research methods, and craft solutions that confront the legacies of chattel slavery and its modern expressions.

Meeting Time: Wednesdays 3:15-6:30 p.m.
InstructorsLuis C. deBaca (Law)
Credits: 3.0

Class Details

Human Trafficking Lab

The Human Trafficking Lab is a social justice innovation space where multidisciplinary student teams use design thinking to research, incubate, and build replicable, scalable, and disruptive solutions to reduce vulnerability to trafficking. The Lab's partnership with the Human Trafficking Clinic helps to ensure the work in the Lab is informed by the lived-experience of survivors of trafficking. The Lab is geared towards creating systems level change at policy, service, and industry levels through collaborative partnerships across sectors.

Meeting Time: Thursdays 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Instructors: Elizabeth Campbell (Law), Bridgette Carr (Law),  Courtney Petersen (Law)
Credits: 3.0

Class Details

Winter 2023 PSI Classes

Indexing Forced Labor

Forced labor is used to build and maintain physical structures. Leveraging an understanding of the role that exploited labor plays in such projects, students will apply features of index systems used in various other fields to develop indices that effectively measure how much forced labor is associated with a given construction project. Insights from law, business, policy, health sciences, and other fields will be applied. Multi-disciplinary student teams will learn from experts, conduct research, and harness problem solving tools to develop innovative and relevant solutions.

Meeting Time: Tuesdays 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Instructors: Bridgette Carr (Law), Seth Guikema (Engineering)
Credits: 3.0

Class Details

The Human Trafficking Lab

The Human Trafficking Lab is a social justice innovation space where multidisciplinary student teams use design thinking to research, incubate, and build replicable, scalable, and disruptive solutions to reduce vulnerability to trafficking. We believe the law is an incomplete, imperfect solution to reducing exploitation and that interdisciplinary, cross-industry collaboration is necessary. Thus, the Lab is geared towards creating systems level change at policy, service, and industry levels through collaborative partnerships across the nonprofit, corporate, and governmental sectors.

Please note that law students who wish to enroll in the Lab need to enroll in Law 951 Human Trafficking Clinic + Lab. This listing is for non law students only.

Meeting Time: Thursdays 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Instructors: Bridgette Carr (Law), Danielle Kalil (Law), Chavi Keeney Nana (Law), Courtney Petersen (Law)
Credits: 3.0

Class Details

Creative Problem Solving, Collaboration, and Design Thinking

The Law School launched the Problem Solving Initiative to bring together students and faculty from law and other disciplines to actively apply creative problem solving, collaboration, and design thinking skills to complex, pressing challenges in a classroom setting.