S
t a cy Korbelak, professor of English and director of the Schoenbrodt Scholars program, wanted to
make sure that students taking her honors English composition courses would leave her classroom
each semester with practical, real-world writing and critical thinking experience. She liked the idea
of having them study recent court cases, but wanted their knowledge to go beyond what could be
learned simply by writing about a case. So, she came up with an idea. What if she required her students to
adopt and practice the role of a attorney? What could they gain if they needed to conduct research, investigate
the laws, write a brief for a specific side of a case, and present their findings and an argument in a court-style
setting?
The idea blossomed further when Korbelak ran it by Judge Douglas Nazarian from the Maryland State Court of
Special Appeals, whom she had met at an HCC event a few years prior. Judge Nazarian thought the concept was
brilliant and wanted to support it. With that, "Classroom Court" was born.
Korbelak's honors students are organized into small groups and assigned a case to explore, write about, and
5
Judge Douglas Nazarian (center) works with honors
students during "classroom court." On the opposite
page, honors students showcase their research,
hands-on learning, and out-of-class experiences.
