A TLC Seed Grant provided the class with funding for van transportation to the courthouse.
Seated in a courtroom gallery, a group of UCLA students watched an attorney give closing arguments on a case. After giving detailed feedback to the jurors, the judge invited the students to approach the bench at the Los Angeles County Superior Court for a conversation about the procedures of the chamber.
This experience was part of a recent tour of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse for Lauri Mattenson’s Honors 50 course, subtitled “A Winter Quarter Career-Readiness Journey.” The course prepares students to develop transferable skills by exploring their fields of interest. Informational interviews, guest speakers, and other experiential learning opportunities allow students to explore future professional contexts.
Students explained how seeing a real court system operate influenced their perceptions about the legal system.
“Watching a skilled lawyer conduct a cross-examination, hearing closing arguments, and then speaking directly with the judge about topics ranging from courtroom technology to the reasons judges wear the same robe was a reminder that the law is as much about human dynamics as it is about procedure,” shared Luke Wilson, a first-year majoring in political science. For other students, the visit highlighted how skills from class might apply in the professional world.
“Watching judges, attorneys, and court staff work together showed me how the skills we’ve practiced in class—clear communication, critical thinking, and professionalism—are applied in real time with precision and focus,” noted Jheel Roy, a first-year majoring in mathematics and economics.
Mattenson, a senior continuing lecturer with Writing Programs, was able to offer this experience to students thanks to a Seed (Tier 1) Grant from the Teaching and Learning Center’s Educational Innovation Grants program. The group’s half-day trip included watching portions of court proceedings as cases were worked out in real time. They had the chance to speak with judges and were even invited to examine the technology used during virtual court sessions.
“The goal is to bridge the classroom with what’s outside the classroom so that people start to see the real-life situations and contexts for careers they’re interested in,” she explained. Hoping to offer relevant opportunities for exploration, Mattenson planned the courthouse tour after learning that several of her students were pre-law majors.
Students affirmed that these opportunities informed and inspired their career planning and goals.
“Hands-on experiences like the courthouse visit have reinforced my passion for the legal field in a way that classroom learning alone really can’t,” shared Wilson. Students also witnessed how the skills from class would apply in a professional setting.
“Seeing the courtroom in action affirmed my interest in pursuing law and showed me how my interests in analysis, argumentation, and communication could translate into a meaningful career,” said Roy.
The TLC Seed Grant provided Mattenson with funding for van transportation to the courthouse. These grants of up to $1,000 fund projects initiated by instructors that augment teaching through engaging activities.
“Through Seed Grants, we support instructors in creating meaningful, experiential learning opportunities—from field trips, to specialized equipment, to community engagement,” noted Eric Wells, Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and Chief of Staff, who oversees the Seed Grants program. “This helps bring courses to life and helps instructors extend learning beyond the traditional classroom and enrich the experiences of thousands of students each year.”
Mattenson emphasized how impactful it was to secure a bus for the whole class to travel together rather than have groups of students carpool separately downtown.
“The grant made the experience better because we got to experience it communally instead of being split up,” she explained. “On the ride home, we could debrief the experience together. Students could share what they noticed and have a very rich conversation.”
More broadly, Mattenson hopes that activities like this courthouse field trip demonstrate how students can claim agency on their educational journeys.
“I am very interested in learners being active investigators,” she shared. While her course provides guidance and support to students by connecting them with different professional opportunities, she emphasizes that their own drive and curiosity shapes their journeys. “I really want the students to take initiative, to chase after the questions they want answered.”