A Sea-Shanty or Two

Mark DeAngelis

Professor DeAngelis Uses Pop Culture, Creativity to Engage Students

When his students were having trouble remembering the details of an important lesson about legal contracts, Business Law Professor Mark DeAngelis wrote a little sea-shanty to help them retain it.

That’s one of the “law-lessongs,” videos, articles, movie clips, TV excerpts and commentary pieces that are the backbone of DeAngelis’ Legal Studies Classroom blog. The site has developed an international following and has had as many as 6,000 views in a single month.

DeAngelis is a professor who is determined to reach a new generation of students that seek information quickly, appreciate being entertained, and  consider reading a textbook a chore.

“My goal has always been to find innovative ways to teach business law lessons,” said DeAngelis, who began the blog in 2010. “I guess it does make the law seem less intimidating to students.”

In fact, the blog has been so successful that it evolved into the creation of an online textbook, which DeAngelis hopes will be ready for use in 2016. The new format will allow the topics to be more current and will appeal to students who prefer a variety of methods to receive content, he said.

DeAngelis, a professor-in-residence, earned his bachelor’s degree from UConn and his law degree from Suffolk University, both magna cum laude. As an attorney, DeAngelis represented clients in the civil justice systems of the state and federal courts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire for 19 years. He earned national recognition in 2012 and 2013 from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business as a Master Teacher Finalist.

With a dry wit, it is clear that the blog is both an educational tool and creative outlet for DeAngelis. He updates it frequently during the academic year, less so during the summer. Even those with a general interest in the law might find the blog informative. For instance on this summer’s blog, readers will find:

  • The fictional attorney Saul Goodman’s video titled “Sue ’em Now” takes a tongue-in-cheek look at our lawsuit-happy society. “Who can you sue?,” Saul asks. “Police departments… libraries… school officials… cleaning companies… your neighbors, your family members… the companies that made the drugs that were turned into the drugs that you took…the possibilities are limitless.”
  • There’s an article on how Finland fines criminals more if they earn large incomes, including a millionaire who was fined $58,000 for going 14 mph over the speed limit.
  • Another article looks at a controversial beer advertisement that was scuttled after people objected to the slogan, “The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night,” saying that it was promoting rape.
  • Another article highlighted a New England company that defrauded the government by filling fake prescriptions using fictitious names, including Samuel Adams, Fannie Mae, Bill Clinton and Harry Potter.

“I’m trying to find something that will resonate with my students,” DeAngelis said. “Some of it is fun, some serious. If there’s something in the headlines, we grab it for its teachable moments.”

Some of his favorite material comes from the Colbert Report or John Stewart’s The Daily Show. The real world, DeAngelis said, provides plenty of fodder for the site.

His work is particularly popular with other professors, as well as high school teachers who are looking for interesting ways to discuss the law.  In addition to his U.S. readership, blog followers have also come from Canada, Russia, Australia, Great Britain, France, Ukraine, India and the Philippines. Some even donate material for inclusion on the site.

“I plan to continue the blog as long as there is material available,” DeAngelis said, noting that he has already accrued plenty of new material to work with over the summer.


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