Instructor Spotlight: Sophie Laing

Tell us about your background and what inspired you to teach this course

I majored in Political Science at Tufts, and while I had some idea that I was interested in law (thanks to a few law-focused ExCollege classes!), that didn't really manifest until I gained more firsthand experience after graduating. I interned as a Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Trial Courts' Access to Justice Division, which involved serving at the Court Service Center in Lawrence, helping people navigate confusing court procedures and filings. I then worked as a research assistant and project manager at the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School where I had the opportunity to do a number of court observations, speak to hundreds of people sued by debt collectors, and think creatively about how we could make the court process more efficient, approachable, and just.

Debt impacts all of us in such personal ways, but often individuals find themselves up against powerful forces in these transactions. Yet too often the messaging we get focuses solely on personal responsibility. There's so much more to discuss when it comes to debt: why we have it, why morality is attached to it, how laws are or are not followed, and how debt impacts people and society in ways far outside a collection lawsuit. I wanted to teach this course so students could look at debt in a different way, to understand how deeply entrenched it is in our society, and to bring critical thinking skills to their own daily and lifetime experiences with debt.

What is it like coming to teach at Tufts as an alumna?

It's been great. Some of my favorite classes at Tufts were ExCollege classes taught by lawyers, and it’s exciting to now be on the other side of the classroom, ten years later. And it's fun to see what has stayed the same, and what has changed (new buildings, a T stop!).

What is one piece of advice for a student who may have consumer debt?

Debt can be so intimidating, and it's tempting to put your head in the sand and not want to deal with something that seems too complicated or hopeless. But understanding debt- even if it's just the very basics like the type of debt, your repayment options, the consequences if you don't pay it back- are so helpful to managing it and reducing some of the stress.

What do you hope that students will take away from your course?

I hope students come away with a deeper understanding of the many different ways that debt intersects with our lives. It's much bigger and more complicated than "buyer beware" or "good or bad investments." Debt intersects with civil rights, human rights, access to justice, immigration, the criminal system, and more. I hope they interrogate some of their beliefs and assumptions about debt, and think creatively about solutions.

What is something coming up in your course that you are excited about?

Students just completed their court observation memos, where they had to sit in on debt collection dockets in courts around the city. Students went to courts in Chelsea, Somerville, and West Roxbury, and I'm excited to hear and read about their experiences. Doing court observations like this really set my career in motion: reading about the law is one thing, but seeing the realities of it played out in court is another. It made me motivated to use the law as a tool to advocate for people.