Today I post here a copy of a letter I sent to Professor Estrella-Luna. Some six months after defending my thesis and earning my doctorate in the Doctor of Law and Policy program at Northeastern University, I want to share with her why her teachings have made me a better…
Who am I? Why this Blog?
I'm Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer. In August 2016 I completed my Doctor of Law and Policy (DLP) degree at Northeastern University in Boston. I received my doctoral hood in September 2016. I was a member in the 8th Cohort of that unique program.
I set up this blog at the suggestion of one of the DLP program leaders whom I truly respect, Professor Neenah Estrella-Luna, Ph.D. Early in the DLP program she strongly recommended that each Cohort member track their progress and stand up to the scrutiny of peers, just as we do when we publish or present papers.
I've taken Professor Estrella-Luna's suggestion to heart, so this blog allowed me to chart my personal journey from a highly-educated masters-level blob to highly-educated doctoral-level researcher blob.
At least that was my initial goal...
In real life, I'm a practicing telecom law attorney licensed in California and New Mexico, as well as a radio frequency engineer. My law firm has six attorneys, two paralegals, and three dogs working in offices in Los Angeles, La Jolla, and quite frequently in our covert office on a Southwest Airlines or Virgin America jet (minus the dogs).
I have earned the following academic degrees:
Associate of Science (AS) degree (honors) Los Angeles Trade Tech College. Los Angeles, California.
Juris Doctor (JD) degree (cum laude) Abraham Lincoln University School of Law. Los Angeles, California.
Masters of Law (LL.M) degree (with distinction) Strathclyde University. Glasgow, Scotland.
Doctor of Law and Policy (DLP) Northeastern University. Boston, Massachusetts.
Having completed my Doctor of Law and Policy degree, just for fun I might go after a few more professional licenses. My current goal is to become licensed as a Real Estate Broker in California. Then I might move on to sitting for the Washington State Bar Exam.
Who knows?
Accountability
I am personally accountable for my education and the work I put in to that education. Because of that, I've decided to be transparent about my grades, whether good or bad (but better good than bad).
Q1 - Summer 2014:
Law and Legal Reasoning 1
(LWP 6120) Grade: A
Law and Policy Concepts 1
(LWP 6401) Grade: A
Research Methods
(LWP 6424) Grade: A-
Q2 - Fall 2014:
Law and Legal Reasoning 2
(LWP 6121) Grade: A
Law and Policy Concepts 2
(LWP 6402) Grade: A-
Qualitative Methods
(LWP 6423) Grade: A
Q3 - Winter 2015:
Law and Legal Reasoning 3
(LWP 6122) Grade: A
Law and Policy Concepts 3
(LWP 6403) Grade: A
Quantitative Methods
(LWP 6420) Grade: A
Q4 - Spring 2015:
Law and Legal Reasoning 4
(LWP 6123) Grade: A
Evaluation Research
(LWP 6404) Grade: A
Economics for Policy Analysis
(LAW 6410) Grade: A-
Q5 - Summer 2015:
Methods & Theory Appl Research
(LWP6425) Grade: A
Political/Moral/Ethical Dilemmas
(LWP6431) Grade: A
Doctoral Research Design 1
(LWP6500) Grade: A
Q6 - Fall 2015:
Public Policy Theory & Practice 1
(LWP6450) Grade: A
Doctoral Research Design 2
(LWP 6501) Grade: A
Q7 - Winter 2016:
Public Policy Theory & Practice 2
(LWP6451) Grade: A
Doctoral Research Design 3
(LWP 6502) Grade: A
Q8 - Spring 2016:
Public Policy Theory & Practice 3
(LWP6452) Grade: A
Doctoral Research Design 4
(LWP 6503) Grade: A
July 2016: My final GPA after all program coursework is 3.958 on a 4 point scale. I can live with that.
