Professor Suzanne Bouclin teaches in the fields of social justice, human rights and dispute resolution. Her courses examine legal institutions and structures through interdisciplinary frameworks and critical theories (film studies, feminist jurisprudence, legal pluralism). She holds a doctorate from McGill University, two interdisciplinary master's degrees and has been a member of the Ontario Bar since 2002.
Dr. Bouclin received the University of Ottawa's Young Researcher of the Year Award (2015), is a past member of the Global Young Academy (2016-2021), and received the Greenberg Award for Feminist Research (2022) for her monograph Women, Film, and Law (2021). This book examines how fictional representations of women's incarceration can illuminate the marginalization, social exclusion and oppression experienced by criminalized women. Her second book Une Introduction à la théorie et à la pratique de la résolution des différends fills an important gap in knowledge, as existing textbooks do not address the unique realities of common law practitioners working providing dispute resolution services in French. Her current project is a study of how the cinema imagines the role of legal institutions and legal actors in advancing – or hindering - social justice.
Professor Bouclin is highly regarded for her work in promoting access to justice and has long combined academic life with community service. In 2014, she established the Ticket Defence Program, a mobile legal clinic for street-involved people in Ottawa. She has also collaborated with several national legal organizations to advance equality. In this regard, her contributions to the Ontario Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section Executive (2021-2025), as Member of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (2016 to 2018) and her work at the Court Challenges Program of Canada, the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, Pro Bono Students Canada, and the National Association of Women and the Law are testimony to her commitment to inclusive legal practice and pedagogy. Her community work was recognized by her peers in 2014. She is currently a member of the Observatory on Profiling and the Scientific Committee of the International Network on Law and Culture.
Suzanne Bouclin is a respected mediator, conducts workplace investigations and regularly trains decision-makers and members of the legal profession on unconscious bias.
Current Research Interests
- Law and film culture
- Feminist theories and methodologies Access to Justice
- Regulation of People Experiencing Poverty and Other Marginalized Groups
- Dispute Resolution Theory
- Dispute Resolution Practice (Mediation)
- Law and Society / Sociology of Law
- Legal Pluralism and Critical Legal Pluralism
- Digital Inclusion and Policy
Courses
CML 3774 Résolution de différends (avancé) (3 crédits) – In French
Advanced study of dispute resolution processes in public and private law, including human rights, labour law, family law, etc. Experiential learning primarily in negotiation, but also in mediation and arbitration.
CML 3512 Théorie et pratique en droit et justice sociale (3 crédits) – In French
Examination of law as both a terrain and a tool for justice and injustice in society, based on cinematographic texts. Emphasis is placed on the concept of social justice for women, people experiencing homelessness, Aboriginal peoples, members of racialized groups, members of the LGBTQ2S community and people with disabilities, while weighing the constraints of the judicial process and the legal profession in these contexts.