A passionate and award-winning mentor and educator, my teaching is deeply intertwined with my research and scholarly work. My goal in teaching legal and socio-legal ideas and concepts is to assist my students to see themselves as valuable and capable architects of the social, political, economic, and cultural ideas, spaces and changes that unfold around them.
2023-2024
Courses: Applied Immigration Law (co-taught with Drake Law School), Constitutional
Law, Law, Politics & Society Senior Seminar
Evaluation data not yet available
2022-2023
Courses: Constitutional Law, Law & Popular Culture, Law & Society in a Changing
Climate, Migration & Membership
Overall increase in understanding score (n=103) Mean: 4. 8/5
2021-2022
Courses: Constitutional Law, Law & Popular Culture, Law & Society in a Changing
Climate, Migration & Membership
Overall increase in understanding score (n=52) Mean: 4. 8/5
2019-2020 Honors Teaching Fellow, Legal Studies
Courses: Legal Studies Honors Seminar
Overall teaching effectiveness score (n=18) Mean: 6/6
2018-2020 Qualitative Social Sciences Leader, Teaching Resource Center
Course: First-time teacher training
Overall teaching effectiveness scores (n=73) Mean: 4. 8/5
2018 Instructor of record, Legal Studies
Course: Law, Language and Culture (required reading & composition course)
Overall teaching effectiveness scores (n=22) Mean: 6. 2/7
2015-2018 Graduate Student Instructor, Legal Studies
Courses: Foundations of Law and Society, Immigration and Citizenship, Youth,
Justice and Culture, and Law and Development.
Overall teaching effectiveness scores (n=164) Mean: 6. 5/7
2017-2018 Lecturer, Migration Studies (MA program)
Course: Global Immigration Policy and Politics (2017, 2018)
Overall teaching effectiveness scores (n=25) Mean: 5. 9/6
Increased understanding score (n=52)
Mean: 4.8/5
Mode: 5/5
I loved the seminar style of the class. I liked that students were responsible for keeping the conversation going and that Professor Stepnitz role was more of a guide so that if the conversation came to a halt she could prompt another discussion. I like it when students have the ability to discuss without judgment and feeling worried that they'll say something "wrong." This allows for the free flow and exchange of ideas that might actually help in discovering viable solutions to climate change. - Law & Society in a Changing Climate (Spring 2023)
The format of the assignments helped keep the course theme from being stale like a lot of academic courses can be. It generally felt very open and flexible to each student’s ideas and understanding of the topics. None of the assignments felt like busy work which I think is really important. - Law & Popular Culture (Spring 2023)
I think the discussion-oriented class formats, case brief assignments, and general encouragement to take initiative in learning worked -- there was constant engagement by the majority of the class, and it lead to some very fruitful examinations of how the Constitution operates in Americans' lives substantively, as opposed to just formally. - Perspectives on Constitutional Law (Fall 2022)
I genuinely believe Professor Stepnitz is an extremely well-educated and thoughtful person, not just on the subject of migration but just in general. When she did lecture for a bit before the main discussion part of class, they were always engaging and drew in a lot of examples that would make historical events more relevant to us. Favorite LPS class so far. - Migration & Membership (Fall 2022)
I love all of professor Stepnitz's courses. She has been such a huge help to me this year and I have learned so much in her classes. I think she is an amazing addition to the LPS
department! - Law & Society in a Changing Climate (Spring 2022)
This is one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. Across the board I hear LPS students rave about Stepnitz, she is one of our favorite professors and makes it a welcoming,
entertaining, and educational environment. Her classes feel easy, not in the its easy we don't have to try, but that it feels natural and really encourages everyone to think for themselves
and share their ideas. It is a difficult course in that it challenges our way of thinking and understanding about Supreme Court cases and the US Constitution. - Perspectives on Constitutional Law (Spring 2022)
I was never scared to speak up in this class like I am with other classes. I feel like the atmosphere was very inviting and I was okay to share my feelings. I really appreciated the space we built and I felt like that was important. Additionally, I never felt intimidated by the professor which is something I've also experienced. - Law & Culture (Fall 2021)
Teaching effectiveness scores (n=25)
Mean: 5.89/6
Mode: 6/6
Stepnitz is knowledgable and engaged. Her course was well designed and thoughtfully planned. - MIMS (Fall '17)
Leading by example, Stepnitz shared her contributions– academically, in the media, professionally and in the general discussion–in a manner that promoted confidence for me as a student. Stepnitz's ability to engage students as peers and to provide space for them to explore ideas has been a refreshing experience. - MIMS (Fall '18)
Teaching effectiveness scores (n=186)
Mean: 6.45/7
Mode: 7/7
Your teaching style was superb as I learned so much during the duration of this course. You were able to captivate me, as well as the class, in explaining the course details and I will dearly miss it. - Immigration & Citizenship (Summer '15)
I thoroughly enjoyed having you as a GSI. I can affirmatively say you're one of the best I've had here at Cal in terms of knowing your subject matter and teaching skills. - Foundations of Legal Studies (Fall '17)
This class is challenging, thought-provoking, and doable. Abigail goes above and beyond for the students of the course. I feel I learned more in her section than in class. - Immigration & Citizenship (Spring '16)
Abigail has an exceptional ability to explain and re-explain things in different ways - Foundations of Legal Studies (Fall '17)
Abigail includes everyone, and she does it effortlessly. I never felt like she was forcing a student to participate because her teaching style motivated people to naturally want to engage in the material and classroom discussions. Legal Studies Honors Seminar (Fall '19)
Abigail is incredible, insightful, smart, and humorous. She knows how to lead a classroom discussion with talented individuals, and she did so numerous times. She's also a joy to be around because of her great sense of humor and lighthearted approach to dense topics that would otherwise bore everyone. She adds levity to the classroom without detracting from the subject matter. Legal Studies Honors Seminar (Spring '20)