Jana Norman

Jana is a PhD candidate conducting research in the philosophy of law and concepts of the legal subject. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Florida (89) and a Masters of Divinity from Yale University (93). Jana comes to Adelaide University Law School from a 25-year career in ordained ministry within the progressive Protestant Christian church in the US and Australia, having specialised in social justice engagement, exegetical research, curriculum development, interfaith association, and adult education.

The move from religion to law is not a big leap for Jana, as both fields interpret and apply conceptualisations of human subjectivity to the establishment, maintenance, and transformation of moral community. Jana's research in law is focused on developing a new concept of the legal subject based on contemporary insights into the nature of human nature drawn from science and the humanities that highlight interdependence as an inherent characteristic of the human-Earth relationship.

In the course of her research, Jana has presented an introduction to her legal subject, which she calls the Cosmic Person, in a variety of contexts including the 3-Minute Thesis competition; the 'Everything is Connected' conference of the Green Institute; the 'Inspiring Earth Ethics: Linking Values and Action' conference of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance; and the 'Dissents and Dispositions' conference of the Law, Literature, and the Humanities Association of Australasia.

Jana also convenes a public engagement project related to her research called the Community of the Cosmic Person. In this role, Jana and a colleague are the recipients of a project grant sponsored by a partnership of the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Conservation SA, and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation.

Jana's supervisors are Professor Paul Babie and Dr Peter Burdon.

Professor Babie holds a Personal Chair of Law in the Adelaide Law School and is Director of the Law and Religion Project of The University of Adelaide Research Unit for the Study of Society, Ethics and Law (RUSSEL) (which he founded in 2007). He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law in 2017. He is currently Associate Dean of Law (International) of the Adelaide Law School and Associate Dean (International) of the Faculty of the Professions.

Dr Burdon is an Associate Professor at the Adelaide Law School. He is the deputy chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Ethics Specialist Group, deputy director of the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment for Australasia and sits on the steering committee of the Ecological Law and Governance Association.