Robert C Post, dean, Yale Law School, Yale University, on why the study of law is moving from the academic to the experiential.
What are the emerging trends in the study of law today?
In the United States, law schools are increasingly merging experiential education with the more academic study of law. This means that students are asked to move between the actual practice of law and the law's theoretical foundations. Our understanding of these foundations is increasingly interdisciplinary in nature. Thus, courses address legal issues from economic, historical, sociological, psychological and philosophical perspectives. The curriculum is increasingly oriented towards situating national legal issues within a comparative transnational perspective.
What are the popular career options today?
Most law students graduate and join a private law firm. A measurable slice of graduating students will opt for the public sector or choose a nonprofit NGO.
What is the strength of the Yale Law School?
You said it provides a broader education - interdisciplinary and experiential. Can you elaborate?
The Yale law School (YLS) is a small community with a very low student-faculty ratio. We are, thus, able to provide an intimate, intense educational environment. Our faculty is committed to the interdisciplinary study of law. Our clinical programme gives stu dents an unparalleled opportunity to represent real clients in real courts. Our educational philosophy is oriented towards encouraging stu dents to find and pursue their own interests. There are no grades in the first semester and only virtual grades for the remain ing five semesters. Our pedagogical approach stresses on writing and analytic clarity.
The law school is known for its JD (Juris Doctor) programme and the students are mostly from the US, while LLM (Master of Law) and JSD (Doctor of the Science of Law) programmes also draw international students. The school also offers a Master of Studies in Law and a PhD. Are all the five degree programmes open to international students?
Yes, international stu dents can apply for any de gree offered by the school.
The JSD and LLM pro grammes are primarily de signed for students who have received their initial legal edl ucation outside the US. The PhD programme was launched last year.
Now that geographical boundaries are blurring and most companies have a presence in more than one country, how does the school equip students to deal with legal issues that are transnational in nature?
We have an extensive curriculum that covers transnational, international and comparative law. We have clinics oriented towards issues of transnational law, especially human rights. Most courses that focus on domestic law, teach it within the context of comparative and transnational law.
What is your advice for law aspirants?
Work hard to understand why you wish to enter the law field. Forge an understanding of the relationship between law and social ideals that are important to you.
Original source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/An-experiential-approach/articleshow/40156861.cms
What are the emerging trends in the study of law today?
In the United States, law schools are increasingly merging experiential education with the more academic study of law. This means that students are asked to move between the actual practice of law and the law's theoretical foundations. Our understanding of these foundations is increasingly interdisciplinary in nature. Thus, courses address legal issues from economic, historical, sociological, psychological and philosophical perspectives. The curriculum is increasingly oriented towards situating national legal issues within a comparative transnational perspective.
What are the popular career options today?
Most law students graduate and join a private law firm. A measurable slice of graduating students will opt for the public sector or choose a nonprofit NGO.
What is the strength of the Yale Law School?
You said it provides a broader education - interdisciplinary and experiential. Can you elaborate?
The Yale law School (YLS) is a small community with a very low student-faculty ratio. We are, thus, able to provide an intimate, intense educational environment. Our faculty is committed to the interdisciplinary study of law. Our clinical programme gives stu dents an unparalleled opportunity to represent real clients in real courts. Our educational philosophy is oriented towards encouraging stu dents to find and pursue their own interests. There are no grades in the first semester and only virtual grades for the remain ing five semesters. Our pedagogical approach stresses on writing and analytic clarity.
The law school is known for its JD (Juris Doctor) programme and the students are mostly from the US, while LLM (Master of Law) and JSD (Doctor of the Science of Law) programmes also draw international students. The school also offers a Master of Studies in Law and a PhD. Are all the five degree programmes open to international students?
Yes, international stu dents can apply for any de gree offered by the school.
The JSD and LLM pro grammes are primarily de signed for students who have received their initial legal edl ucation outside the US. The PhD programme was launched last year.
Now that geographical boundaries are blurring and most companies have a presence in more than one country, how does the school equip students to deal with legal issues that are transnational in nature?
We have an extensive curriculum that covers transnational, international and comparative law. We have clinics oriented towards issues of transnational law, especially human rights. Most courses that focus on domestic law, teach it within the context of comparative and transnational law.
What is your advice for law aspirants?
Work hard to understand why you wish to enter the law field. Forge an understanding of the relationship between law and social ideals that are important to you.
Original source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/An-experiential-approach/articleshow/40156861.cms
No comments:
Post a Comment