In addition, each student will be required to participate in one or more moot court or practice simulation exercises. Each student must achieve a satisfactory level of performance in these exercises in order to receive credit for the year. It is essential that students embarking on the study of law develop an appreciation of the underlying social forces and values that shape the law, and of how those forces and values can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives. Legal education, and the legal system more generally, have been criticized in recent years for maintaining a quite narrow and traditional focus despite the increasing demands on law and legal institutions to deal with complex social and economic issues. The course analyzes the relationships among law, social forces and values, often drawing on theoretical and interdisciplinary materials, by introducing each student to three different perspectives, each taught by a different instructor in three six-week units.
Students choose the three units they wish to take from several options which vary from year to year.
This course involves the study of basic principles and statutory regimes which govern the institution of Real Property. The three main objectives are to introduce the fundamental principles of land law, develop legal skills and an understanding of legal process, and build a foundation of knowledge for courses in the second and third-year curriculum. The law of Torts, or civil wrongs, deals with disputes between individuals that arise when the acts or omissions of one person cause injury or property loss, apart from breach of contract or unjust enrichment. The most important area in torts is negligence, which embraces unintentionally caused injury to the person, damage to property, and harm to economic interests. Analysis of Tort Law involves consideration of social values, deterrence, loss distribution and economic efficiency, as well as corporate and governmental responsibility.