Electives May Be Introduced For First Year Law Students

First year Law students may be able to take electives during their second semester, if the Faculty of Law approves a proposed plan.

Currently, all first year Law students must take full-year courses in Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Torts, a half-year course in Legal Method, and a half year course taught in a small section.

The First Year Committee, composed of five students and five faculty, has recommended two alternatives to the current schedule.

The first recommendation would lengthen the required classes from two or three hours to four hours a week. In the second semester, students could continue their courses for two hours a week or take electives.

Proposal Two

The second proposal would keep Civil Procedure and Contracts as required full-year courses, while Criminal Law and Torts would be given during the first semester and Property would be offered in the second half of the year. Since the last three courses would each last for only half a year, the classes would meet for four or five hours a week instead of two or three.

To fill out their schedules, students could continue with Criminal Law or Torts or take electives, such as Labor Law or History of Legal Institutions.

According to a statement prepared by the First Year Committee, the new program was designed to help combat the boredom which can result from having the same five instructors and courses all year.

The Committee statement added that too much depended on five final exams. Midyear exams would make the finals less pressured.

The proposal will be discussed at an informal faculty meeting on November 13. If discussion is favorable, final action could come at a special meeting on November 30.