Small groups return to a full-year format
The 1L curriculum has changed yet again, this time returning to its pre-pandemic format. Since the decision to semesterize the 1L curriculum in 2014, along with removing Administrative Law from the 1L program and expanding the Legal Research and Writing (LRW) credit, 1Ls have generally enjoyed the same curriculum year-to-year. In their first semester, students take two core courses and LRW. In their second semester, students take another two core courses and Legal Process. Small group classes run the full year.
During the 2020-2021 school year, 1L students at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law wrapped up their small group classes at the end of the fall semester. A first for the Faculty, the decision to shorten small groups to one semester garnered significant debate and backlash. In addition, 1Ls last year took both LRW and Legal Process during their first semester and took three core classes in second semester.
According to a statement by Associate Dean Christopher Essert last year, the restructuring was made due to constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the changes were “not meant to reflect any decision about the ideal structure of small groups.” Assistant Dean Sara Faherty added at the time that any decisions were made to prioritize offering in-person small group classes—although all classes transitioned exclusively online by October 13 of last year.
With the return to (mostly) in-person instruction, it appears that the Faculty has returned to their pre-pandemic models. However, it remains a strong possibility that the Faculty may revisit curriculum changes.
At the March 2020 Faculty Council meeting, held right before the pandemic forced the University to shut down, the Curriculum Committee proposed changing the structure of the 1L program to shorten small groups into one semester and extend the LRW course into the second semester by adding a 1L moot to the class.
The draft proposal created a strong response among both students and faculty. A petition urging the Faculty Council to reject any curriculum changes until concerns could be addressed was created and signed by over 80 individuals. A 1L Curriculum Change Student Consultation Townhall was also held where students and faculty were vocal about their reservations.
As Professor Jim Philips discussed in his defense of first-year small groups, the final decision to significantly change the 1L curriculum in 2014 was a result of a large amount of research, debate, and consultation that took place over a number of years and culminated in an approving vote at the Faculty Council.
It is clear that any future changes to the 1L curriculum would require a similar rigorous process. For now, at least, 1L students at the Faculty can say they have an experience much more akin to their pre-pandemic counterparts.
