How do professors start teaching law? This question is a particular challenge for new law professors, who often lack resources for course design. Written from the perspective of a recently tenured law professor, this Essay offers four major categories of decisions: semester structure, classroom, final exam, and “professorial personality.” It argues that, for each decision, reasonable minds can differ. This Essay also provides some personal reflections on the decision-making to illustrate how one professor might weigh various considerations in course design. A final Appendix is a checklist for new professors.
Author
Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law. The author is grateful to Aziza Ahmed, Erika George, Woodrow Hartzog, Scott Hirst, Gerry Leonard, Ray Madoff, Jens Ohlin, David Pozen, Weijia Rao, Vincent Rougeau, Sarah Sherman-Stokes, Katharine Silbaugh, Jessica Silbey, and Jay Wexler for their encouragement in legal pedagogy and feedback regarding this project. The author is also grateful to the innumerable faculty mentors and students who have enriched my teaching during my first years in the legal academy.