Dean Wesley A. Sturges of Yale Law School presented the case for the small, progressive legal institution at an almost capacity Langdell Court Room last night.
Speaking at the Law School Forum's "Legal Education at Yale," Sturges asserted that large schools "subordinate opportunity and flexibility" to large scale instruction which creates "stereotyped performance" and competition for grades.
Yale emphasizes freedom and initiative, Sturges said. "We would prefer students to do individual honors work in their second year. All seniors must do at least two units of it." Unlike Harvard and most law schools, he added, Yale allows its students to elect their own courses of study, except in the first term.
Wide Distribution
Sturges pointed out that although Yale's 540 total enrollment is smaller than Harvard's first year class, the geographical distribution is just as wide.
Defending Yale's "young" faculty, Dean Sturges said, "The techer is best when he is getting ready to teach." He stated that the faculty appointment committee profers talented young men who give promise of presenting a different point of view rather than proven teachers.
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