I guess I have always insisted on students learning legal
reasoning/analysis etc and I justified it on the basis that it was a
rigorous problem solving technique that should and could be applied in
many contexts. Recently I have been doing some re-thinking. Here I am
talking about a stand alone course that all accounting students have to
take. I am spending far more time on how to manage legal issues, lawyers,
how to position the organization so as to maximise effective compliance
with the law etc. As I consider the survival of our courses I often wonder
about how useful what we have traditionally taught is and keep on coming
back to wondering what the essence of a business law (or legal
environment) course should be. I sometimes do moot courts etc and come
away with the thought that this was a really interesting game these
students played and they had a good deal of fun playing lawyers, but that
isn't what I should be doing with them. That is me just doing what I was
trained to do in law school (note, there would be a difference if I was
teaching a pre-law course, but those, I don't believe exist in Canadian
schools -- these are business or accounting courses). Legal risk
recognition and analysis etc seem to me to be so much more important parts
of their education. This year I pitched my course and started from
scratch. It's really hard to wean yourself off the trad and I don't think
I still do a very good job of it. But I am part way there. Someone was
talking, maybe here, about teaching "blue book" form. Again, given the
multitude of internet etc sources, my one rule for cites in essays or
projects is that they must be such that I can find the source easily. This
is perhaps a personal recognition of my own weaknesses - the forms of
cites are about the last thing I am concerned about when I write as they
vary from journal to journal so I would rather have the students think
about the quality of what they write (still complying with the rules of
academic honesty) than the footnote style. I can see, however, that in
other contexts, correct style etc will be important to teach.
 
I know that many if not most of you are likely doing a far better job
than me of breaking away from the straight and narrow. Tips please? I have
no desire to engage in change solely for the sake of change.
 
Sally