Welcome to the February 2022 issue of Innovatus

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“Innovatus” is a special edition of YFile devoted to teaching and learning innovation at York University.

Will Gage
Will Gage

Hello, it is my pleasure to present to you a new issue of “Innovatus.”

In this issue, we profile the exceptional approach to teaching, learning and the student experience that is underway at Osgoode Hall Law School. The stories offered in this edition are inspiring because they focus on the power and potential of experiential education to bring the law to life.

Through 17 clinical programs, the law school offers its students an intensely valuable approach to understanding how to apply the law in a way that is focused on social justice and equity. It is easy to see why Osgoode Hall Law School is a considered a leader in educating and preparing future generations of changemakers in Canadian law.

Please let me know your thoughts on the stories presented in this special issue. And, if you have an interesting story to suggest, please send it to my office. Faculty, course directors and staff are invited to share their experiences in teaching, learning, internationalization and the student experience through the “Innovatus” story form, which is available at tl.apps01.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=16573.

As always, thank you. I look forward to receiving your comments.

Sincerely,

Will Gage
Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning

In this issue:

Dean’s letter: Developing a legal toolkit and applying it
The law is full of life; it is constantly growing and changing. At Osgoode Hall Law School, we pride ourselves on introducing our students to this living world while developing the foundational skills they’ll need to succeed and giving them the opportunity to apply those skills through experiential education and other means.

Experiential learning an essential part of Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode students benefit from a variety of hands-on learning opportunities that focus on building the important skills required to succeed in the legal profession.

Investor Protection Clinic at York University blazes trail in Canada
The clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School offers an important resource for investors who fear they have been victims of negligent financial advice, a scam or fraud but can’t afford legal representation. It develops the important skills that students need to succeed in their professional lives after graduation.

Osgoode students experience law in action at Environmental and Social Justice Clinic
The clinic gives law students exposure to a wide variety of environmental justice activities that challenge the unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits in society. Students gain real-world insights into what how the law can advance sustainability.

Osgoode class partners with law students in Scotland
Law students in Osgoode Associate Professor Heidi Matthews’ international criminal law course are engaged in an innovative, trans-Atlantic simulation with their counterparts at the University of Glasgow. The simulation will help students understand the key issues around international humanitarian law.