Langdell's Argumentative Analysis

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Christopher Columbus Langdell analyzed the scientific method and presumed it to be living, inductive, and classificatory in its prominence. He believed students would obtain growth by combining experiences of the word with their legal education. In addition, he believed that law was a science that could be minimized to principles rooted in court decisions which accrued changes over time. Langdell decided to use the case method which explained his teaching mechanisms by using case law and the Socratic Method to educate students in law school. As a result, Langdell implemented that students would use lecture based instruction and casebooks instead of textbooks to better dissect cases and appellate court decisions. This allowed law students the ability to read and analyze the opinions of appellate judges, identify similar issues in factually different situations and gains an understanding of judicial thinking. …show more content…

Prospective students were now required to possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree or to have passed a comprehensive examination in order to gain admittance. Secondly, students were required to be proficient in the French or Latin language. Thirdly, the length of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) was lengthened from 18 months to two years. Next, students were required to pass prescribed examinations at the end of their first year in order to continue on to their second year of study. Lastly, the residency was extended to three years and students were then required to pass an examination following each year of study. However, the case method of instruction at Harvard University revolutionized the study of law throughout the United States