56. A Dean for all Students

What‘s Law Got To Do With It?

Felicity announces that she now has her dog back, so everything starts off on a good note. Our guest this episode is Professor Karen Drake, Associate Dean Students at Osgoode. The gang spends a lot of time on Karen's choice of favourite law-related show because Karen tends to avoid them, in part because law is her job. In the end, she chooses Trailer Park Boys as her favourite, which provokes discussion about how she uses it in her Property Law exams. Felicity, having had Karen as a professor, was not surprised by the choice. Karen spends more time than any previous guest explaining why she chose the way she did, highlighting why she is a professor. Richard asks Felicity how Trailer Park Boys relates to law, and she recalls an example from an exam fact pattern. Karen gives her an A+ for the answer.

Karen elaborates on her role as Associate Dean, and how the nature of the role has changed somewhat during the pandemic. Felicity and Richard try to help by being especially nice to Karen during the podcast. Felicity is curious as to whether Karen had ideas for the role that now can't be realized due to the pandemic. There were some, but she was able to conduct some student surveys that have helped in gaining information. Richard recommends all law schools try and initiate an Associate Dean Students role, but Felicity reminds that our limited audience may not have the leverage to force such changes. Finally, Karen discusses the Academic Success sessions that she oversees; the need for empirical evidence led her to Stanford Psychology Professor Carol Dweck's work on growth mindset vs fixed mindset, and so Karen is trying to get students to adopt the former as a way of coping with law school.

Richard and Karen share teaching experiences, especially of 1L classes. Karen laments how she does miss teaching as her role as Associate Dean limits how much of that she can do. Felicity is amused that we are both pulling back the curtain revealing professorial secrets. The group ends by examining an aspect of law school that Karen likes, but that she wasn't aware of until now. Turns out it is the idea and practice of collegial governance that has been a revelation. Who would have known?!

Music Attribution:

What's Love Got to Do With It

by Tina Turner

Soundcloud: What's Love Got to Do with It

Link to fs blogpost on Carol Dweck's work: https://fs.blog/2015/03/carol-dweck-mindset/