The Inception of Modern Professional Education: C. C. Langdell, 1826-1906 [Hardcover]

Christopher C. Langdell (1826-1906) is one of the most influential figures in the history of American professional education. As dean of Harvard Law School from 1870 to 1895, he conceived, designed, and built the educational model that leading professional schools in virtually all fields subsequently emulated.

In this first full length biography of the educator and jurist, Bruce Kimball explores Langdell’s controversial role in modern professional education and in jurisprudence.Langdell founded his model on the idea of academic meritocracy. According to this principle, scholastic achievement should determine one’s merit in professional life.

Despite fierce opposition from students, faculty, alumni, and legal professionals, he designed and instituted a formal system of innovative policies based on meritocracy. This system’s components included the admission requirement of a bachelor’s degree, the sequenced curriculum and its extension to three years, the hurdle of annual examinations