Congratulations to Professor Mitchell McInnes who was recently announced as a recipient of the university's highest teaching award, the Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
The award, which was instituted at the University of Alberta in 1982, was created to recognize publicly teaching excellence by full-time continuing academic staff (regardless of seniority), to publicize such excellence to the University and the wider community, to encourage the pursuit of such excellence, and to promote informed discussion of teaching and its improvement at the University of Alberta.
Professor McInnes, how do you feel about receiving the University of Alberta's highest teaching award?
It's a great honour, especially because it is based on testimonials from both external reviewers and former students.
I'd also like to thank Dean Philip Bryden for his support and Associate Dean (Research) Billingsley for her tremendous help in putting together the nomination package.
You have also received a number of other teaching awards from the other universities that you've taught at and you have also been recognized by McLean's magazine as one of Canada's leading university teachers. What do you think that you're doing 'right'?
Much of it comes down to respect and hard work. I give a lot, but because law students are a very capable group and because the stakes in practice are so high, I also expect a lot. The real reward comes not when grades are released or degrees are awarded, but rather when a former student writes to explain that, as a result of a course, a seemingly difficult case suddenly made perfectly good sense.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
Every year is a new experience. Even if the courses have been taught several times, the students invariably provide a fresh and refreshing perspective. I'm not sure how or why it occurs, but every incoming group develops a distinctive personality. And, of course, within any given group, there is a terrific variety of attitudes and abilities. I can confidently walk into any class, ask just about any question on any topic, and almost certainly get an excellent response from someone.
What's your teaching philosophy?
The most important skill - and unfortunately the most difficult to master - is the ability to analyze a legal problem in full context. It requires a lot of time and great deal of effort, but it's absolutely essential. I therefore focus on presenting the most complete picture possible. It's not enough to cover the fundamental rules in, say, the law of trusts. A lawyer needs to understand that the events that trigger an issue in trusts may also require a consideration of tort or contract or unjust enrichment. All of the pieces of the puzzle have to be put in place and that exercise has to begin the classroom.
You are currently on sabbatical - what are you working on?
It's been a busy year. My co-authors and I have prepared a new edition of Cases and Materials on the Law of Torts 8th ed (Carswell 2011). Developments in the law of restitution, including the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Kerr v Baranow, gave rise to several papers. For the most part, however, the sabbatical was devoted to the completion of a decade-long project dealing with the law of unjust enrichment. The manuscript is nearly finished, and while editing may require another year, the end is in sight.
Professor McInnes, whose research focuses on unjust enrichment, restitution, trusts, torts, contracts and remedies, joined the Faculty of Law in 2005. He has over 100 publications to his name and his work has been relied upon by a number of courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, the High Court of Australia, and the Supreme Court of New Zealand.
Past recipients of the Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the Faculty of Law include Professors Shannon O'Byrne (2002), David Percy QC (1996), Roderick Wood (2005) and Bruce Ziff (1988).
Professor Mitchell McInnes