CLU3M online explores Canadian law, with a focus on legal issues that are relevant to the lives of people in Canada. Students in CLU3M will gain an understanding of rights and freedoms in Canada, our legal system, and family, contract, employment, tort, and criminal law. In CLU3M online, students will use case studies and apply the concepts of legal thinking and the legal inquiry process to develop legal reasoning skills and to formulate and communicate informed interpretations of legal issues, and through CLU3M they will develop the ability to advocate for new laws.
Course curriculum
Inside %course-code%: the law as it touches everyday life in Canada
The step before CLN4U
CLU3M gives the foundation in rights, criminal and civil law that CLN4U builds on, and counts as a Group 1 compulsory credit for the OSSD.
Rights you can name
The Canadian Bill of Rights, the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Charter and the Canadian Human Rights Act, the cases that changed Canadian society, and when limits on rights can be justified.
Arrest to verdict
Elements of a crime, your rights if detained or arrested, the roles in a courtroom, defences and sentencing, worked through case studies and an interactive criminal justice booklet.
Argue a legal issue in writing
The final task is an argumentative MLA-format essay on a law topic you choose, developed step by step and followed by a reflection meeting with your teacher, worth 10% alongside a 15% exam.
CLU3M Course outline
Full unit-by-unit breakdown.
Consider why societies need law, distinguish the divisions of law within Canada’s legal system, trace how Canadian law has developed from its historical roots, and analyse how social, scientific and technological change continues to reshape it.
Key topics
Purpose and principles of law · divisions of law · legal heritage · how laws are made and changed · roles of individuals, groups and governments
Assessed by
News report video · teacher conference (16% combined)
Learn the legal definition of human rights and how it has changed, study the Canadian Bill of Rights, the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Charter and the Canadian Human Rights Act, examine landmark discrimination cases and the Indian Act, and form informed opinions about the protections and limits on your own rights.
Key topics
Canadian Bill of Rights · Ontario Human Rights Code · Charter of Rights and Freedoms · landmark cases · the Indian Act · limiting rights
Assessed by
Human rights timeline · teacher conference (16% combined)
Explain the foundational concepts of criminal law, describe the structures and roles of the criminal justice system from investigation to trial, examine offences, defences and sentencing, and assess whether the system delivers even-handed justice.
Key topics
Elements of a crime · rights on arrest and detention · courts and courtroom roles · offences, defences and sentencing · fairness of the justice system
Assessed by
Criminal justice summative booklet · teacher conference (16% combined)
Distinguish civil from criminal law and analyse the foundations and processes of tort, family, employment and contract law through case studies, from the Paisley snail to property division, support and custody.
Key topics
Civil versus criminal law · tort law and negligence · family law · employment law · contract law
Assessed by
Civil law pamphlet · teacher conference (17% combined)
Bring the course together in a well-argued, MLA-style academic essay on a legal topic you select, building your thesis and arguments through independent research and then meeting your teacher to reflect on your topic, skills and strengths.
Key topics
Choosing a legal issue · thesis and argument · independent research · MLA format · reflection
Assessed by
Final task: argumentative essay and reflection meeting (10%)
