|
administrative
policies
Evaluation
Policy
There will be no final examination. Your final grade
will be computed based on the following factors:
|
Short
Paper 1 |
10% |
|
Short
Paper 2
|
10%
|
|
Presentation |
20% |
|
Research
Paper
|
60%
|
Grading
Policy
J.D. students will follow the grading scale and
grading policies outlined in Academic Standards
8.1–8.54, which may be found in the Student
Handbook. The following courses are subject to a
maximum allowed class GPA of 3.20:
(1) all lockstep courses, other than Legal Analysis,
Research and Writing I and Legal Analysis, Research
and Writing II; (2) Constitutional Law; (3)
Professional Responsibility; and (4) all other
nonlockstep courses with enrollments of over
twenty-four J.D. students. The following courses are
subject to a maximum allowed class GPA of 3.40: (1) Legal Analysis, Research and
Writing I; (2) Legal Analysis, Research and Writing
II; and (3) all nonlockstep courses (other than
Constitutional Law and Professional Responsibility)
with enrollments of no fewer than thirteen and no
greater than twenty-four J.D. students.
LL.M. and M.L.S./M.Jur. students will follow the grading
scale and grading policies for graduate students set
forth in University
Student Rule 10. The grading scale for the assignment of a letter grade (A through F) is as follows: A = 90–100%; B = 75–89%; C = 60–74%; D = 50–59%; A = below
50%.
I reserve the right to award extra credit for
excellent participation in class and to reduce your
course grade for lack of preparation for the class or
for habitual tardiness (i.e., arriving late for
class). Extra credit (or penalty) will only be added
(or deducted) after the final grade has been computed.
Under no circumstances will participation improve or
reduce the final grade by more than 2/3 of a grade
(e.g., from B- to B+).
Attendance
Policy
For
J.D. Students:
J.D. students are required to adhere to the law
school's attendance policy as outlined in the Student
Handbook.
The law school requires regular and punctual class attendance by all students in all courses taken for credit.
For
LL.M. and M.L.S./M.Jur. Students:
LL.M. and M.L.S./M.Jur. students are required to adhere to
the attendance policies and makeup policies for
graduate students set forth in University
Student Rule 7.
The university views class attendance and
participation as an individual student responsibility.
Students are expected to attend class and to complete
all assignments. Please refer to Student
Rule 7 in its entirety for information about
excused absences, including definitions, and related
documentation and timelines.
Make-up
Work Policy (for LL.M. and M.L.S./M.Jur. Students Only)
Students will be excused from attending class on the
day of a graded activity or when attendance
contributes to a student's grade, for the reasons
stated in Student
Rule 7, or other reason deemed appropriate by the
instructor.
Please refer to Student
Rule 7 in its entirety for information about
makeup work, including definitions, and related
documentation and timelines.
Absences related to Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972 may necessitate a period of more
than 30 days for make-up work, and the timeframe for
make-up work should be agreed upon by the student and
instructor (Student
Rule 7, Section 7.4.1).
The instructor is under no obligation to provide an
opportunity for the student to make up work missed
because of an unexcused absence (Student
Rule 7, Section 7.4.2).
Students who request an excused absence are expected to uphold the
Aggie Honor Code and Student Conduct Code (See Student
Rule 24).
Late
Work Policy
Unless an extension has been granted, written assignments (including
the final paper) submitted within a week from the deadline will be
accepted, with the grade reduced for tardiness. Students are
required to provide a short note explaining the reason behind the
late submission.
For LL.M. and M.L.S./M.Jur. students, work submitted as makeup work for an
excused absence is not considered late work and is exempted from
this policy. Please refer to Student
Rule 7 in its entirety for information about makeup work,
including definitions, and related documentation and timelines.
E-mail
Policy
I may use e-mail to communicate course-related announcements. Unless you
provide me with an alternative email address, you are required to monitor
messages sent to your TAMU email address.
Statement
on Credit Hours
ABA accreditation standards include a formula for calculating the amount of
work that constitutes a credit hour. According to ABA Standard 310(b)(1),
"a 'credit hour' is an amount of work that reasonably approximates: (1)
not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and two
hours of out-of-class student work per week for fifteen weeks, or the
equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time." At Texas
A&M University School of Law we have a twelve-week semester. As this is a two-credit hour class, applying the ABA standard to the number of credits offered for this class, you are expected to spend two actual hours
per week (120 minutes) in class. Outside of the classroom—for a 2-credit course—you should be spending, on average, a minimum of 4.67 hours (280 minutes) of study time weekly in addition to class time.
For more information, see Credit
Hour Policy.
Statement
on Professionalism
"Professionalism is conduct consistent with the tenets of the legal
profession as demonstrated by a lawyer's civility, honesty, integrity,
character, fairness, competence, ethical conduct, public service, and respect
for the rule of law, the courts, clients, persons who work within the legal
profession, witnesses, and unrepresented parties."
— Commission on Professionalism, State Bar of New Mexico
Statement
on Classroom Access and Inclusion
Texas A&M University is committed to providing an inclusive, equitable
learning environment for students of all ages, backgrounds, citizenships,
ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, races, religions, languages, and
socioeconomic statuses. The Aggie Core values of respect, excellence,
leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service in addition to civility,
and the ability to listen and to observe others are the foundation of a
welcoming instructional climate. Active, thoughtful and respectful
participation in all aspects of the course supports a more inclusive classroom
environment, as well as our mutual responsibilities to the campus community.
Technology,
Access, Navigation and Support
1.
Technology Requirements
As a result of the changing landscape in higher education, Texas A&M
University now requires students to have access to an appropriate computer to
complement course instruction. Minimum computer specifications are listed here.
Most computers purchased in the past few years should meet the minimum
standards. Please note this policy requires that students have access to a
webcam. Students in this course will be required to have their webcams on and
be visible during any synchronous online classes or when participating in
remotely in a face-to-face class.
2.
Course Access and Log-in Information
See the following link for information about how you access the Canvas
learning management system: https://it.tamu.edu/services/academics-and-research/teaching-and-learningtools/canvas/.
3.
Technical Support
Texas A&M University provides students with technical support in the use
of Canvas. The student help desk may be reached by the following means 24
hours a day, seven days a week:
Phone:
(979) 845-8300
Email:
helpdesk@tamu.edu
Website:
https://it.tamu.edu/help/
Help Desk Central also offers CHAT support at hdc.tamu.edu via the yellow
Start Chat Now! icon. Please note that the Chat feature is only available 8:00
a.m.–11:59 p.m.
4.
Campus Network or LMS Outage
When access to Canvas is not available for an extended period of time (greater
than 5 hours), you can reasonably expect that the due date for assignments
will be changed to the next day.
Addendum
For the Addendum (which includes the Americans with Disabilities Act Policy, the Academic Integrity Statement and Policy, the Title IX and
Statement on Limits to Confidentiality, the Statement on Mental Health and
Wellness), please visit the full syllabus in Howdy!
|
