Part of your grade will be based on your participation in class.
At the end of the semester, you will write an evaluation of your
participation, which I will use to determine how many of the 50
points available you will get.
Obviously, you will actually need to have
participated in the class to get points for your submission. Just
saying it doesn’t make it so!
Below are the activities that qualify as class
participation and the maximum points you could receive for each.
Being in class and being prepared. Maximum 10 points
for entire semester
This means being on time to class and remaining
until the end of class. Scheduling other activities during class will
be counted against your points in this section. You should also be sure
you have signed the roll the day it was passed. Being prepared means
having your notes open as the lecture begins, having class materials
printed from the Web page and attempting to answer questions posed to
you during class.
I will rely on my records for this part of the class
participation.
Asking thoughtful questions in class.
Maximum 10 points for entire
semester
I will never intentionally embarrass a student who
asks a question in class, and I encourage all questions, but for the
question to count as class participation, it should reflect thought
about the subject being discussed. Relevant personal experience can
also be counted for this activity. Longwinded questions are not the
equivalent of thoughtful questions and can, on occasion, be just the
opposite.
You will need to keep a record of the substance of the
questions you asked for this part.
Organizing and making worthwhile
contributions to exam study groups
outside of class. Max. 20 points for entire semester
I will need e-mailed documentation from each person
who wants credit, for each exam,
stating who was in the group and what you did to organize or contribute
to helping others understand the material. Send these no more than
one week
after each exam (except for the last exam; send that the day of the
exam).
Participating in certain law-related
activities outside class.
2-10
points per activity, no maximum
I will inform you of eligible activities via e-mail.
For each activity, you must submit a typed page of at least 250 words
about “Three things I learned” from the activity. What you write should
reflect the substance of the activity – not that the seats were
uncomfortable or that the speaker was “cute.” In addition, your paper
must be free of grammar and spelling errors. The activities could be
lectures, television shows, radio reports, online discussions and the
like. In addition, you will receive points for participating in the
mock jury trial at the law school.
I will inform you of that
opportunity via e-mail and will pass around a sign-up sheet in class.
All outside-class activities must be approved by me in
advance if I’m
not the one to suggest them. If you think of one, let me know in time
to let the entire class have the same opportunity.
For each activity, you must hand in
the “Three things” within a week of the activity. I’ll mark it with the
number of points you will receive and will return it to you.
Participating in certain in-class activities,
maximum about 15 (depends on the semester)
These are activities done in class, usually after lecture, that
promote understanding of the material.
I will have these points recorded and I will return the papers to
you so you can claim the points.
Remember that 50 points is the maximum
you will
receive for this part of the course, even if you earn more than 50
points.