Policies Related to Courses

Academic Integrity

Cheating on examinations, plagiarism and/or improper acknowledgment of sources in essays or research papers, and the use of a single essay or paper in more than one course, without the permission of the instructor, constitute unacceptable academic conduct. Student work may be checked by plagiarism detection software. A student who is suspected of violating this rule will be directed to the Dean of Students, who will arrange a hearing before the Law School’s Administrative/Disciplinary Committee to determine if the charges have merit and consider appropriate sanctions. The sanctions may include a grade of “F” in the course, suspension, enforced withdrawal, dismissal from the Law School, or appropriate lesser penalties if warranted by the circumstances.

Classroom Etiquette

Students are encouraged to ask questions during class. Questions are helpful to the learning process for all. However, instructors may defer answers to questions until after class or to the next class in the interests of time or for other reasons. Learning is a collaborative process. To increase the prospect that all students will learn in a comfortable environment, the instructor expects you to be in class on time, treat each other with respect, and avoid distractions from the subject matter at hand. To that end, students may bring and use your laptops for class-related purposes only. Students may not use the Internet for any purpose without the instructor’s express permission. All cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off.

Teaching Methods

Instructors will use different teaching methods throughout the course. They will provide guidance on the material, engage in a question and answer format to highlight and analyze important points in text and supplementary materials, and have students work on problems. Instructors will expect students to have extracted the law (and any policy motivating the law) in advance of class in order to use some of class time applying what students have mastered from the reading to new factual settings. This method gives students an opportunity to engage in a process that attorneys employ every day. At various points in the course, the instructor will have students work with other classmates, just as graduates will one day regularly discuss legal issues with their colleagues.