administrative policies

Evaluation Policy

     There will be no in-class final examination.  Your grade will be based on a take-home examination, in a format to be determined.  You can elect to take the examination on any work day during the final examination period.  You must complete the examination within 24 hours after receipt of the examination.  Instructions will follow.

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. 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. students:

     LL.M. and M.L.S. 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. 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).

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 3-credit hour class, applying the ABA standard to the number of credits offered for this class, you are expected to spend 3 actual hours per week (180 minutes) in class. Outside of the classroom—for a 3-credit course—you should be spending, on average, a minimum of 7 hours (420 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!