GBG 364 - CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
William J. Boklund,
Judge, LaPorte Superior Court No. 4
300 Washington St., Suite 116
Superior Courthouse
Michigan City, IN
46360
(219) 326-6808 Ext. 750
Email:
bboklund@pnc.edu (contact if problems)
Homepage:
Boklund.org
( http://faculty.purduenc.edu/bbk/ )
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
and CLASS POLICIES
1.
EXAMINATIONS - There will be a
minimum of two examinations consisting of some true/false questions, some multiple
choice or short answer questions, and perhaps one essay problem. There may be
times when we will deviate from this format, but not without notice. Surprise
quizzes may be given from time to time if it appears that people are not
reading the assigned materials. Exams may be take home and will be graded on a
curve.
2.
MOCK CASE PRESENTATIONS - At times
during the semester, we may hold one or more mock case presentations. These
exercises may consist of a mock trial, negotiation, or appellate argument, or
such other exercise as may be developed by the instructor. The purpose of these
exercises is not to "win at any price," but to develop and exhibit an
understanding of the subject matter of the presentation.
3. YOUR THOUGHTS - In Constitutional Law, perhaps moreso than in any
other area of law, your thought process and reasoning are sometimes more
important than your result. Every
established doctrine of Consitutional Law was borne of an original thought or
way of looking at things. Do not be
afraid to challenge conventional thinking when you analyze the Constitution as
applied to facts presented.
4. ATTENDANCE - The law requires that attendance records be kept, and
Purdue University also requires attendance. In order to remain eligible for
certain financial aid, you must attend.
If you must miss a class, do one of the following:
A. let me know the week before if you know of the
absence in time,
B. email me a note informing me of
the absence
C.
or if it is an emergency, call the Department of Business and leave a message
with the division secretary
stating
your reason for absence. I sometimes lower grades based upon nonattendance
because attendance is necessary if satisfactory performance is desired.
Examinations also cover materials not in the text but covered in class.
All
matters relative to attendance, including making up of work missed, are matters
for arrangement between you and me. It is your responsibility to make those
arrangements. It is not possible for me
to teach you in five minutes what we discussed for three hours in the class you
missed. It is up to you to make the arrangements with me to address this
problem if you can before it occurs. I will try to help you as best I can, but
I cannot attempt to re-teach the session that you missed. If you know you are
going to miss a class, you can make arrangements with a fellow student or with
someone in this Department to tape record the lecture if you so desire. If not,
perhaps a fellow student will share notes or insights with you. I will be happy
to give you a brief overview, but that is about all that time will permit me to
do.
Students
who fail to meet their class engagements satisfactorily may be denied credit
for exercises missed. After the beginning of the tenth week of classes,
students must receive grades in their courses. Discontinued attendance does not
mean withdrawal from a course. If you stop coming to class and do not withdraw,
you will fail.
5.
CLASS PARTICIPATION - Class
Participation is required. Although each specific instance of participation is
not graded, a person who participates actively and constructively can better
his or her grade by as much as a letter grade. Class participation is a
positive factor. No one will be graded down for not participating provided that
someone is participating constructively. You will not get as much out of the
class if you do not participate.
6.
QUESTIONS - There is no such thing
as a stupid question. Sometimes what appears to be a stupid question starts a
lively and informative discussion. If you think your question is too dumb to
ask in class, ask me during the break or after class.
7.
OFFICE HOURS - I have no office at
PNC, and I have a full time day job that takes up most of my time. However, I am available for questions during
the break (if we have one) or before or after class. If your problem is too
involved to resolve during the break or after class, email me. Sometimes putting it in writing helps both
of us. I that does not work, call the
number listed above and make an appointment to see me at my office. If you call
my office, identify yourself as a student. Usually, the best time to reach me
Tuesday morning, but that depends upon the week.
8.
IF LOST, TALK TO ME - If after
several weeks of class, you continue to be lost, let me know. Constitutional
Law is a difficult, sometimes obtuse subject.
The feelings you experience in learning it might resemble the experience
of an ant crawling over a mosaic. At first the ant sees only a series of
colors. After a while, those colors will become a picture. Hopefully, after a
while the picture will appear for you as well. If not, let's talk. I might be
able to help.
9.
POWERPOINT. You
will be required to prepare and present a powerpoint drawn from your
paper topic. This may make your blood
run cold, but it is my responsibility to help give you the tools to succeed in
that cold, cruel market place. One of
those tools is the ability to communicate your ideas to your audience. Some of you may find yourselves pursuing
advanced degrees. If you write a
thesis, you will be required to defend it.
In
this assignment, you will not be "defending" your paper. You will merely be presenting it in a visual
manner. Your powerpoint will last
approximately 15 minutes, which, believe it or not, is an incredibly short time
with powerpoint. If you are unfamiliar
with the program, I will help you. I
like to think that I can do anything with powerpoint. :)
If
you are one of those students who likes to get a jump on your subject (you
should be applauded for that), you probably suspect that this powerpoint became
a requirement at the last minute. You
would be right.
10. WHERE TO FIND THE STUFF YOU NEED:
A: The book. Amazing, huh?
B: The "Basic Files" program: In that
little gem you will find every important source of general information you need
concerning this class. It is easy to
find, easy to install, easy to use, and easy to get rid of after you have
completed this course. I will update it
periodically as we go through this semester, so you may want to check with me
at times. You can find it on my
webpages complete with installation and downloading instructions.
C: The Internet: Hardly
anyone today has never surfed the internet.
A simple word search can turn up something about any subject. Some of what you will find is junk. But some of what you will find is
valuable.
(1): Google or any other search engine - It
is an excellent starting point on any legal issue.
(2): Wikipedia - It is another excellent
STARTING POINT. I say starting point
because much of the information contained therein has not been documented or substantiated. Much of it is mere opinion. Even so, it can give you a jump-start on
research. Because of the foregoing,
Wikipedia is NOT A LEGITIMATE REFERENCE for any paper or other project.
D,
and perhaps best: I know this is crazy, but I'm going to say
it anyway - a library. There is no more
pleasant place to read, study or just chill than a library. There are a lot of good books written about
Constitutional Law and its subcategories.
Sometimes, if you cannot find the book you want in a library in this
area, you may find that you can purchase a used version of it for $1 plus the
price of shipping at Amazon.com or another web bookstore. If you really like a subject, that is a good
way to build your own library.
11.
THINGS TO AVOID
A.
ASKING THE INSTRUCTOR FOR FREE LEGAL ADVICE rather than seeking the resolution of a legal issue arising out of the
class readings or discussions.
B.
NOT READING THE MATERIAL ASSIGNED.
Often I test over readings assigned but not covered in class discussion. I can
be pretty devious.
C.
NON-CONSTRUCTIVE PARTICIPATION. Need
I say more?
D.
MISSING TOO MANY CLASSES. Tests
cover class discussion as well as the readings. If you must miss class, make
arrangements to learn what was covered during the session you missed. Do not
ask me to teach you in five minutes what we spent three hours on the week
before-- I'd be offended.
12.
SUGGESTIONS
A. TAKE GOOD NOTES: Write down every major idea covered in class. It is better to write
down too much than not enough.
B. DEVELOP A NOTEHAND: Develop abbreviations and symbols for certain words
that are commonly used in discussing law, for example, the symbols placed on
the board by the instructor.
C. COPY WHATEVER IS WRITTEN OR DRAWN ON THE BOARD OR
BULLETED IN A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION:
Whenever the instructor illustrates a concept by drawing or writing on the
blackboard, copy what is written or drawn. The illustrations can be helpful and
are placed there more for their importance and less for the drawing practice
such an exercise provides the instructor.
If the instructor believes that something in a Powerpoint presentation
is important, generally he will give you some indication to that effect.
D. BRING A TAPE RECORDER TO CLASS: In my occupation, almost everything that I say at
work is recorded. I am not shy about being recorded, and it could help fill in
the gaps. The only thing I ask is that
you let me know if you are going to record.