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fandomhigh2010-02-16 01:42 pm
glasses-justice.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2010-02-16 01:42 pm
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Concepts of Justice and The Law [Period 4, Class #7, Feb 16]
"Today," Alex said, "I have good news, and not-so-good news. The bad news out of the way first: today you'll be having a midterm exam."
"The good news is: you may use any of the notes you've taken in class so far. You may use any resource you've brought in with you, for that matter, so long as you do not ask for help from your classmates. No talking to your neighbors, no passing notes, and absolutely no collaborating on answers." She stopped there to look around the room and be sure that the students knew she was taking that point seriously. "Back on the good news side: this is not a hard exam. I'm not asking you to define terms -- any of the terms I use, I defined myself. The point of this class isn't whether or not you can correctly tell me what 'mens rea' is -- it's whether or not you understand how to apply it."
Alex tapped the stack of papers on her desk. "So these questions are largely asking you to come up with arguments on certain topics -- the ones we've covered thus far in the semester. Give a reason for it, and then, since the legal system exists in gray areas, give a reason against it. Find one example that fits, and another that doesn't. I'm not going to grade these harshly. I want to see if we're all on the same page, or if I need to back up and recover some old ground."
"When you're finished, you can stay, or you can leave, but do not talk to your classmates, even if you've both completed your exams. It might distract those who are still taking it. Any questions?"
If there weren't any, then Alex was going to start passing out their tests.
"The good news is: you may use any of the notes you've taken in class so far. You may use any resource you've brought in with you, for that matter, so long as you do not ask for help from your classmates. No talking to your neighbors, no passing notes, and absolutely no collaborating on answers." She stopped there to look around the room and be sure that the students knew she was taking that point seriously. "Back on the good news side: this is not a hard exam. I'm not asking you to define terms -- any of the terms I use, I defined myself. The point of this class isn't whether or not you can correctly tell me what 'mens rea' is -- it's whether or not you understand how to apply it."
Alex tapped the stack of papers on her desk. "So these questions are largely asking you to come up with arguments on certain topics -- the ones we've covered thus far in the semester. Give a reason for it, and then, since the legal system exists in gray areas, give a reason against it. Find one example that fits, and another that doesn't. I'm not going to grade these harshly. I want to see if we're all on the same page, or if I need to back up and recover some old ground."
"When you're finished, you can stay, or you can leave, but do not talk to your classmates, even if you've both completed your exams. It might distract those who are still taking it. Any questions?"
If there weren't any, then Alex was going to start passing out their tests.