• Attendance. Conscientious class attendance and participation are expected and may be a plus-factor in final grades for the course. In the event of excessive absences or unprepareds, I may lower a grade or drop a student from the course. If you will be absent to observe a religious holiday, please let me know in advance by email or a note so it will not count as an absence.

"Excessive absence" defined: You may have three absences (i.e., the equivalent of six classes (two weeks) during the regular school year) without explanation or excuse (the first class counts, even if you were not then registered for the course).  After that, the only excuses that count are reasons that would excuse you from an exam: your extreme illness and a death in the immediate family.  If you know that you will miss classes because of a law review symposium, moot court competition, friend's out-of-town wedding, your own wedding, or the like, plan ahead and save a "free" absence for these events; they do not count as excuses once you have maxed out.  Late arrival ("tardy") = absence. 

• Schedule change.  I have conflicts on May 27 and June 15.  If we can move those classes to an earlier starting time -- say, 4:30 or 5 -- that would be great.  Otherwise, we'll need to schedule a makeup class or two, or extend the remaining classes by 5 or 10 minutes, or some combination of the two.   
   
• Beepers and Cell Phones.  My preference would be that you turn these off during class, out of respect for your classmates. If you must keep them on, however, please set them to "vibrate."
   
• Final Exam. The final exam will be on Tuesday, July 13, at 9:00 a.m. It will be a three-hour, open-book exam. You may bring into the exam room your assigned texts, all handouts, class notes, and any outline personally prepared by you (including any outline produced in collaboration with others in this class).
   
• Crosswords.  Every Friday, I will distribute a crossword puzzle based upon the week's reading assignments.  Sounds weird, I know, but students find these puzzles help a lot. They are due in class the following Tuesday, at which time I will distribute the completed puzzle (including clues).   Required for exam-takers and paper-writers alike.
   
• Paper Option.  You have the option of writing a paper that satisfies the law school's general writing requirement.  The paper should be 30-40 pages (text (double-spaced, with 1-inch margins all around) + footnotes (single-spaced)) on a topic I have approved in advance.  Some suggested paper topics are listed here.  WARNING: Staying current with class readings and writing a paper is no walk in the park!  If you choose the writing option, you are making a major time commitment.
  • Professional responsibility:
    • Before I will approve a topic, you must send me an e-mail stating that you have read and understand the contents of two essays posted on the Hamilton College Writing Center's web page: "Avoiding Plagiarism" and "Using Research Sources."
  • Deadlines:
    • Thursday, June 3, 12:00 p.m.: exercise your paper option by sending me an e-mail
    • Thursday, June 17, 12:00 p.m.: select your topic and obtain my approval by sending me an e-mail
    • Friday, July 30, 5:00 p.m.: papers are due (I prefer a Word file, attached to an e-mail; alternatively, place it in my mailbox, 2nd fl., Storey Hall)
  • Grading criteria:
    • Analysis - Do you have a thesis? How well is it stated and defended?  Purely descriptive papers are not welcome.
    • Research - Have you found the relevant cases, articles, and books?
    • Writing - Is the paper organized well and written in stylish, grammatical prose? Are citations in Blue Book form?
  • Opt-out option:
    • Anytime up until the last day of the semester, Friday, July 9, you may reconsider your decision to write a paper and take the final exam instead.  Just let me know by 5 p.m.

• Office Hours. I will have a signup sheet for office hours on my office door. Hours will be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (except as noted), as well as any other time you catch me in. You can also make an appointment by calling me (768-3767) or sending an e-mail.
  
  
• Listserv and Web Page.  It is essential that you register for the class listserv ("bioethics-mayo") by clicking here.  Also, most (if not all) handouts (as well as the syllabus and these guidelines) will be available only through the course Web page.  If you have any difficulty whatsoever accessing the Web, or downloading or printing out materials from the Web page, please contact me for assistance.

This page is the sole responsibility of Tom Mayo, not Southern Methodist University.
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Last updated: 23 July 2004