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BUSINESS LAW

LAWS 20000D

TERM ASSIGNMENT # 2 (worth 10% of Course Grade)

The Learning Outcomes of the Assignment:

1. Develop your reflective learning in the context of law

2. Demonstrate professional behaviours

The Task:

Reflective learning is part of the development of your critical thinking skills. Reflective learning involves taking a personal experience, looking at your initial gut reaction to it, and quietly thinking about that gut reaction. It then involves building linkages between that experience and other similar situations using your reasoning to test the strength of those linkages. Finally, it involves putting your thoughts out publicly to others, receiving their feedback, and thinking about how that feedback changes your initial thinking.

In this case, I am going to ask you to reflect on a public Facebook page posting by a university student who wrote, “I no longer fear Hell, I took a course with Professor [Smith].”[footnoteRef:1] [1: Quotation taken from G. Saad, “Student Criticizing Professors Online: A Right or a Violation?”]

Two or three students in each group are going to write a two-to-three-page double spaced statement discussing whether they think it is right that a student should be able to post such a public statement in writing or whether alternatively such an action is a violation of the professor’s rights. You may take either position, but you must take a position one way or the other and stay with it. You must provide two independent reasons to justify your position. This two to three-page document must be dropped into the drop box at 11:59 p.m. the night before the class one week after the assignment is distributed (i.e., 11:59 p.m. the night before class in week # 11). This portion will be marked out of 4 marks.

Then, the remainder of the students in each group will have until 11:59 p.m. the night before the next class (i.e., 11:59 p.m. the night before class # 12) to discuss the consequences of the position taken in the first part of the paper in terms of consequences for students, professors, and education at universities as a whole, and the consequences for other situations where these same rights come into play. In addition, the second part of the group will provide one positive comment about the content of the first part of the paper and one area where they think there could be improvement and why. This second part of the paper may be up to five pages in length, but no more.

The Marking of the Assignment:

Four marks will be allocated to the first part of the paper, evaluating how well you express a clear position on the issue and the quality of the two reasons you provide to justify your position.

Six marks will be allocated to the second part of the paper. Two will be allocated to how well you discuss the consequences for students, professors, and education at universities as a whole as well as to other situations where these same rights may arise and collide. Part of the grading for this will be on how insightful your discussion is on this aspect of the paper. Then two marks will be allocated for the quality of the discussion on the positive aspect of the first paper you identify and the area for improvement you identify, particularly in regard to your reasoning.

The Format of the Assignment :

As a group, please submit each part of the assignment in MS Word format, 8 ½ x 11-inch size paper with a font size of twelve. All answers should be in proper sentences and paragraphs with proper conventions on spelling and grammar (some marks will be deducted for poor spelling and grammar – up to 5%). The answers should be double-spaced, with first part no more than 3 pages in length and second part no more than five pages in length and follow APA format and style. Papers will exceed the page limits will be subject to mark reductions.

Remember that if you do use ideas from outside sources they must be properly cited or it is an academic offence and the group will be penalized accordingly.

Submission Deadlines:

The first part of the paper is due by electronic submission to the course drop box by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the night before the class in week # 11 of the course.

The second part of the paper is due by electronic submission to the course drop box by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the night before the class in week # 12 of the course.

Groups:

3 to 6 students in a group

You are free to note on the paper the section which you contributed with a line at the start and end of your part and your name underneath the second line.

Academic Offence to Discuss with People Outside of Group Members

The paper produced by this assignment is intended to be only the effort and work product of the group members. This means that you are NOT to discuss the paper’s contents with students outside of your group NOR look at the work of students outside of your group. If you do discuss the content or look at the content of students outside your group it is an academic offence, which will have serious consequences including a mark of zero for the assignment for all involved.

If you have any questions or concerns, then please direct them to the professor.