High Tech to Low Space

It's not just laptops that have invaded the classroom. My law school classes are filled with technology. Many of my professors lecture using PowerPoint presentations which are then posted online.

In one class, we are required to post three "substantative" comments on the class's private web page. You are also responsible for any updates to the syllubus which can only be accessed online. The law school still insists you aren't "required" to have a computer but the only way I can see to get around that is to be better at ESP than the Amazing Kreskin.

Two of my classes require the use of a clicker. This is an electronic devise that looks like a small TV remote control. It's registered to you personally. You bring it to class where it electronically records your presence. Professors can also use it to ask a question and display the class results. It's like what happens when they poll the audience on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Of course, rather than asking about characters on the Simpsons, we get questions covering the dense required reading. The professor knows your clicker number so, like Santa, he can track who's been naughty (not being prepared) and who's been nice (who actually slogged through the four hours of material required for each 90 minute class.)

Today in my Con Law class, I had a big techno-shock. My name and clicker number flashed up on the screen behind my professor. That meant it was my turn, out of 60 students, to answer orally whatever set of questions my professor felt like asking. This turned out to be how the Founding Fathers thought about sovereignty as illustrated in the Articles of the Confederation. (Lucky me!) For not looking like a complete idiot in class, my classmates actually congratulated me afterwards.

In my last class today, the professor was forced to send around another seating chart because the one we filled in last week had too many errors. It's a good thing law school students have that technology thing down, because we are definitely flunking spacial relations.

Getting to Insanity: Second Semester Law School

The biggest challenge for law school students the first day back seems to be the seating chart.

Professors pass a diagram of the classroom around, asking students to write their names where they are seated. (You also need to make a separate note for yourself of exactly where you are as this will be your seat assignment for that class for the entire semester.)

This is likely to be the first thing on the agenda. While law school students may be quite smart in other areas, it takes us forever to figure out how that piece of paper relates to our three-dimensional classroom and write our name on the proper space. In one class, in a diagram which included the podium and all of our seats, we actually filled in the wrong spaces and had to start over halfway around the room. I bet this doesn’t happen in the graduate program in architecture.

My first class this semester was Property where we discussed how Property really isn’t really about property. So what is Property about? Property is about relationships! I may be quite fond of some of my property, but even I don’t consider that a relationship. Actually, Property is about the relationships of people with interests in the property. And by property, we don’t really mean property. Property could be membership in the Boy Scouts, which in one court case was a determined to be a “place.” (Don’t you just love law school?)

Actually, I mostly do. As one of my friends said, “Law school would be fun if only there wasn’t so MUCH of it.”

And there is A LOT of it. For example, I had 100 pages of reading to do before my first Constitutional Law class. Guys like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton are not exactly a quick read, either. While the Constitution was part of the assigned reading, we still need to bring a copy of it with us to every class for reference. I find it’s easiest just to keep my copy in backpack. Nothing makes you feel like more of a legal nerd than going everywhere with your own personal copy of the Constitution. Of course, this is much better than hauling around my Con Law textbook. It is 5 inches thick, costs $150 and weighs more than five pounds.

I have two continuing classes from last semester: a survey course with the Dean and Legal Writing. In Legal Writing, we were each assigned sides in a case, either representing a school for the blind or the City. I was happy to get the school until I read the pleadings and depositions and found I REALLY agreed with the City. I’m stuck making the case for the blind. This probably happens a lot in real life too.

I am also taking Administrative Law. Today in class our topic was “How Laws are Created.” I thought that meant the stuff from the Schoolhouse Rock Song, “I’m Just a Bill.” http://www.school-house-rock.com/Bill.html. But as we only had 90 minutes, we didn’t get around to bills. We really only got to who could create laws, like judges or lawmakers, barely finishing the seating chart by class end!

In my Criminal Law class, the professor told us it was her “goal this semester to reach insanity.” I looked at the syllabus. The last unit is “Exculpation: Insantity.” Actually, it is sort of one of my goals NOT to reach insanity. But with this semester, we’ll see.

Almost Famous

http://lawlibnews.blog.asu.edu/2009/01/20/450/

Christmas 2008

Photo: Saori and Alec stretch out.

It didn’t take me long to get right into the swing of inactivity after finals. I’ve not read anything more complicated than a novel whose main character is a former hairdresser named “Bubbles."

I got to spend Christmas at my sister’s house which was perfectly designed for “the gangs all here to go skiing.” It even comes equipped with an adorable mountain dog and a hot tub with a canyon view.

While I only had two days to do all my Christmas shopping, I did manage to find something for me--a full-length cashmere robe, marked down from $400 to $50 at Nordstrom’s Rack. Despite the fact it’s beige and makes me look like a Jedi from Star Wars (Episode 3), I had to buy it. It is just that soft and wonderful.

While Salt Lake was beautifully draped in fresh snow, the skiing was a mixed bag. The first day, the snow was perfect. All that powder made even a bad skier like me look good. I felt like an Olympic Champion as I shushed my way down the green trails. Unfortunately, the afternoon turned bitterly cold and I headed inside. I discovered I am not only a fair weather SCUBA diver, I am now a fair weather skier too.

My brother-in-law commented that in Salt Lake, the weather was almost a class issue. People who can afford to go skiing were very happy with more snowfall. The folks who can’t afford it, see only more shoveling. So expressing glee at more snow might get you branded as an elitist snob.

At my sister’s request, I had brought Christmas stockings for my family. I had to purchase new ones as the lovely beaded velvet ones I’d bought for 75% off at the After Christmas sale at The One in Abu Dhabi had bled all over each other. I had found some less fancy replacements at Target where I had to FORCE myself to pay full price. I knew these would be 75% off after Christmas, but I needed them now.

I love my Christmas decorations, basically because they are all souvenirs. Not too many people use a Hand of Fatima or a miniature carved Ecuadorean lion mask as ornaments, but I think they look great.

I was so busy with finals this year, however, that I did not have time to put up a tree. I compromised by decorating a garland with my twinkly white lights and selected ornaments. It was kind of a Christmas triage. I made time to drag out my hand-painted Russian Father Christmases but the lovely gold Chinese cloisonné ornaments had to spend the holiday in the boxes.

But today it’s all going back in the boxes. Christmas, while great, is over, and I’m now left to deal with no heat, a totaled car and traffic school. (It’s always something.)

Happy New Year!

Photo: David on Christmas morning.