Course FAQ

• Solove & Schwartz, Information Privacy Law (Aspen, 4th ed. 2012) (“CB”). 
• Supplemental readings available in “Documents” section of courseware site.

Class Schedule

• Class will not meet on the following days:
  
• • Thursday, Oct. 18;
    
  • Thursday, Oct. 25;
    
  • Thursday, Nov. 8
• We will make up the cancelled classes by extending the length of six other classes. Each extended class will meet from 1:20 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. All extended classes will meet in our usual room (McDonough 437):
• • Tues. & Thurs., Sept. 11 & 13
  • Tues. & Thurs., Sept. 25 & 27
  • Thurs., Nov. 15 & Tues., Nov. 20
• Please note that the reading assignments for the extended classes will be longer, so that we can cover the same material that we would have read using the original class schedule.

• Office hours are Mondays, 2-4 p.m., and other times by appointment. My office is McDonough 410.
• You can reach me at 202-662-9871 or via e-mail (jec at....)

Faculty Assistant

• [TBD], 202-662-9401, McDonough 4th floor across from Room 404.

• In general, your course grade will be based on your midterm and your final exam. However, as explained below, I will make adjustments to your course grade in the following circumstances:
• • Failure to post the required discussion memo by the applicable deadline: Downward adjustment of one-half grade.
  • Class participation of extraordinarily high quality: Upward adjustment of one-half grade.

• A midterm exam, which will count for 30% of your grade, will be administered on a self-scheduled basis on Thurs., Oct. 25, and Fri., Oct. 26.
• The midterm must be downloaded and submitted using the Online Exam/Paper Management System. The midterm link will become active at 8:30 a.m. on Thurs., Oct 25. You will have three and one-half hours from the time you download the midterm to complete it and upload your answers. However, your midterm must be uploaded by 5:00 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 26.Therefore, if you download the midterm after 1:30 p.m. on Friday, you will have less time.
• The midterm will consist of six short answer questions covering the material in the first half of the course.
• Your completed midterm should be 1800-2000 words, or about 7-8 double-spaced pages. Answers exceeding the word limit will be marked down by half a grade for every 50 words over the limit.

• The final exam, which will count for 70% of your grade, will be an eight-hour take-home exam on Weds. Dec. 12. 
• The exam will consist of: (1) a set of six short answer questions covering the material in the second half of the course (30% of grade); and (2) a selection of essay questions on topics drawn from the entire course, from which you should answer whichever one of the questions you prefer (40% of grade).
  
• In total, your exam may not exceed 4000 words. Answers exceeding the word limit will be marked down by half a grade for every 50 words over the limit.

Discussion Memos

• What: During the semester, each of you will be required to post one short (<300 words), informal “discussion leader” memo. The memo should discuss some issue(s) relevant to the assigned readings for the next day’s class meeting and pose some questions for class discussion.
• Where: Please post your memo in the “Discussion” section of the courseware site, in the folder that corresponds to the appropriate unit of the syllabus.
• When:  Memos must be posted by 8 p.m. (Eastern time) on the day before the class for which they are assigned. On Thursday, Sept. 6, I will distribute and post on the courseware site a list with the memo assignments for each remaining class meeting.  The first memos will be posted for Class 3, which meets on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
• Why: The memos help me to determine which issues you find most compelling and which issues may require more class time for clarification. They also give you a different kind of opportunity to be heard in class (which in turn helps me get to know you a little better). Please treat your classmates’ memos as part of the course reading assignment for that day.
• Effect on Grade: The memos will not be graded. A memo will affect your grade only if you fail to post it by the required time. Failure to post a memo by the applicable deadline will reduce your course grade by half a grade. If you foresee that you will be unable to post your memo on the appointed day, you may arrange a trade with another member of the class. However, I must be notified of all trades at least 24 hours before the memo is to be posted. If you experience technical difficulties when trying to post, please notify me by e-mail or voicemail, and please post your memo as soon as possible.

Class Participation

• While much class participation will be voluntary, some class participation will be conducted on a random on-call basis. I consider class participation important practice for fielding questions from supervisors, clients, and judges. I appreciate that being questioned in class is not always the most enjoyable experience. Please know that my intent is to have a thoughtful conversation among reasonable adults. I encourage you to take the time you need to reflect while answering, and to ask for clarification as needed.
• In my discretion, I will grant upward adjustments of half a grade for class participation of extraordinarily high quality.