Announcements and Comments
POL 462
Spring 2007
Spring Break for this semester is the week of March 12th.
5 January 2007
Several students have indicated that they could not get the O'Brien casebook at University Bookstore. The Casebook IS THERE. There are several copies on the shelf and if it is empty, then ask a clerk, there are more copies in the backroom.
10 January 2007
It is very rare that I suggest students watch a Television program. However, there appears to be a 2 part series on the Supreme Court that will be broadcast on PBS stations this coming Wednesday (January 31) and the following Wednesday (February 7). It will be broadcast at 9 pm EST. This will present, among other things, something of an interview with the current Chief Justice, John Roberts, and retired Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. My impression is that this program may be heavily historical, which is less interesting than a glimpse of the current court and its operation. However, it is likely to contain some information that you may find useful. I suggest you watch the program.
29 January 2007
The Final Examination Schedule has been posted. The Final is scheduled for Thursday, May 3, at 10:20 am in LWSN B151. So plan that into your Spring Schedule. The actual Final Examination and its arrangement or structure will be determined later in the Semester.
20 February 2007
N.B.
Lynn Smith from LexisNexis will be here for training Wed. Mar 21st from 2-4 in room G959 of the undergraduate library. If you or any students want to register contact Rebecca Richardson, the Libraries Staff Development coordinator at rar@purdue.edu
Although this training session requires pre-registration and a commitment on your part, it will serve you very well for purposes of this course. I strongly recommend it to you.
2 March 2007
Some notes on writing in this course:
The quality of work students are generally submitting for their “daily” paragraphs is not good. This is probably due to the speed with which most students prepare these assignments. This means either a few minutes before class or last the night before class, students sit down and dash something off. That does not produce good and clear writing. (That also does not help the grade on these items.) Stop, and slow down. You need to think before your write and that may be the fundamental problem with much of the writing at this stage in the semester. It seems that several items may contribute to that low level of quality.
First, students are not reading and grasping the cases carefully or even correctly. It is very difficult to write well if you do not know what you want to say, or what you want to say is wrong. If you do understand the case correctly, then you do have to think a little before you write the paragraph.
Second, many students do not write clearly and carefully. Most of the sentences or paragraphs make very little sense. The work appears to be carelessly written, using incorrect words or reflecting poor word choice. That covers the thinking or the idea with muck. It is quite clear that few students ever read over or correct what they have written.
There are several general features of many paragraphs that indicate these kinds of problems. For example, a number of students pay no attention to correct facts in the cases. There are numerable mistakes in paragraphs regarding verb tense. (If you begin the paragraph stating “the Court held,” that is past tense and the rest of the paragraph should be written in the past tense.) Many sentences are a bunch of dependent clauses – so many that the student never gets to the point of the paragraph. In other cases the sentences are filled with cumbersome or wrong words. Another example is the frequently awkward statement that something “was not in violation of” some provision of the Constitution. How much clearer the phrase “did not violate” would be in this context. Rather than “was in violation of”, try the word “violated.” If you are writing in the present tense then something “does not violate” or “violates” a provision of the Constitution.
Writing is a crucial intellectual process that many pay little attention to doing well. That is a mistake because if you do not write clearly and correctly, then your thinking comes out looking incomplete, wrong, unclear, or worse. So write clearly! I strongly recommend that every class member consult the Writing Lab here on campus and learn the difference between Passive and Active Voice. Then, always write only in the Active Voice.
I recently encountered an author who wrote an entire book on writing. His summary is really the heart of what I expect each and every student to do in this course:
Write simply, plainly, and clearly. Use plain words and not fancy words – especially when you’re not sure what the fancy words mean. Avoid vague words and jargon. Plan your writing. Think about what you mean, and choose your words carefully. Don’t just dump a pile of hackneyed phrases onto the page. If you’re not sure about the spelling or a usage, look it up. Read what you’ve written. Edit it and polish it. Work hard to be sure that your meaning is so clear that no reader can possibly misunderstand you.
R.L. Trask, Say What You Mean! A Troubleshooter’s Guide to English Style and Usage (Godine, 2001) at xviii.
5 April 2007
Since I have no clue what day it is or how much time we really have left, I miss calculated. As a result we do have enough meetings and time left to cover Sections C Libel, D Commercial Speech, and one other small section. I chose E Freedom of the Press. So instead of only covering one section of O'Brien's chapter (the majority of the Class selected Section C), we will cover Sections C, D, and E in the remaining time in the semester. Check the writing assignment page for the cases you should prepare paragraphs on during the next two weeks.
12 April 2007
Office Hours
In case students have questions relating to the course, I will hold office hours on SATURDAY, April 21, from 9:00 AM until 12:00 (noon) in my office.
19 April 2007
Finals Week
Office Hours
In case students have questions relating to the Final Exam, I will hold office hours during Finals Week on Tuesday from 8:00 to 11:30 AM, and I will also hold office hours at Harry's Tuesday afternoon, (1 May 2007) from 1:30 to 3:30 PM. Then again, I will hold Office Hours in my office Wednesday May 2, from 8:30 to 11:30.
26 April 2007