Class Information & Administration

I
COURSE WEBSITE

As befits a class about electronic commerce, this course is built entirely around internet resources. The center of course activity is the course website, found at

http://www.law.upenn.edu/law619/

We will be using the “Fall 2001” area, which can be reached by following the links, or by using this direct URL: http://www.law.upenn.edu/law619/f2001/

In the Fall 2001 area, you will find the following main sections:

course calendar: topics to be covered, links to reading materials and Commentary Post assignments for each class session;
course syllabus: an outline of the topics covered by the course, with links to reading materials;
course discussion board: online discussion board system used for Commentary Posts, question & answer, and class discussion
course administration: general information about the course and grading, etc.

II
CLASS MEETINGS & ATTENDANCE

The class meets from 10:10 AM to 11:35 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 213. Attendance is mandatory, and though the roll is not formally taken, unexplained absences will be noted and considered as part of the class participation score (see “Grading System,” below). The class meetings are run according to a modified Socratic style; all students are expected (and assumed) to have read and considered the assigned reading materials.

III
TEXT AND COURSE MATERIALS

There is no text to purchase for the course. All class materials will be distributed online, through the class website. After the drop/add period has closed, copies of the course materials in printed form will be made available through the Law School distribution center for students’ convenience. The “official” class materials will be those found online, however.

IV
OFFICE HOURS & OUT-OF-CLASS INSTRUCTION

I strongly encourage students with out-of-class comments or questions to utilize the class discussion board system (see “Course Website,” above). Many students have similar questions and often have interesting views on the class topics. We can all benefit from hearing your comments and questions, and I will respond quickly to questions posted there.

An excellent way to reach me individually is via email (pwagner@law.upenn.edu). I will respond to all email inquiries as promptly as possible. My office phone number is 215.898.4356; however, the answering machine is quite unreliable.

For a more “face-to-face” experience, I will be available immediately after each class session for approximately 15-20 minutes to answer questions. In addition, I will hold a drop-in office hour from 1:30 to 2:30 PM on Tuesdays in my office, Roberts 212. I am also usually around the law school (mostly in my office) Mondays through Thursdays during business hours – if my office door is open, feel free to stop by. Or if you see me in the halls, stop me. I am also happy to set appointments for meetings at our mutual convenience.

V
GRADING & COURSE EVALUATION

Rather than assign the entire course evaluation to a final exam, the grades will be calculated according to the following formula:

Class participation: 15%
Commentary Posts: 15%
Take-home essay: 35%
Final exam: 35%

An explanation of each of these follows.

Class Participation
Informed and consistent class participation is essential to the success of this course. The class participation score will include equal consideration of both in-class participation and online participation (e.g., active and informed posting on the class discussion board system). Quality, not just quantity, is desired, and will be rewarded accordingly. Class meeting sessions are run in a modified Socratic style; all students are expected (and assumed) to have read and considered the assigned reading materials.

Commentary Posts
Commentary Posts are short required posts to the class discussion board, assigned to several students per class on a rotating basis (each student will be assigned two Commentary Posts over the semester). See the separate page on Commentary Posts for more information.

Take-Home Essay
Approximately two weeks prior to the end of the term, one essay question will be assigned. The responses will be due on the first day of the exam period, and may be completed in conjunction with up to two other students. The essay will be blind graded (you’ll identify your essay by your exam number only).

Final Exam
During the exam period, an in-class exam will be given. The exam will have a multiple choice format and be open-book. The length is TBD, but will probably be one or two hours long.

If you have questions or comments, please contact me at pwagner@law.upenn.edu.

C O P Y R I G H T   ©   2001   R.   P O L K   W A G N E R.