INTRODUCTION TO PARALEGAL STUDIES PLG 101 Issue #

Course Description and Objectives

What’s in this syllabus

Course Description and Objective 1

Textbook 1

Prof. Attitude and Attendance 1

Absences 2

Course Goals 2

Why Take This Course 2

Assignments 3

Turn It In 3

Course Grades and Letter Grades 3

In Class Presentment 3

Academic Dishonesty 4

Emergency Management Plan 5

Accommodations 5

Time Expectations 5

Cell Phones and Electronic Device 5

Introduction to Paralegal

Studies PLG 101

Fall 2014

Monday 6:30-9:15

Humanities H102

TEXT BOOK

Course Description: This course will cover the role and function of the paralegal profession. The topics studied include paralegal responsibility, ethics, research, structure of the legal system, including federal and state courts, legislatures, and administrative agencies. Basic procedures in civil and criminal cases are studied. 3 CREDITS

Introduction to the Law

By WALSTON-DUNHAM

EDITION: 6TH

Professional Attitude and Attendance

People who work in the legal profession are expected to display a

professional attitude. As this class is to prepare you for a legal

career, 5% of your grade will be professional attitude as a college

student. This grade will be based on classroom participation,

attendance, being on time and staying until the end of class, as well as

participation in group discussions, focus on classroom lectures, and

evading the temptation to pull out your phone during class. Students

are responsible for reading the course material prior to class and

should be prepared to discuss the material the day of lecture.

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COURSE GOALS

Provide a general understanding of the paralegal role in the legal profession.

Develop foundational knowledge of the U.S. government and court system.

Learn how to read and brief a legal case.

Gain a basic understanding of each area of the law.

Hone basic analytical skills and critical understanding of legal concepts.

Absences: Please do not miss class. Class is not only wonderful, but you are

paying for it. You will get the most out of the class by showing up. If you miss a class, you are responsible for getting any notes from Canvas and a classmate. If an assignment or reading material is distributed on

a night you miss class, it is your responsibility to check Canvas and download anything you missed. If an assignment is due in a class that you have missed and your absence is excused, you are responsible for turning in your assignment the following day and any documentation

regarding your absence. If your absence is unexcused, your assignment will be graded accordingly.

Excused Absences: It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor prior to class that they will not be there and why via e-mail.

An excused absence is based on the following:

• Illness with documentation of illness from a health care professional provided the following class.

• Death of a family member with documentation of a funeral card provided the following class.

Unexcused Absences: Everything Else

Why Take This Course?

Chances are you are here because you have some interest in the law. You may be interested in pursuing a career as a paralegal. You may have a long term goal of going to law school. This course will give you a broad overview of many different areas of the law. More importantly this course will challenge your way of thinking so you begin to analyze and look at things differently. This course will introduce you to “thinking like a lawyer”.

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Assignments will be posted on canvas and must be turned in through Canvas.

*Late assignments will be docked 10% per twenty four hour period, so by 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 10% off, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 20% points off, etc. You will receive credit when it is received via Canvas.

Course Grades:

Assignments 15%

Test I 15%

Test II 15%

Final Exam (cumulative) 20%

In Class Case Presentment 5%

Court Observation Exercise and

Presentation 10%

Appellate Assignment 5%

Attend & Prof. 5%

Quizzes 10%

Letter Grades:

90-100% = A

80-90% = B

70-80% = C

60-70% = D

<60% = F

Cases, or case summaries, will distributed to students throughout the semester. All students are expected to read the cases. Two will be assigned to each case with one student will be assigned the role of the defendant, the other the State. Each will be called upon to answer questions about the facts of the case, their argument, the reasoning of the court, and the ultimate ruling. Points will be assigned based on the student’s

level of preparedness, ability to answer questions, and understanding of the legal argument. Depending on how quickly we get through the material each student may have the ability to present multiple cases. If you have an unexcused absence on the day you are assigned to present a case you will be awarded zero points.

TURNITIN

All assignments will be checked through turnitin. Turn it in is a software that checks for plagiarism. There is an option for students to check their own work for originality and students are encouraged to use this tool.

Assignments

In Class Presentment

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Academic misconduct is

prohibited and may result in

disciplinary action. Attempts to

commit acts of academic

dishonesty or encouraging or

assisting others to commit such

acts are prohibited and may be

punished to the same extent as if

one had committed the prohibited

behavior.

Definition: Academic dishonesty

includes, but is not limited to, the

following:

1. Cheating on examinations

2. Plagiarism, the representing

of another’s ideas or writing as

one’s own, including but not

limited to:

a. Presenting all or part of

another person’s work as

something one has written;

b. Paraphrasing or

summarizing another’s

writing without proper

acknowledgement;

c. Representing another’s

artistic or technical work or

creation as one’s own.

3. Willingly collaborating with

others in any of the above

action(s) which result(s) in

work being submitted which is

not the student’s own.

4. Stealing examinations,

falsifying academic records,

and other such offenses.

5. Submitting work previously

presented in another course

without permission of the

instructor.

6. Unauthorized duplication of

computer software.

7. Unauthorized use of

copyrighted or published

material.

Disciplinary Action: If, based on

substantial evidence, a student is

deemed guilty of academic

dishonesty, the college may

initiate disciplinary action as

follows:

1. The student may be required to

repeat the assignment or the

examination.

2. The student may be given a

failing grade for the assignment or

the examination.

3. The student may be given a

failing grade for the course.

4. The student may be suspended

or dismissed from the college.

Bottom Line: Plagiarism and

cheating have no place in a

community of scholars. Have the

confidence in yourself to give

your original best.

FAMOUS CHEATERS

Charles Ponzi

Charles Ponzi promised clients a 50% profit within 45 days, or 100% profit within 90 days, by buying discounted postal reply coupons in other countries and redeeming them at face value in the United States as a form of arbitrage. In reality, Ponzi was paying early investors using the investments of later investors. This type of scheme is now known as a "Ponzi scheme". His scheme ran for over a year before it collapsed, costing his "investors" $20 million

Bernard Madoff Bernie Madoff, 71, was sentenced to 150 years in prison after admitting to scamming thousands of investors out of billions of dollars in a Ponzi Scheme.

Academic Dishonesty

November 17, 2014

Last day to drop a course with a "W" grade,

including fall interim. Last day to change a course

from credit to audit.

INTRODUCTION TO PARALEGAL STUDIES PLG 101 | Issue # 5

In the event that Chesapeake College needs to close for an extended period of time due to a flu pandemic, severe weather event or other emergency situation, consideration will be given to the timing and duration of the closure as follows:

1. Closure during the semester for up to one week – there will be an opportunity to make up work missed without significant alteration to the semester calendar.

2. Closure extending beyond one week (or in situations where classes are cancelled on the same days/evenings over multiple weeks) – the College may extend the length of the semester. Depending on the timing of the closure, scheduled breaks, end of semester dates, and/or the processing of final grades might be impacted.

Students can acquire information about closures on the College website or by calling 410-822-5400 or 410-228-4360. Chesapeake College courses held at off campus sites will follow the protocol of the host facility.

Accommodations Students with Disabilities seeking services or accommodations through Chesapeake College must disclose the need for these services or accommodations to the Office of Disability Services. Given sufficient notice and proper documentation, the College will provide reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids, and related services required by persons with disabilities to allow access to our programs and services, if it is not an undue burden to do so. Students requiring accommodations are urged to submit requests at least 14 days in advance of the need to use them. To be eligible for academic accommodations through Chesapeake College, a student must have a documented disability as defined by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. For information on eligibility, contact: Judy Gordon Developmental Studies Case Manager/ADA Coordinator jgordon@chesapeake.edu. Phone: (410) 827-5805 FAX: (410)827-5233.

Time Expectations

Students are expected to do a minimum of two hours of work outside of class for every hour in class. Some assignments may require more time.

Cell Phones and Electronic Devices

Cell phones can be very disruptive during class but I understand there are emergency situations where somebody may need to make contact with a student. Accordingly, cell phones should be off or on vibrate during class. This is for emergencies only and if it becomes disruptive cell phones may be banned from class all together. Texting during class is not acceptable. If a cell phone goes off during class for a call or text thereby disrupting the educational environment, the offending owner will beg forgiveness from his or her colleagues by buying a dozen donuts, pizza or other acceptable treat for the next time the class meets. Cell phones must be off and inactive during tests.

Emergency Management Plan

INTRODUCTION TO PARALEGAL STUDIES PLG 101 | Issue # 6