ORIENTATION WEEK ASSIGMENTS

(1) obtain the first three required texts listed below and bring your books with you to class

(2) read Legal Writing and Analysis (“LWA”), Appendix A

(3) read and brief State v. Young (attached); please type your brief and bring two copies to our first class

(4) read LWA, chapters 1 and 3

(5) read Legal Analysis: The Fundamental Skill (“LA”), chapter 1

(6) start to familiarize yourself with Blackboard, and the course website; you’ll find additional information below regarding Blackboard

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REQUIRED TEXTS

David S. Romantz & Kathleen Elliott Vinson, Legal Analysis: The Fundamental Skill (2d ed. 2009).

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (20th ed. 2015). Note: be sure to get the 20th edition.

Michael D. Murray & Christy H. DeSanctis, Legal Writing and Analysis (2009). Note: there is a new edition to this book. Please buy the 2009 edition – we are using the 2009 edition because used copies of this edition are plentiful and inexpensive.

Sara Sampson, et al., Ohio Legal Research (2d ed. 2015). Note: this book will be available in late August or early September.

Some advice on purchasing texts: You can save substantially on most texts by renting, buying used, or buying an ebook. Any of those options will work well for the required texts except The Bluebook. The Bluebook is a reference tool that you will use throughout your career (so no rental) and the print version will be easier to navigate for a novice (so no ebook).

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USING BLACKBOARD

We will be using Blackboard for our course webpage. I will use the webpage in many ways: to post assignments, to provide quizzes to help you master the material in the reading, and to deliver course content, including additional reading, lectures, and links to helpful resources on the web. I will ask you to use Blackboard as well – you’ll submit assignments and receive feedback via Blackboard, you’ll participate in discussions of the course material outside of class, and you’ll collaborate with your classmates on certain assignments.

To familiarize you with the Blackboard learning environment and with some of the tools that I’ll ask you to use, it might help you to take the Student Orientation Course in Blackboard. You can find that Blackboard training at the following link:

http://mycsu.csuohio.edu/elearning/students/stutraining.html

You can find the login for Blackboard on the University’s website, and you can also find it by clicking this link:

https://bblearn.csuohio.edu/MACAuth/login.jsp

You will need your university id number and password to log on. Once you log onto Blackboard, you’ll need to choose my course. If you log onto the course now, you’ll see very little content. I will be uploading the first week’s content later this week or the beginning of next week, and then I will add new content as we proceed through the course.

If you’d like to start playing around with Blackboard and meeting your classmates, I invite you to introduce yourself on the Introductions discussion forum. Additional information will be added to the Blackboard page in the coming weeks.

If you have questions about anything related to the course, please email me at c.broeringjacobsnull@csuohio.nulledu. I'm looking forward to meeting you on the 20th!