Course Information

Where, When:

  • Fall 2008 — Rm. 206
  • MW 1:00 p.m. — 2:15 p.m.

Instructor Information:

Professor Christopher Cotropia
Room 203
Tel: 804-484-1574
Email: ccotropi@richmond.edu
Office Hours: MW 9:30-11:30 (or by appointment)

Texts:

  • Gorman & Ginsburg, Copyright: Cases and Materials (7th Ed. Found. Press 2006)
  • Gorman & Ginsburg, Copyright: Cases and Materials – 2008 Case Supplement and Statutory Appendix (Found. Press 2008)

Grading:

1. Class Participation (10% of final grade):

All students receive a class participation score. I am looking for consistently insightful participation, not merely rapid observation of the obvious. The best sort of in-class comment is one that goes beyond mere recitation of the assigned material and adds a different perspective or insight to the discussion.

2. Commentary Post (20% of final grade):

Each student must write one commentary post (”CP”) during the semester on a topic of his or her choice that is related to the topic or materials assigned for a particular class session. CPs are intended to stimulate discussion both in class and on the course blog. Note the following guidelines and rules:

  • Timing

CP are due no later than 12:00 noon on the day before the class session to which they most closely relate.

  • Word Length

The word limit for a CP is 1500 words. CPs over the word limit will not be graded. There is no minimum length.

  • Topic

The topic is your choice, but must be directly relevant to the materials assigned in the course. The best CPs will use the class materials as a “springboard” for additional discussion.

  • Turning In CPs

To turn in a CP, you must do two things. First, post the CP (just write a new post, copy and paste the text into the post box) on the course blog: Second, send the post by email (copy and paste into an email message) to me (ccotropi@richmond.edu) with the following subject: Copyright Law: CP for [Your Name]. (Please be sure to use the correct subject line, or your message might get tangled up in my spam filters and be considered “late.”)

  • Scoring

Each CP is read and assigned a score of 0-20 points (with 20 being an outstanding score). Factors considered in grading include:
- quality of the contribution to the discussion
- originality of the essay
- clarity and coherence of the writing
Note that I have no interest in “Bluebooking” formalities. You should note the source materials you have used, using citations where appropriate. Citations should clearly indicate the source material, but don’t spend your time agonizing over trivia.
CPs posted/emailed past the deadline (see above) will have their scores reduced by 25 percent.

3. Final Exam  (70% of final grade):

A final take home, open book and open note exam will be given. While the exam is formulated to be completed in three (3) hours, students will be given a full exam day (approximately 8 hours) to complete the exam during the course of any single day on the flexible examination schedule.