Teaching Method & Class Policies

Attendance

Class attendance is required.¹ Class starts at exactly 9:50am. Don’t be late. Arrive early and use the time before class starts to get settled so that you are ready to take notes and answer questions.

If illness or exigent circumstances prevent you from being able to attend class, you must email me or contact the Office of Student Affairs at studentaffairs@lls.edu.

Classroom Norms

To foster an environment that supports curious critical thinking, our class has a set of norms that I ask you each to follow.

Professionalism
Law school is a professional environment. Your classmates are your future colleagues, co-counsel, judges and policymakers. You should treat law school as the beginning of a professional career rather than as an extension of college.

Professionalism and ethical conduct are central to the practice of law, and thus to legal education. We will cover topics in this course that are sensitive and may have personal and significant implications for any one of us in the class, for our families and for others we hold dear. All communication for the course is expected to be professional, respectful, and on topic. For the reasons explained here, I ask that you address me as “Professor” or “Professor Doyle.”

Generosity
We should all strive to be good listeners and to be respectful of different viewpoints. Being respectful does not mean that we should hold back from critiquing others’ views, but it does require us to be be generous in how we interpret and respond to others. Particularly when disagreeing with an argument that someone else has made, try to address the strongest version of their argument. If a statement is made that offends you or that you think might offend others, do challenge it; but show respect for the person who made it. Remember, we all make mistakes sometimes in our speaking and listening.

In this classroom, we disagree with ideas, not with people. When a disagreement targets a person, it often causes that person to become defensive and unreceptive to the point being made. But when a disagreement targets an idea, it allows the person who initially voiced that idea the space to consider the point being made and gives them the opportunity to change their mind.

This semester, I hope that each of us — myself included — has the opportunity to be wrong. The luxury of an academic environment is that it is a retreat from the demands of the world and is a safe space for reconsidering what we have taken for granted or assumed to be true. Our classroom should be a supportive space where our ideas, preconceptions, and convictions are open to challenge and critique. Let’s be curious together.

Reasonable Accommodations

If you have, or think you might have, a disability that requires an accommodation in order to maximize your prospects for success in law school, please contact Student Accessibility Services in the Office of Student Affairs at accessibility@lls.edu or 213-736-8151. You can review the application guidelines and appeals process here.

Interpersonal Misconduct

Loyola Law School is dedicated to fostering the education of the whole person and strives to provide an environment that encourages the search for truth and freedom of inquiry. The Law School recognizes the important contribution a diverse community of students, faculty and staff makes towards the advancement of its goals and ideals. The Law School is committed to providing an environment that is free of discrimination and harassment as defined by federal, state and local law, as well as under this policy. Any violations of this policy will be treated as serious misconduct and result in appropriate disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the Law School.

As responsible employees, faculty are required to report any case of suspected sexual or interpersonal misconduct and cannot protect student confidentiality. For more information, visit the Office of Student Affairs webpage.

Course Website

You’re on the course website right now. I may also use our course Brightspace page to make announcements and to host content that cannot be shared publicly.

Class Recordings

The Instructional Technology Department will post video recordings of class as soon as the video files have been received and processed. You do not need my permission to view class recordings.

Please note that you are not allowed to record or share all or a portion of classes at Loyola Law School (video, audio, or photo) without the express permission of your instructor or the law school administration.

Slides

When using slides in class, I will post a copy of my slides to this website in the afternoon following our class.

Technical Assistance

Should you encounter any hardware or software issues during this course, please contact the ITS Service Desk at helpdesk@lls.edu or by calling 310-338-7777, option 2.

For assistance with class technology, such as class recordings, Brightspace, or Zoom, please contact LLS Instructional Technology at:
instructional.technology@lls.edu.