400/500 Law Electives (2 Viewers)

[Tabris]

Rafiq said in my tute, he would have failed some people but out of expediency, he just scaled and shifted the bellcurve.

I think he said something like people would have got 11-12/40 but felt very generous and gave 20 just to pass em. He really pointed out that a fair bit of essays were off topic, on a tangent and obvious overnight/ last minute creations.

"I asked you what is your name and what are your strengths and answer that in 30 seconds. All you started off with who your grandfather was and ended before you got onto yourself"



Also he said that there were people who did well and gave as high as 35/40.

 

[melsc]

Yeah it made me worried. I think I focused more on the solutions but briefly mentioned the problems relevant to each solution to explain why I was suggesting specific things.

I'll have to start the next one soon...I hope I did ok

 

[MaryJane]

Oh wow, I wish I had R as a tutor. It sure would be interesting! But I'm grateful I have Skawkat He asked us today what our suggestions were in the essay question... and the class was silent. So I ventured it was too long ago, and so no one can remember. He had a little rant, but nothing like R.

Re: the essay, we kinda needed to do the background to our solutions, or else we'd have no footnotes or basis, and they would complain about that, too!

Tabris, did he really say that?! How creative of him!

 

[melsc]

He did and it looked like the whole class was sweating. I asked if we would get them back this week and he said externals are priority as it seemed most of them were on the wrong track. I'd hope we get it back soon so we can see what our weakness was and try and fix it for the next one.

 

[MaryJane]

I hope we get it back soon, too. Especially after he flames us the way he has. We need a decent amount of time to fix up our style so we can gain marks back in the final. Not that it will really make much of a difference with the first one being worth 40% and the second 50%. If we've stuffed up the first one, then it will take at least a HD to make it to a credit. Bah.

I'm glad I'm doing it this year if he is going to make it sit down!! How awful!

 

[maka]

My decision to drop Int Law seems to be a good one.

I really hate seeing lecturers ranting to students about the quality of assessments. I mean I read the question on WebCt before I dropped and it seemed like "the UN is fucked, we have no idea how to fix it..... you may as well try?"

Perhaps the teaching is to blame as opposed to the students for this "poor" showing.

Best of luck.

BTW Tabris, hows the Labour Law stuff going? I've tried to write up some notes but procrastination wins out everytime.

 

[iwannarock]

well i failed international law.



what a great mood im gonna be in for my health law presentation this afternoon.

ugh.

im gonna need a ridiculously good mark in the final essay to even pass the course.



i think my law days are coming to an end.

i had a good run.

its all gone pear shaped now.

 

[MaryJane]

IWR are you serious?!

My goodness, I didn't know they actually failed people...

Oh hun...

There is still hope, though. The final essay is worth 50%, so depending on how you go, you can still pass the course, right? Have you chosen your topic yet? Let us help you!!

 

[maka]

I hear there are no lecture notes for this subject and WebCT is basically useless apart from i lecture.

I have heard that many people are completely unhappy with the way that Int Law has been taught.

I listened to the first lecture and I thought it would be a great subject full of interesting topics but it took an hour to listen to the first 30 minutes. And it seemed the topics were boring.

 

[MaryJane]

Yep, we had the teaching evaluation this tutorial... Me and the people around me ripped into the unit. One person wrote absolutely nothing in the 'what is good about this unit' section, and started writing up the sides of the page when answering the 'what is bad' and 'what can be improved' questions.

I think Shawkat is really great, and when I do the tutorial evaluation on him it will be glowing. So glad I dont have the lecturer.

Its a shame, because the actual topics are really interesting, but the way it is taught is really poor. And you need to do it to access so many other electives.

 

[maka]

I have 3 friends doing the course.

They got 23, 21 and 19.

How did you go (mark range.... I guess C or D) if you dont mind me asking

They are blowing up over these marks considering they put a fair bit of effort into the assessment.

It seems a very difficult subject. They say that it made into some boring subject when it should be really fun and interesting.

They really need to review the entire degree ASAP.

 

[MaryJane]

I got a Credit (28/40) , and so did the rest of the people I sit with. In fact, we all got the same mark which was weird. I celebrated with a hot chocolate and caramel slice because that was the worst thing I have ever written (after my latest Int Orgs assessment which I am really worried I may have failed).

That poor person who got 19!! One mark off passing. That totally sucks.

I'm not sure what the process is for review, but maybe they could take it to the Dean? Or maybe ask for a remark? But, of course, they need to have a substantial ground to request that on.. as in they cant say "I want a better mark because I think I deserve more"... but if there is something in their paper that wasn't marked, or that another person put in and got a higher mark, something like that, they may have a chance.

 

[maka]

She isnt going to appeal, she has accepted the mark.

She said she just needs 50%+ 1 mark to pass.

She was telling me that the course is very different to the usual law course and she didnt think she was struggling but now she realises she must be doing something wrong.

Pretty close to a D as well MJ. Congrats.

 

[MaryJane]

Thats true re: 50% + 1 mark. Hopefully they are more lenient with the 3000 word essay because its free choice, and you can't really go wrong with answering your own question.

I honestly dont think that the students are doing anything wrong. Not to completely externalise it, but the unit itself is poorly run. Last year Shawkat and Natalie Klein ran it I believe, and friends who did it last year can't believe I'm not enjoying it, because last year it was great. But when I explain Rafiqul is taking the lectures, they all groan and say they now understand why its not enjoyable.

Hopefully everyone was honest in their course evaluation, and it changes next year.

 

[Tabris]

I havent got mines yet, getting it tomorrow, expecting a disappointed judging from all the comments....

It really cuts into your work and our next reearch assignment after a big disappointed.

What topic your doing IWR? i may be able to lend a hand and get you across....

 

[iwannarock]

IWR are you serious?!

My goodness, I didn't know they actually failed people...

Oh hun...

There is still hope, though. The final essay is worth 50%, so depending on how you go, you can still pass the course, right? Have you chosen your topic yet? Let us help you!!

20 to 30 people failed. i sort of knew it was coming since A) he hates me.......he really really does and always picks on me in class. hes the first to ask me anything even though i dont know B) my essay was like 50% problems and 50% solutions so yeah.....pretty hard to pass with only half an essay.

i know when i write an essay i can always see how a marker COULD fail me but i always get such nice markers. fuck xada and anne would have given me a credit for an answer that didnt even answer the question.

and my participation will be zero too.

maybe he knew it was me that ticked all the strongly disagree boxes in the tutor evaluation survey.

with the whole burma china thing currently happening im leading towards humanitarian intervention. whatever i dont want to think about it right now.

im essentially sitting on a PC. 18/40

 

[Tabris]

I guess that makes three of us doing human int.
heres something on Burma/Myanmur, maybe a good starting point.
http://www.cceia.org/resources/picks/0007.html

 

[melsc]

I havent got mine back, I might see if he's there tomorrow to pick mine up coz my tute's not till Friday... I'm really nervous now!

 

[MaryJane]

IWR, he only failed you by 2 marks! Bastard!! How annoying! But thats totally fine, because then all you need is something over 27/50 for the final, and you've passed!

Maybe you should change tutes? Come to mine, its 11am Tuesday. I mean, Shawkat does sometimes go around the class and asks everyone to contribute whatever random knowledge they have, but he always laughs about it. Like the first guy he called on today said "I just read the first sentence of the text, and what I can say about immunities is [blah]". And Shawkat just laughed and said "Okay, and who else can add to this?".

And if your paper was 50% probs 50% solutions, so was mine! Maybe you should appeal?

Good luck melsc and Tabris!!

 

[Tabris]

20/40, all that time and effort for 20... anyway thats over, got to find out where i went wrong and try to improve......i certainly get the feeling that Rafiqual marks harsher.....