SYLLABUS BANKRUPTCY LAW

SYLLABUS BANKRUPTCY LAW

SPRING 2019 3 CREDIT HOURS

Table of Contents

PART 1: COURSE DETAILS ...........................................................................................................................................2 CONTACT INFORMATION .......................................................................................................................................2 COURSE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................................2 COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES .............................................................................................................................2

PART 2: MATERIALS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS...................................................................................................3 REQUIRED TEXTS ....................................................................................................................................................3 TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS ..............................................................................................................................3

PART 3: ACCESSING THE COURSE ...............................................................................................................................3 TIME ZONES ............................................................................................................................................................3 COURSE SITE (D2L)..................................................................................................................................................3 OFFICE HOURS VIA ZOOM MEETINGS ....................................................................................................................4

PART 4: COURSE STRUCTURE .....................................................................................................................................4 OVERVIEW ..............................................................................................................................................................4 CONTENT DELIVERY ................................................................................................................................................4 ASSIGNMENTS AND ACTIVITIES..............................................................................................................................4

PART 5: STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES ..........................................................................................................................5 MANAGING YOUR STUDIES ....................................................................................................................................5 RESPECTING THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY............................................................................................................6 INSTRUCTOR EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS ..........................................................................................................6

PART 6: GRADES AND GRADING POLICIES..................................................................................................................7 GRADED COURSE ACTIVITIES..................................................................................................................................7 GRADING SCALE......................................................................................................................................................7 GRADING POLICIES .................................................................................................................................................7

PART 7: OTHER COURSE POLICIES ..............................................................................................................................7 ATTENDANCE ..........................................................................................................................................................7 SCHOOL POLICIES ...................................................................................................................................................7 SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS.................................................................................................................................7

PART 8: RESOURCES....................................................................................................................................................8 STUDENT AFFAIRS...................................................................................................................................................8 TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES .....................................................................................................................................8

PART 9: COURSE TOPICS .............................................................................................................................................8

Bankruptcy Law

Spring 2019

PART 1: COURSE DETAILS

CONTACT INFORMATION

INSTRUCTOR

Instructor: Jessica Cino Office Hours: Online office hours are by appointment only. Phone: 404-413-9196 E-mail: jgcino@gsu.edu

TECH SUPPORT

For technical support, please contact the Helpdesk at:

Phone: 800-472-8899 Email: support@

PREREQUISITES

Because this course will be deemed a distance education course under ABA Standard 306, students will be required to have completed instruction equivalent to 28 credit hours toward the J.D. degree to be qualified to register for the course. Security Interests & Liens is not required as a prerequisite, but it is recommended.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course studies the federal bankruptcy system as applied to individuals, families, small businesses, and large corporations (e.g., "chapter 11"). It explores the relationships between these debtors and various types of creditors, judges, lawyers, and other professionals. The course is basically divided into a consumer bankruptcy section and a business bankruptcy section.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Students will gain an understanding of fundamental statutes, concepts, policies and theories of federal bankruptcy law.

2. Students will gain an understanding of how to apply the statutes, concepts, policies and theories they learn to actual problems attorneys may face in practice and determine a proposed course of action or likely outcome, considering both legal and practical implications and potential outcomes.

3. Students will develop or enhance the ability to clearly articulate and defend the positions they take. 4. Students will be able to identify and analyze potential conflicting policies and interests at play in the

context of financial distress and bankruptcy. 5. Students will learn or further develop collaboration skills. 6. Students will gain a better sense of who he or she wants to be as an attorney (i.e. his or her own

professional identity).

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Bankruptcy Law

Spring 2019

PART 2: MATERIALS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS

REQUIRED TEXTS

Warren & Westbrook, THE LAW OF DEBTORS AND CREDITORS (Aspen 7th Edition, 2014).

LoPucki & Warren, Bankruptcy and Article 9: 2017 Statutory Supplement, VisiLaw Marked Version (Wolters Kluwer, 2017) [or some other recent, similar supplement].

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

Students are expected to meet basic technology requirements to successfully participate in this online course. Failure to meet these requirements may cause problems accessing the course materials. It is the student's responsibility to ensure all requirements are met prior to the start of the course.

? Access to the Internet is required. While any browser can be used, Firefox and Chrome are recommended.

? Access to the Learning Management System D2L and Blackboard Collaborate See Part 3: Accessing the Course for more details.

? You will need the capability to speak and hear so you can watch videos and participate in the live online office hours. Make sure that the device(s) you will be using have a microphone and speakers or that you have access to a headset. A webcam is optional but not required.

? I will use Zoom Meetings to conduct live office hours with students.

PART 3: ACCESSING THE COURSE

TIME ZONES

Please note that this course is setup to run in the Eastern Time zone. Check your syllabus for all assignments deadlines. Modules close on Sundays at 11:59 pm ET.

Eastern

Central

Mountain

Pacific

11:59 pm

10:59pm

9:59pm

8:59pm

As a student in a distance education course, it is your responsibility to learn and observe the time deadlines for assignments. Late work will not be accepted due to time zone differences.

COURSE SITE (D2L)

The course will be taught entirely online in an asynchronous environment using the Learning Management System ? Desire2Learn (D2L).

The course is designed to give students a dynamic online learning experience. Students will receive notice of a student orientation which will familiarize you with the basics of navigating this platform. Students will also receive their log in information (username and password) via email.

To access the course:

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Bankruptcy Law

Spring 2019

? Go to: . ? Enter the username and password you have been provided. ? Locate and click on the course name under My Courses.

If you have trouble logging in, please contact the Helpdesk at 800-472-8899 or via email support@.

OFFICE HOURS VIA ZOOM MEETINGS

Online office hours will be available through ZOOM Meetings. Students will have the opportunity to speak with me during these office hours. Students can also choose to share their web cam or be given permission to share documents with me via the online rooms.

PART 4: COURSE STRUCTURE

OVERVIEW

The course is organized around a weekly schedule that will begin each Monday and end the following Sunday. Any assignments for a given topic will normally be due at the end of the weekly period unless otherwise indicated. Please refer to the "Course Schedule" for due dates.

CONTENT DELIVERY

Organization of Material: The course is divided into thirty (30) modules, each of which contains two topics.

Topics contain:

Readings: In most cases, these are readings from the text, but there may be supplemental readings posted on the course site. Readings are listed in the Course Schedule and in each module. Assigned readings are subject to modification during the semester. Students are expected to read the required readings each week before reviewing the lectures and then complete the assignments and discussion boards.

Video Lectures: There will be approximately 2-3 hours of course lecture or other videos to watch each week. These videos will be accessed through the course website.

Check for Understanding Questions: After each topic, there is a short quiz to check your understanding of the material.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

ASSIGNMENTS (Problems)

Some assignments require written submissions to the designated dropbox in the course. The submissions may be a sentence or two--others will be longer depending on the nature of the question. Please make sure to cite to relevant sections of the Bankruptcy Code and/or the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy. Please refer to the "Course Schedule" for due dates.

DISCUSSION BOARD

Discussion topics will be posted to the Discussion Board each week. Discussion topics will generally consist of

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Bankruptcy Law

Spring 2019

problems from our assigned reading. You will be expected to contribute at least 4 discussion comments each week. At least one comment per week must be posted in response to a classmate's contribution to a discussion topic. These weekly comments must be completed by each Sunday at 11:00 p.m. Your comments should demonstrate an understanding of the material assigned at that point in the course. Please refer to the "Course Schedule" for due dates.

WATCH MEETING OF CREDITORS

For this course requirement, you will be asked to watch two different "341 Meetings" (also known as the "Meeting of Creditors") via YouTube and to answer a series of questions related to the experience. Instructions for this assignment is posted to the course webpage. The primary purpose of this exercise is to give you an opportunity to watch the bankruptcy system and some of its many constituents "in action" and to observe the real-life application of some of the rules, statutes and policy considerations we discuss in class.

YouTube Videos for 341:

FINAL EXAM

The Final Exam will take the form of a take-home exam. You will be given 3 hours to complete the exam. Your exam will take place during the scheduled exam period. During the exam, you will be permitted to use the textbook, the statutory supplement, and your personal notes. The exam will be in a multiple choice and essay format, asking you to apply the law and principles we cover in the course to various scenarios.

Refer to the course schedule for final exam dates.

PART 5: STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

MANAGING YOUR STUDIES

The following attributes will greatly contribute to your success in this course.

? Be self-motivated. You should be able to manage and direct your own learning environment and methods to fulfill course requirements and achieve individual academic success.

? Be an independent learner. Successful online students are self-starters. They work well with the flexibility that the 24/7 any time--any place format provides. You should be able to learn on your own and at an accelerated pace without direct supervision.

? Have a minimum level of computer literacy. Although it is not essential to have advanced computer skills, you should possess a working knowledge of email, the Internet, as well as basic keyboarding skills.

? Manage your time well. You must be able to organize and plan your own best "time to learn." There is no one best time for everyone, but the key to success is to make the time to learn.

? Acquire effective communication skills. You must use email and discussions to communicate with your peers and me. The ability to read and to write clearly to communicate ideas and assignments is essential. Also, sharing reflections - of your own work as well as your course mates' - is a crucial component of a successful experience. This method provides you with rapid feedback as well as a means to inform me of any concerns or problems that you may be experiencing.

? Be personally committed to successfully completing this online course. Because of the flexibility in scheduling in this course, you must have a strong desire to learn and acquire knowledge and skills via online courses. Making a commitment to learn in this manner is a very personal decision and requires

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