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Let me start by explaining the last component, the quiz. The property law quiz will be integrated into your Dispute Resolution skills course during the January term, and will be administered through and evaluated by your Dispute Resolution professors. They'll have all of the details on both substance and logistics. But your grade on the property-related dispute resolution assignment will count for ten (10) % of your final grade for this property course.

During the term, you'll also prepare a series of three (3) commentaries that express your personal response to any of the property topics that we're covering during the course, especially through films or guest speakers. A response is a short piece of writing (about 500 words, two singe-spaced DOUBLE-spaced pages) that captures your reaction to issues raised by the topic, film or speaker. It should be an intelligent, substantive, engagement with the materials or experience. A response can be: a well-argued opinion, a comparison with other materials in this course or another; a critique; a suggestion for social or legal reform. It can include: relevant references to current events, history, politics, art, media, or personal experience. A response cannot be: a description or a summary of the materials or event. Your responses will be evaluated on a scale of zero (0) to five (5), based on the following criteria:

0 - Incomplete

1 - Very poor (purely descriptive, incoherent, unreadable)

2 - Poor (somewhat descriptive, evidently rushed, unpersuasive, poorly written)

3 - Good (somewhat expressive, reasonably persuasive, adequately written)

4 - Very good (very expressive, evidently thoughtful, persuasive, well-written)

5 - Outstanding (highly creative, brilliantly insightful, engaging, perfectly written)

Responses must be submitted online (and only online) using the Virtual Campus page for this course. Responses are due monthly: before midnight on each of October 1, November 1, and December 1. Cumulatively, these constitute fifteen (15) % of your final grade for this course. Here is feedback on the first response assigment; grades are posted on the University's virtual campus page for this course. Feedback on the second response assignment is here.

The bulk of your grade (75%) is determined by a final exam, which will take place on Wednesday, December 14 from 09:00 to 12:00 (3 hours). The precise format of the exam is still to be determined, but you are assured to receive ample notice regarding both the format and examinable subject-matter in advance of the exam date.

Past exams will certainly some indication of what to expect, and I strongly encourage you to look through these recent documents at an early stage in the course (i.e. within the first week or two). Of course, changes in the course content have occurred over time, especially between the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years, so you should bear this in mind. Here are:

• the 2004-2005 midyear exam and separate marking guide,
• the 2004-2005 final exam with report,
• the 2005-2006 midyear exam & separate report,
• the 2005-2006 final exam with report,
• the 2006-2007 midyear exam with report,
• the 2006-2007 final exam with report,
• the 2007-2008 final exam with report,
• the 2008-2009 midterm exam and report,
• the 2008-2009 final exam (sorry, no report for this one), 
• the 2009-2010 midterm practice exam, with report,
• the 2009-2010 final exam (no report here either, sorry), and
• the 2011 midterm practice exam, with answers.

Your exam will be evaluated based on the extent to which responses to each question are: 

Because the final exam is worth a relatively high proportion of your final grade, I don't plan to let you write it unprepared. Friday 18 November there will be a midterm practice exam. This exam will not be officially graded. That means there's no pressure. This is supposed to be a learning experience for you; a trial run. This also means it is optional. I strongly recommend you treat this like a dress rehearsal, but ultimately it is up to you whether you take the opportunity seriously. Though I won't officially grade the midterm practice exam, you will. We will conduct an in-depth self-evaluation exercise on our last Monday together, 05 December. At that time, I'm going to walk you through my grading process step-by-step. This is going to give you unique, first hand insights into how your final exam will be evaluated. At the same time, we'll have a chance to talk about the substance of the exam. I'll take and answer questions about the materials examined, with a view to clarifying any uncertainties and resolving misunderstandings of the course content.

Moreover, there will be a special tutorial session on Monday 14 November, where Michael will run through this practice exam. In my opinion, it would be a wasted opportunity not to learn from Michael's experience and insights.

Finally, a note about grading guidelines and procedures: Grades will be distributed in accordance with the Faculty of Common Law guidelines. This means that the average GPA will be between 5.6 and 6.4 (a "B"€ average). Note that these regulations are applicable only to final grades, not to particular assignments or examinations.