RSS FeedBowman’s Making the Grades
Gregory W. Bowman, Associate Professor at the Mississippi College School of Law, just finished marking exams at his law school.
He shares some interesting insights from a teacher’s perspective, such as,
professors teach for free, but get paid to grade.
He also relates his experience in marking exams, and the different types of approaches students use.
Studying law is not like other subjects. As he explains,
…often in the law the answer to a question is “It depends”–which gets a few chuckles and, I am afraid, a little eye-rolling too. People prefer clarity, and the study of law often does not provide that. There is rarely a clear-cut, unequivocal answer in the law, and there are always arguments to the contrary that can be made. Lawyers are advocates, after all.
Much of the discourse on this site is similar in that they address various issues and perspectives in law. But they are just that, perspectives, and nothing necessarily definitive.
Non-lawyers easily get frustrated by this, or even misled if peering in. But for most law students, this is the fun part.
Bowman does share that occassionally he comes across some truly inspiring perspectives in law that demonstrate a deeper understanding. And although it makes his marking experience more enjoyable, this is not what he necessarily advices law students on their exams:
The professor is not always trying to trick you. Identify the issues, summarize and apply the law, and reach your conclusion. You will always get more points for this than for answers that stray into wild flights of fancy.
Now we just have to wait for those exam results and hope we made the curve.
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