Monday classes meet from 10:20 AM Eastern to 11:40 AM Eastern.
Tuesday classes meet from 8:40 AM Eastern to 10:00 AM Eastern.
Thursday classes meet from 8:40 to 10:00 AM Eastern.
My email address is a.waldman@northeastern.edu.
My office hours are after our live class on Tuesdays. Please use the link provided on Canvas to sign up.
By the end of this semester, you should ...
Describe the substantive law of intentional torts, negligence, and products liability;
Use creative thinking in problem-solving and analogical and deductive reasoning; and
Describe or otherwise demonstrate understanding of the ways in which the law can work as an instrument of social change as well as the ways in which law can impede social change.
Also, we're going to have fun. I think that's a learning outcome, too!
1. Torts: Cases, Principles, and Institutions (5th Edition), which is available here. And it's much cheaper than one of those traditional casebooks.
2. Any supplemental materials I post to this website.
As the semester unfolds, I will supplement, subtract, revise the readings based on our interests, the news, and our pace. I appreciate the flexibility and I hope you will too.
Please note that I have provided questions to guide your reading. YThese are not assignments that you have to hand in; no one will see your answers save you, assuming you write them down. However, they may help focus your reading on the topics and skills we will discuss in class. You should not restrict yourself to answering these questions, but you may use them as guides.
Some law students like to supplement their study of torts with books and other texts that summarize the doctrines we discuss in class. I will never require you to read these, and I have some misgivings about them. One good quality texts is:
Second Restatement of Torts
Third Restatement of Torts
Glannon, The Law of Torts (4th Ed.).
You are not permitted to record our synchronous classes. Consider this my only real rule.
Participation is essential for success in this class and in law school generally. Class is a discussion among all members of our community, and you should come to class prepared to participate. In the event that there are either an insufficient number or an insufficient variety of volunteers, I will call on you at random. You needn't worry about being called on if you're prepared for class.
Being prepared for class means:
1. You did the reading ... of course. Sometimes, you read it more than once.
2. You reflected on the readings through the questions in the text.
3. You looked up any terms you didn't understand.
4. You came to class with your readings annotated and your notes available.
We are all adults here. As such, I will treat you like adults unless you give me a reason not to. You are expected to come to class, but sometimes life gets in the way ... especially now. We may (hopefully not) fall ill, or have to care for others who do. We may have children to care for, ill or not! If you can't make it to class one day, that's totally cool. Do not feel the need to send me a doctor's note or an explanation, although I am always here to listen and help if I can. I will ask: Please do not ask me or our TAs to summarize for you the classes that you may miss. Please get the notes from a colleague.
We will maintain a courteous and professional learning environment. Professionalism means many things. For example, it means answering questions using appropriate tone and language. It means handing in assignments that reflect the same. Most importantly, it means treating everyone with respect. It means not using racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, anti-Indigenous, homophobic, anti-Latinx, and other hateful language. I will not tolerate it. I believe in robust discussion, but robust discussion for all. A classroom that tolerates hateful language is an oppressive classroom. We are all in this together.