When we last left our hero (me) I was still getting my schedule in order. Class-wise, it's settled. Mondays are long days, with Corporations, International Law Process, and Copyright and Rhetoric. I'm in class from 8:30-5, with nary a break (some days I have make-ups of another class so there ends up being no break at all). I also have Evidence and a seminar on Antitrust and IP. I originally thought the last seminar was going to be really interesting, then I thought it would be really boring, but then I changed my mind again and now I'm really excited about it. I'll end up learning a lot more about patents along with antitrust law. Evidence is an interesting class too. My professor is really nice, and I find it very similar, in a way, to a methodology course I took as a sociology undergrad. It's all about critically thinking about information and what it actually indicates, although in Evidence there are some actual legal rules to help shape that analysis.
Corporations is also turning out to be a good class. The casebook is readable, and the professor is extremely understandable. Nothing dry and boring like I feared. International Law Process ... I'll have to get back to you. I haven't really found my rhythm in that class, although I think the fog is slowly lifting. This course is interesting to me because of my work this summer, reading all sorts of international intellectual property treaties. I think I'll end up learning more about the treaty process, which is also relevant after my recent international travels.
Then there's the Copyright and Rhetoric class. Because of Labor Day we've only met twice so far but it's turning out really interesting. We've been drilling on writing, discussing rhetorical structure, and soon we'll get more into copyright policy. We also have a guest-teacher, an actor (and instructor) from Shakespeare and Company, who knows a lot about how to communicate to an audience (as well as classical rhetorical strategies – in other words, he's not just a pretty face...) So I'm taking a lot of courses, but some of them are just fun so I don't even consider them as being "work." Still, they all claim time from my schedule.
In the schedule also are obligations for my journal, including writing a large paper over the course of the year and doing "tech checks." (We haven't started, so I can't describe them too well, but it basically means double-checking the citations of the papers we are about to publish in the journal.) I also just signed up for moot court. And of course I need to make time for the job hunt and a few other obligations.
So I'll be busy this semester, but at least it keeps me off the streets.