Welcome to FSU College of Law. This page is for incoming 1L students to obtain their first week assignments who do not yet have access to Canvas. If you have any questions about the material, please contact the Professor. This page may be updated regularly, so please check back daily for any assignment updates.
LAW7571-0001 Introduction to Intellectual Property
LAW7262-01 International Trade
LAW7710-0001 Family Law
LAW7930-0024 Property Law Theory
- Property Law Theory Fall 2026 Syllabus
- Annex Property Theory Fall 2026: Assigned Readings and Deliverables
- Dialogue on Private Property
- Volokh - Writing Academic Scholarship - Student Articles
A message from Professor Decoster:
"Howdy students,
I hope you're enjoying the last days of summer! I wanted to reach out before our first class to say that I'm excited for your return to what is now a rather empty and silent law school building, and I am looking forward to working with you this semester.
Property is one of those concepts that appears simple at first glance, yet the closer we look, the more complex and fascinating it becomes. (I hope you'll come to share this view by the end of the course.) Over the semester, we will think together about what ownership means, what it entails, what it enables, and how property relations shape our everyday lives, including their social, economic, and political dimensions.
Our seminar will generally be structured in two parts. During the first hour, student groups will lead discussion of the assigned readings for that week. The remainder of the class will be devoted to the writing component of the seminar, including brainstorming ideas, discussing abstracts, workshopping projects, and refining arguments.
The syllabus is now posted on Canvas, along with all of the readings for the semester. A summary of the readings is also included in the syllabus. Before our first class, I ask that you read the syllabus carefully and browse the assigned readings. During our first meeting, we'll divide many of the semester's readings among you, so I'd like you to begin thinking about which pieces you might be most interested in presenting. (For some sessions, however, we will all read the same materials.)
One feature of this seminar is that I've intentionally assigned a relatively modest amount of reading. In return, I hope we'll engage with those readings slowly, carefully, and in depth. Starting after our first class, I ask that you bring printed and annotated copies of your assigned readings to each session. Because so much of our seminar depends on discussion, close engagement with the texts is essential. The goal is not simply to cover material, but to develop a sustained conversation with it.
For our first class, please read:
1. The article on writing academic scholarship, which will introduce some of the skills we'll draw on throughout the semester as you develop your final paper.
2. The dialogue on private property, which serves as an accessible entry point into many of the themes and challenges of the course and helps demystify property as a social institution.
Thank you in advance for your preparation and collaboration. I'm excited to meet all of you and begin what I hope will be a thoughtful, challenging, and enjoyable semester."
LAW5502-0001 Constitutional Law II
- Constitutional Law II Fall 226 Syllabus
- Ronald Dworkin, Taking Rights Seriously 1997
- Ronald Dworkin, Rights as Trumps in Waldron
- Chiles v Salazar, 607 U.S.
- Free Speech Coalition Inc v Paxton, 606 U.S.
- What Does the First Amendment Mean?
A message from Professor Eisler:
"I will send a message to the class via Canvas as well. But the students should review the Syllabus and be prepared for I.A Rights and interpretation and I.B. Tiers of Scrutiny and (the limits of) their relevance."
LAW7930-0029 Voting Rights
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First Class: Introduction - U.S. Const., art. I, § 4, cl. 1
No reading
LAW7510-01 Civil Rights
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Racism and Law: Foundational Baselines of Racialized Republic
1. Johnson and Graham’s Lessee v. M’Intosh (pp. 67)
2. Somerset v. Stewart (pp.75)
LAW7680-0001 International Tax
LAW7930-0014 Introduction to American Law: Comparative Perspective
Message from Professor Kocourek:
Announcement - 8/17/2026
Hope you all have had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to a great semester this fall. My name is Amanda King, and I am Professor Kocourek's executive assistant. I will be handling all assignment and announcement postings to Canvas for this course.
A few reminders before the first day of class next week:
- Please send a copy of your CV or resume before the first day of class. This can be sent to admin@bartolus.com.
- We will be providing the digital copy of the textbook for this course for you. You will receive an email from me with instructions on how to obtain this in the near future. Professor Kocourek's preferred method of text is digital. However, if you prefer the hardcopy version, please email me your request and we will obtain it for you. You may choose either a digital or hard copy version.
- Read Chapter 1 text and prepare to discuss the first day of class on August 25th.
- Professor Kocourek requests all of his students to send a LinkedIn request to him by August 28th at 11 AM.
- The course syllabus has been posted and can be found in the "Syllabus" section of Canvas.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
Looking forward to a great semester with you all.
Assignment #1
Once you obtain the digital or hard copy text, you can begin reading Chapter 1 to prepare for a discussion on the topic during the first day of class on 8/25. Reading the Module does not substitute for reading the chapter, so please be sure to read the chapter in its entirety.
Module #1 - this does not substitute for reading Chapter 1, rather serves as supplementary material
LAW6705-0001 Workers' Compensation
LAW7930-0013 International Trade Transactions
Message from Professor Lee:
"The first week’s assignment is simply to read the syllabus and bring your questions."
LAW5300-0002 Civil Procedure
- Civil Procedure Fall 2026 Syllabus
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Monday, August 24: Introduction to the course and subject of Civil Procedure. Casebook pp. 1-16.
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Wednesday, August 26: Beginning a Lawsuit. Buffalo Creek, chapters 1-10.
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Thursday, August 27: Introduction to Discovery. Buffalo Creek, chapters 11-19.
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Monday, August 31: Introduction to Settlement. Buffalo Creek, chapter 20-epilogue.
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Wednesday, September 2: Begin JURISDICTION AND CHOOSING THE PROPER COURT. Begin Personal Jurisdiction. Read Pennoyer v. Neff, casebook pp. 17-25.
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Thursday, September 3: Begin Minimum Contacts. Read (International Shoe), casebook pp. 32-38, and Long Arm Statutes, casebook pp. 40-43.
LAW6572-0001 Copyright Law
- Copyright Law Fall 2026 Syllabus
- Fromer, Sprigman, Copyright Law: Cases and Materials v8 (2026), ISBN: 979-8188550936
- Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17)
- Boyle & Jenkins - Intro on Generative AI
- Boyle & Jenkins - AI Problem
|
26 August |
Class 1 |
Introduction 1-18; Syllabus; Boyle & Jenkins, Generative AI [PDF] |
17 § 101 |
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27 August |
Class 2 |
II.A-B.1 pp 19-35; Fixation, Originality |
17 §§ 102(a); 202 |
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LAW7949-0001 Bankruptcy Clinic
LAW7939-0008 International & Foreign Legal Research
LAW7119-0001 Sentencing Law
LAW6550-01 Antitrust Law
- Early eBook Access Instructions
- Antitrust Law, Policy, and Procedure: Cases, Materials, Problems
ISBN: 9781531027537
Authors: Sullivan, Hovenkamp, Shelanski, and Leslie
Publisher: Carolina Academic Press
Edition: 9th (or earlier) - Introduction and Overview
Week 1: 7th. Ed 1-57; 8th. Ed. 3-62; 9th. Ed. 3-60 (Goals of antitrust, common-law antecedents & passage of the Sherman Act, antitrust economics
LAW7750-0001 Professional Responsibility
LAW5700-02 Torts
Introduction to the Tort System
Aug. 24: Basics of Tort Law I
- Introduction
- pp. 3-5
Aug. 25: Basics of Tort Law II; Overview of a Tort Suit I
- Tort Law: Situated, Compared, & Contrasted
- pp. 31-37, 40-43
- Walter v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
- pp. 6-18, Appendix (Plaintiff’s Complaint, Defendant’s Answer, & Jury Verdict)
Aug. 26: Overview of a Tort Suit II
- Walter (cont’d)
- [Review pp. 6-18 & Appendix]
LAW6062-0001 Closely Held Business Organization
I. Agency and Related Issues
Aug. 24: Course Introduction; Agency: What is it Good For?
- pp. 3–5 (stop before Restatement provisions); p. 15 (“Note on Agency Creation” only)
- Startup podcast excerpt: “How to Divide an Imaginary Pie”
Aug. 26: Authority
- pp. 5–16 (skip “Note on Inherent Authority” & ICC v. Holmes)
LAW7930-0005 Courts and the Legislature
LAW7930-19 Legal Writing (International LLM Students Only)
LAW5792-05 Legal Writing and Research (1Ls)
LAW6260-0001 Public International Law
LAW5502-0002 Constitutional Law II
LAW7930-0011 Free Speech Rights
A message from Professor Tsesis:
For the course, the required first day readings are pp. 1-24 in Kathleen Sullivan & Noah Feldman, First Amendment Law (9th ed.; ISBN-13 9798887868813)
Civil Procedure
- Civil Procedure Fall 2026 Syllabus
- Class Questions - Fall 2026 Week One
- Vocabulary
- Federal Rule of Civil Procedure - Handout First Class
- Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
- Case for First Civil Procedure Class: Lopez v. City of Irvington
- Map of the U.S. Circuit Courts
- Twombly Complaint: OPTIONAL Reading Enrichment
LAW6720-0001 Health Law and Policy
A message from Professor Wright:
"The first week reading assignment for the students is below:
Monday, August 24, 2026: No reading
Wednesday, August 26, 2026: CB 1-50 (skim)"