Testing TwiLaw
posted by Kaimipono D. Wenger
So how many of us managed to work a Twilight-themed hypothetical into a final exam?
(Raises hand.)
I acquired, err, a passing knowledge of the books in days of yore (meaning that over the summer I ran out of things to read, picked up my wife’s copy, and ended up (cough) reading the first two books in the series. Solely for research purposes, I tell you!) From this knowledge, I crafted this Twilight-themed hypothetical for my Wills and Trusts final:
Distraught about her high school sweetheart Jacob’s recent announcement that he was dating another woman, Bella joined match.com in search of her soulmate. There she met Eddie who was immediately enamored with Bella and proposed to her after the second date. On January 1, 2001, Eddie handwrote in his diary,
“I can smell her everywhere I go, I can sense her when she’s miles away, she’s like a drug to me. I want Sparkly Manor to be hers some day. – Eddie (the immortal).”
On March 1, 2001, Jacob handwrote a letter to Bella, stating. “I want you to be taken care of. If anything happens to me, I want you to have Wolfacre, and also my motorcycle. But you have to stop dating that creep.” He signed the letter, but did not mail it, keeping it in a dresser drawer.
On January 10, 2002, Bella married Eddie, and on February 1, 2002, Jacob married Nelly. On December 10, 2002, Bella gave birth to Renee. On May 1, 2003, Bella filed for legal separation from Eddie.
On June 1, 2003, Eddie and Jacob (driving separate vehicles) were both killed in a horrible car accident. At the time of Eddie’s death, he owned Sparkly Manor (worth $500k) as separate property, a life insurance policy worth $50,000 naming Renee as beneficiary, and a collection of rare forks worth $100k, held as community property. His only surviving relatives were Bella, Renee, and his uncle Cullen. Jacob owned Wolfacre (worth $600,000) as separate property, $200,000 of stock in the New Moon Cafe as community property, and a non-working motorcycle (worth $20) as separate property. His surviving relatives were his wife Nelly and his cousin Sam. There are no other known documents which might affect either estate.
What property does Bella receive, and why?
I’m kind of proud of it. It was relatively fun to grade, and even drew a few vampire-themed remarks from students. I checked the facts with my Twilight consultant ahead of time, and she signed off on them.
So, let’s compare notes. Did you test TwiLaw (or any other particular slice of culture — The Simpsons, Grey’s Anatomy, Buffy) this past semester? How did it go? If you had a hypothetical or exam question that you think worked well, please post it for discussion, admiration, and/or derision where appropriate.
On the flip side, have you made an Ally McBeal reference and drawn blank stares — and then realized that the show has been off the air for eight years and none of your 22-year-old students has ever heard of it? Given recent movies, are Terminator or Star Trek references stylish and hip, or old and dusty? (Or both?)
What cultural references have you used lately, in class or on exams, and how have they worked out?
January 19, 2010 at 12:58 am
Posted in: Law School (Teaching)
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Responses (3)
Michael Froomkin - January 19, 2010 at 7:08 am
Dunno about exams, but mention Nixon in class (which I remember living through) and it’s as if I were telling tales about the administration of U.S. Grant.
ohwilleke - January 19, 2010 at 10:17 am
My torts exam when I was in law school featured Lady Di and the Paparazzi. The risk of an exam question like that, however, is that students may assume facts not in the question and get off track as a result.
Random 1L - January 20, 2010 at 3:05 pm
My legal writing exam this year was a closed memo, with one of the cases being the annulment of the wedding of Ken and Emily Tanaka for fraud, as Emily failed to consummate the wedding and refused to tell anyone about the marriage.
Torts involved a rather elaborate stage production for a performer clearly modeled after Lady Gaga.
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