<p>bovertine, I agree that the student does gain a time advantage in the case you mentioned; but I don’t have any problem with that. It seems to me that this case is distinguished by several circumstances:<br>
First, a single “element” of credit is being sought for the work.<br>
Second, other students would (generally) also have the opportunity to work in advance in the summer. Admittedly, this would be harder for some students than for others. Is it possible for a student to take two 40-hour-a-week jobs in the summer? (If two could be found in current economic conditions?) That student would be at a disadvantage in terms of working ahead. But there is a distinction between this case and the original “double-dipping case” in my opinion. That is, the time-disadvantaged student knows that he/she is time disadvantaged and can plan around that fact. In the double-dipping case, the disadvantaged students do not know in advance that they will be disadvantaged. So they cannot adjust their class schedules, work arrangements, or other plans to accommodate that situation.
Third, in the specific case that you mentioned, there is no guarantee that the student’s paper will fit the requirements of the course, even if the student is planning to enroll in a Joyce seminar. (This seems less important to me than reasons #1 and #2.)</p>