Course Description
The relationship between law and society, types of law, and the operation of the judicial branch of government, particularly in the United States.
Athena Title
Judicial Process and Behavior
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in POLS 4740E, POLS 4740H
Prerequisite
POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students should have learned: (1) theories and research that examine the nature of judging; (2) about the organization and functioning of the court system, including judicial selection procedures and the rules and informal norms that structure the adjudication of criminal and civil cases; (3) how to analyze judicial opinions; (4) about public policy issues that arise in the study of courts and judges.
Topical Outline
1. course introduction 2. court organization 3. judicial selection 4. criminal litigation 5. civil litigation 6. legal reasoning & theories of interpretation 7. actors in the judicial process 8. judicial policy implementation & impact 9. the role of the courts in the political system
Syllabus