Contemporary American Jury

Catalog description

This course evaluates claims about the benefits and drawbacks of the contemporary American jury. Drawing on the work of legal scholars and social scientists, we will explore a range of topics relating to criminal and civil juries, including: jury selection; the use of jury consultants; juror perceptions of attorneys, evidence, and experts; individual and group decision making processes; jury instructions; jury deliberations; damage awards; juries in death penalty cases; and jury reform. By studying legal and empirical scholarship about the jury, and by writing their own research papers about a jury topic, seminar participants should develop insights into jury trial functioning and policy debates over the jury's role.