Criminal Law

Catalog description

This course provides a journey into the legal principles that underlie substantive criminal law in the United States, including limits on the power of government to define crimes. Consideration of general principles of criminal liability and criminal defenses and legal requirements for specific crimes, including homicide. Appellate court decisions are a major part of the expedition to facilitate understanding of how criminal law is applied in par- ticular fact situations, how it evolves, and how it is influenced by sociopolitical factors.