Law and Disorder: Advanced Criminal Law

Catalog description

This course is an advanced criminal law class in which we will be studying selected criminal law/procedure issues. The only prerequisite is having taken Criminal Law. Each week you will be asked to watch a particular episode of the long-running television series Law and Order. Although there are nearly 1000 episodes, we will be watching and discussing only a handful, each one chosen because it presents a useful starting point to discussions of law, trial strategy, and public policy. We will discuss the role of the courts, prosecutors, defense lawyers and police as they navigate a difficult and somewhat incoherent system. We will also discuss such the role of plea bargaining, novel theories of prosecution and defense, the role of different non-lawyer actors in the system and so much more. The class will meet twice a week for 90 minutes. Classes will alternate between lectures and on-your-feet exercises, where a group of students will be "on panel," but in a slightly unusual way---they will be assigned roles in a scenario, and asked to carry out those roles by arguing for release or confinement at an arraignment, cross examining a witness, conducting voir dire or negotiating a proffer agreement...all with the participation and support of their fellow classmates, who will serve as judges, jurors, and, occasionally, clients. This is a class where students will get to sample not only the ideas of criminal law practice, but the feeling of lawyering: speaking, strategizing, and crafting beautiful arguments. For that reason, we invite students to only consider this course if collaborative, participatory learning is of special interest. All students will be expected to write a paper on a criminal law topic raised during the class in lieu of a final exam. Special Instructions: This course can satisfy the Research "R" requirement. The instructor and the student must agree…