Syllabus & Course Overview

Syllabus

An updated copy of the course syllabus is available here.

Course Overview

orginalism The course is divided in four parts, as follows:

Part 1 – Rules and their interpretation – How are legal rules applied to individual cases? Are they applied literally or in accordance to their purpose?

Part 2 – Laws and facts – How do “matters of fact” differ from “matters of law”? How do jurors reach conclusions about the facts of a case?

Part 3 – Legal precedents – How do judges tell when a previous case constitute a precedent that applies to a new case? When are precedents overruled?

Part 4 – Mock trials – You will argue famous court cases — some older and others more recent — about abortion, Obama care and same sex marriage.