Courses:
POS 2003: Introduction to Political Thought (3 cr.)
A study of ideas about such topics as government, law, society,
economics, religion, war, and peace, in the writings of great political thinkers, poets, historians, philosophers, and statesmen
in the western tradition such as Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Polybius, Cicero, St. Augustine, St. Thomas
Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx. Emphasis will be placed on the historical
context in which these individuals wrote and on the relevance of their contributions to modern thinking and debate, especially
about law and government. (Fall) (Spring)
POS 2004 CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
This course surveys American constitutional development from the
formative era of the framing of the Constitution in 1787 to today.
Emphasis is placed on famous opinions of the U.S. Supreme
Court, especially in the areas of separation of powers and
states’ rights. Attention is also given to power struggles between
Presidents and Justices, as well as to the important political
and social changes in American history and how those changes
have influenced and been influenced by changes in the interpretation
of the Constitution. At selected dates in the class, students
playing the roles of lawyers in famous cases will deliver
short oral arguments to the class. Required for all Legal Studies
concentrators and minors Criminal Law minors and concentrators
must take either Civil Liberties or this course. (Fall)
POS 2007: Constitutional Issues and America’s Legal Heritage
(3 cr.)
Where did our ideas about limited government and freedom
come from? Why do we now take it for granted that the President cannot make law without Congress and that, if the
President tries to do so, he can be impeached? Why do we assume that the Supreme Court should have the power to declare
acts of Congress unconstitutional? Is there a duty to obey unjust laws? This course provides an overview of some of the
constitutional ideas and traditions that influenced the framers of the American Constitution. Emphasis is placed on ideas about
law and constitutions in the political thought of ancient Greece and Rome, and on the development of the English Constitution,
from early medieval times, through the Tudor era and the constitutional crisis of the English Civil War, and through the
era of Hobbes, Locke, and Blackstone. Satisfies Perspective requirement for both Legal Studies and Criminal Law. (Spring)
POS 2024 CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
This course is a survey of the
constitutional rights we enjoy when we
are stopped, arrested, searched, or questioned by the police.
Emphasis is placed on Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment
rights (search and seizure, coerced confessions, right
to counsel, entrapment, wiretapping, and due process) and on
close reading of Supreme Court opinions. At the end of the course,
students playing the roles of lawyers will deliver short oral
arguments to the class. Required for Criminal Law concentrators
and minors. Legal Studies concentrators and minors
must take either Criminal Law or this course. (Fall)
POS 2087 INTRODUCTION TO COMMON
LAW: WRITING AND ANALYSIS
This course provides an overview of
many different areas of law – from
the law of contract, property, and tort, to aspects of federal
jurisdiction. It will introduce students to the court system
and fundamentals of court procedure. Most important, it will
develop and perfect student skills in writing grammatically correct
and persuasive essays on legal subjects. The course culminates
in a mock trial in which students play the roles of attorneys,
defendants, witnesses, and jurors. Required for all Legal
Studies and Criminal Law concentrators and minors. If possible,
this course should be taken early in the student’s course
of study at the college. (Fall)
POS 3111/5111 SEMINAR: LAW AND LITERATURE
This seminar looks at the role of law
in great literature of the past.
Readings will be drawn from novels, poems, essays, and plays
from different eras and countries, including some classical literature
of the ancient world, British literature including Shakespeare,
American literature, classic detective fiction such as
Sherlock Holmes, and the literature of other nations. Satisfies perspective
requirement for Legal Studies and Criminal Law. (Fall)