This course is currently offered during the Spring 2010 semester. The course is open to all majors, and has no prerequisites. Please email Professor Comparato if you have any questions.
This course is designed to introduce students to the law, and the legal system in the United States. You will become familiar with specific areas of the law as well as with different approaches to judicial decision making within the legal system. You will also be introduced to the various resources available to members of the legal profession and you will gain experience using these resources in completing your assignments. Additionally, you should become adept at briefing legal cases by the end of the course.
The course is broken into two sections. The first covers introductory material about the nature and purpose of law, as well as on the structure of the legal system and the different approaches judges take in making decisions. The second part of the course is devoted to substantive areas of the law. We will cover several specific areas of the law, including constitutional law, criminal law, civil law, and alternative dispute resolution. In a course of this nature, there is no way that we can devote the time to cover these topics in the depth that they deserve, but hopefully you will be motivated to pursue these topics in greater detail in other courses.
The Spring 2010 syllabus for this course is currently available.
This course will be maintained using Blackboard. The syllabus, course calendar, assignments, message and discussion boards, mail system, grades, and student homepages are available on the course page. For students enrolled in this course, detailed instructions to assist you in creating a WebCT account can be found here. I am willing to provide information on course content to those outside of Southern Illinois University that express interest. Please email me for more information.
Return to Scott Comparato's Homepage
URL: http://www.siu.edu/scompara/pols330.html
Last Updated: January 14th, 2010