This course was last offered during the Fall 2004 semester and is open to SIU graduate students. Please email Professor Comparato if you have any questions.
The purpose of this seminar is to provide an introduction to the literature in the field of public law. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Supreme Court, however we will also cover research that has been conducted on lower federal courts and state supreme courts. We will discuss some of the classics in the field of judicial politics as well as some of the new and exciting work that is being done by contemporary scholars. My goals are to: (1) introduce graduate students to the literature in judicial process and behavior and, in so doing, discuss some of the most important debates (both past and present) in the sub-field; and (2) to underscore the importance of sound theoretical arguments, careful research designs, and compelling empirical results. This course is taught from a perspective that emphasizes that the study of courts should be (and currently is) closely connected to the theoretical and empirical traditions in American Politics. As such, we will focus on the scientific study of judicial process and politics, analyzing the substantive, theoretical, and methodological developments in the field.
The Fall 2004 syllabus for this course is currently available.
This course will be maintained using WebCT. 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.
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URL: http://www.siu.edu/scompara/pols530.html
Last Updated: August 6th, 2004