Criminal Law (LAW-507-005)
Fan
Meets: 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM (TTH) - Room 401
Enrolled: 78 / Limit: 90
Notices
There are no notices at this time.
Description
Criminal law is about how we deploy law’s heavy artillery—prohibition backed by punishment and condemnation—to control behavior deemed socially undesirable. Because criminal law is part of the matrix that orders social life, and because criminal statutes and penalties have proliferated in contemporary times to govern everything from how you drive to how you approach sexual relations, criminal law is an indispensable subject that connects with your life and the lives of your loved ones regardless of what path in the law you choose. In our semester survey we will study the main penal theories that inform our criminal laws and practices; the actus reus (act) and mens rea (mental state) components that generally make up crimes; the paradigmatic crimes of violence: homicide and rape; defenses, including self-defense, battered spouse syndrome, defense of habitation, defense of property, necessity, duress, insanity, diminished capacity, and intoxication; the inchoate crimes of attempt and conspiracy; and liability for aiding and abetting.
Textbooks and Other Materials
The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.
• Joshua Dressler, Cases and Materials on Criminal Law (5th ed. 2009)
First Class Readings
• Casebook pages 1-9. • Excerpts for Class I, posted on MyWCL (Lawrence v. Texas and overcriminalization article excerpts).
Syllabus
Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):
Adobe Acrobat (PDF)