Syllabus, Law and the Courts
Political Science 376 Neil H. Cogan
Jan Term 2019 Office: Platner Hall 107
Hoover Hall 004A E-mail: ncogan@whittier.edu
MTuWThF 9:00 am-12:00 pm Office Hours: TuWTh 12:00 -1:00 pm
Course Description:
This course examines the impact that legal rules and processes, both civil and criminal, have upon the equal and just administration of governmental power. In addition to understanding law’s impact, the course considers several critiques and proposals for reform, with particular emphasis upon the role of wealth and politics, racial disparities in sentencing and imprisonment; and gender bias in the definition and administration of sexual assault/harassment law. We will read selections from three books and several proposals, including the “First Step Act,” a federal law recently enacted with overwhelming conservative and progressive political support; and the Department of Education’s proposed regulations regarding the definition of sexual harassment.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, you should exhibit knowledge and understanding of several key concepts in substantive law, procedural law, and legal thought; demonstrate increased facility with legal analysis and reasoning, including identifying and applying relevant principles, and mastering modes of inquiry) that inform and contextualize legal analysis and reasoning; demonstrate increased ability to communicate effectively in writing; display familiarity with the rules governing lawyers and exhibit an understanding of a lawyer’s distinctive ethical responsibilities to clients, the legal system, and the broader public; and gain greater cultural competency).
Departmental Goals:
In addition to the specific goals of this course, the Political Science Department has additional goals and objectives for our major. This course seeks to contribute to the following goals and/or objective(s):
Goal 1: Learning about political science: Students should develop a better understanding of and the ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate, as appropriate, the nature of politics, political behavior, and the political world, including the fundamental issues in the discipline and its sub-fields.
Objective 3: Students should be able to discuss the impact of judges or public administrators on the development of public policy.
Goal 2: Skill Development: Students should develop fundamental skills in written and oral communication, group collaboration, evaluating information, and discerning cause-effect relationships.
Objective 2: Students will have experience working in group settings that result in group projects or other collaborative efforts and be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of such efforts.
Goal 3: Career preparation. Students should gain sufficient background in the field to pursue graduate work in political science, the law, or other disciplines and/or careers in or related to political science.
Objective 1: Students will develop the capability to conduct independent research projects.
Objective 2: Students will have the opportunity to pursue pre-law course work and develop an understanding of the field of law.
Required Texts
Deborah Rhode, Access to Justice (Oxford University Press, New York, NY 20004)
James Forman, Jr., Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, NY 20017)
Frances P. Reddington and Betsy Wright Kreisel, Sexual Assault: The Victims, the Perpetrators, and the Criminal Justice System, 3rd ed. (Carolina Academic Press, 2017)
Additional readings will available on the Moodle site for the course, and/or will be handed out in class.
Assignments and Grading:
Your grade for the course will be based on the following components:
1. Summary and critique of each week’s books and supplementary readings – 25% each
[75%]
2. Reaction paper to each week’s film – 5% each [15%]
3. Attendance and Participation – 10 %
Grade Scale:
100-93.4 A
93.3 – 90 A-
89.9 – 86.7 B+
86.6 – 83.4 B
83.3 – 80 B-
79.9 – 76.7 C+
76.6 – 73.4 C
73.3 – 70 C-
69.9 – 66.7 D+
66.6 – 63.4 D
63.3 – 60 D-
59.9 – 0 F
Class Laptop/Electronic Device Policy:
I permit the use in class of laptops and other electronic devices if done to enhance the educational goals of the course. This use does not include social emails and texting.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodations
In compliance with the ADA, it is the policy of Whittier College to ensure students with disabilities can access the curriculum and have access to a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. Students desiring accommodations on the basis of physical, learning, or psychological disability for this class should contact Disability Services. Disability Services is located on the ground floor of the Library building and can be reached by calling extension 4825.
Policy on Academic Honesty
The Whittier policy on academic honesty makes it clear that all forms of academic cheating, fraud, and dishonesty are not permitted at this institution. I do not tolerate plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind and will pursue plagiarism cases to the full extent allowed by Whittier rules. At the minimum, students I find to have committed a flagrant act of intentional plagiarism or cheating will receive a zero on the assignment and their case will be referred to the appropriate offices for further administrative action. The penalties for repeated or flagrant misconduct can be as severe as suspension from Whittier. Students unclear on what constitutes an act of academic dishonesty or the potential consequences of violations should review https://www.whittier.edu/academics/academichonesty .
Course Outline:
Week 1: Rhode, chapters. 1-4, 7-8; film, “A Civil Action”
Week 2, Foreman, all; film, “And Justice for All”
Week 3, Reddington, chapters 1-2, 4-5, 10-11, 16-17; film, “The Breakfast Club”
Political Science 376 Neil H. Cogan
Jan Term 2019 Office: Platner Hall 107
Hoover Hall 004A E-mail: ncogan@whittier.edu
MTuWThF 9:00 am-12:00 pm Office Hours: TuWTh 12:00 -1:00 pm
Course Description:
This course examines the impact that legal rules and processes, both civil and criminal, have upon the equal and just administration of governmental power. In addition to understanding law’s impact, the course considers several critiques and proposals for reform, with particular emphasis upon the role of wealth and politics, racial disparities in sentencing and imprisonment; and gender bias in the definition and administration of sexual assault/harassment law. We will read selections from three books and several proposals, including the “First Step Act,” a federal law recently enacted with overwhelming conservative and progressive political support; and the Department of Education’s proposed regulations regarding the definition of sexual harassment.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, you should exhibit knowledge and understanding of several key concepts in substantive law, procedural law, and legal thought; demonstrate increased facility with legal analysis and reasoning, including identifying and applying relevant principles, and mastering modes of inquiry) that inform and contextualize legal analysis and reasoning; demonstrate increased ability to communicate effectively in writing; display familiarity with the rules governing lawyers and exhibit an understanding of a lawyer’s distinctive ethical responsibilities to clients, the legal system, and the broader public; and gain greater cultural competency).
Departmental Goals:
In addition to the specific goals of this course, the Political Science Department has additional goals and objectives for our major. This course seeks to contribute to the following goals and/or objective(s):
Goal 1: Learning about political science: Students should develop a better understanding of and the ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate, as appropriate, the nature of politics, political behavior, and the political world, including the fundamental issues in the discipline and its sub-fields.
Objective 3: Students should be able to discuss the impact of judges or public administrators on the development of public policy.
Goal 2: Skill Development: Students should develop fundamental skills in written and oral communication, group collaboration, evaluating information, and discerning cause-effect relationships.
Objective 2: Students will have experience working in group settings that result in group projects or other collaborative efforts and be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of such efforts.
Goal 3: Career preparation. Students should gain sufficient background in the field to pursue graduate work in political science, the law, or other disciplines and/or careers in or related to political science.
Objective 1: Students will develop the capability to conduct independent research projects.
Objective 2: Students will have the opportunity to pursue pre-law course work and develop an understanding of the field of law.
Required Texts
Deborah Rhode, Access to Justice (Oxford University Press, New York, NY 20004)
James Forman, Jr., Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, NY 20017)
Frances P. Reddington and Betsy Wright Kreisel, Sexual Assault: The Victims, the Perpetrators, and the Criminal Justice System, 3rd ed. (Carolina Academic Press, 2017)
Additional readings will available on the Moodle site for the course, and/or will be handed out in class.
Assignments and Grading:
Your grade for the course will be based on the following components:
1. Summary and critique of each week’s books and supplementary readings – 25% each
[75%]
2. Reaction paper to each week’s film – 5% each [15%]
3. Attendance and Participation – 10 %
Grade Scale:
100-93.4 A
93.3 – 90 A-
89.9 – 86.7 B+
86.6 – 83.4 B
83.3 – 80 B-
79.9 – 76.7 C+
76.6 – 73.4 C
73.3 – 70 C-
69.9 – 66.7 D+
66.6 – 63.4 D
63.3 – 60 D-
59.9 – 0 F
Class Laptop/Electronic Device Policy:
I permit the use in class of laptops and other electronic devices if done to enhance the educational goals of the course. This use does not include social emails and texting.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodations
In compliance with the ADA, it is the policy of Whittier College to ensure students with disabilities can access the curriculum and have access to a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. Students desiring accommodations on the basis of physical, learning, or psychological disability for this class should contact Disability Services. Disability Services is located on the ground floor of the Library building and can be reached by calling extension 4825.
Policy on Academic Honesty
The Whittier policy on academic honesty makes it clear that all forms of academic cheating, fraud, and dishonesty are not permitted at this institution. I do not tolerate plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind and will pursue plagiarism cases to the full extent allowed by Whittier rules. At the minimum, students I find to have committed a flagrant act of intentional plagiarism or cheating will receive a zero on the assignment and their case will be referred to the appropriate offices for further administrative action. The penalties for repeated or flagrant misconduct can be as severe as suspension from Whittier. Students unclear on what constitutes an act of academic dishonesty or the potential consequences of violations should review https://www.whittier.edu/academics/academichonesty .
Course Outline:
Week 1: Rhode, chapters. 1-4, 7-8; film, “A Civil Action”
Week 2, Foreman, all; film, “And Justice for All”
Week 3, Reddington, chapters 1-2, 4-5, 10-11, 16-17; film, “The Breakfast Club”
- Teacher: Neil Cogan