Section Information
Section Description Provided by Instructor
Science plays an ever increasing role in the courts, typified by everything from forensic evidence in criminal cases to global warming disputes in environmental cases to genome patent disputes in intellectual property cases to prescription drug defects in mass tort cases to adolescent brain development evidence in death penalty cases, and so forth. This seminar addresses the difficulties that courts encounter in dealing with scientific evidence and scientific concepts, both at the practical level and at the jurisprudential level. Examples will be drawn from recent cases and current controversies An important focus of the seminar will be on how judges, juries, and lawyers untrained in science can best handle scientific issues with which they are presented.
No course prerequisite or prior scientific knowledge is required.
Semester
Fall 2012
Section
001
Schedule
W 6:20p - 8:10p
Location
JGH 646
Points
2.0
Method of Evaluation
Paper
J.D. Writing Credit
Minor (automatic)
Course Limitations
Pre-requisite Courses
None
Co-requisite Courses
None
Recommended Courses
None
Other Limitations
Interest in litigation helpful, though not required. No course prerequisite or prior scientific knowledge is required.
