PBS400: Fundamentals of Law Credit Hours: 3 Contact Hours: This is a 3-credit course, offered in accelerated format. This means that 16 weeks of material is covered in 8 weeks. The exact number of hours per week that you can expect to spend on each course will vary based upon the weekly coursework, as well as your study style and preferences. You should plan to spend 10-25 hours per week in each course reading material, interacting on the discussion boards, writing papers, completing projects, and doing research. Faculty Information Name: Phone: CSU-GC Email: Virtual Office Hours: Course Description and Outcomes This course begins with an exploration of the history and origins of the American justice system. Students will be able to explore the various types of law which comprise our system today. During the initial segment, students will also gain an understanding of the scope of legal profession, the ethical and professional challenges its practitioners face as well as spend time comparing and contrasting the civil and criminal systems. Then a closer look will be given to prosecutors, defense attorneys and the elements of criminal law and defenses to those laws. Students will apply the elements of crimes and defenses to three categories of crime: violent crime, property crime and social/morall crime. In addition, students will read and evaluate the impact of case law on criminal statutes and defenses. Finally, this course will conclude by examining the Constitutional protections provided to defendants prior to and during the trial process. Students will read and evaluate case law to determine how case law affects and interprets Constitutional rights in the criminal court system. Ultimately, students will explore the goals of sentencing and evaluate the success of those goals as methods of social control. Course Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify and describe the foundations and origins of the United States legal system and the legal profession. 2. Compare and contrast the different practice areas of law of the United States legall system. 3. Examine and analyze the United States criminal court process and the intricacies related to criminal prosecution. 4. Examine and assess the elements of criminal laws and applying those elements to various categories of crime. 5. Examine and evaluate constitutional case precedents which impact police action and the court process.
Participation & Attendance Prompt and consistent attendance in your online courses is essential for your success at CSU-Global Campus. Failure to verify your attendance within the first 7 days of this course may result in your withdrawal. If for some reason you would like to drop a course, please contact your advisor. Online classes have deadlines, assignments, and participation requirements just like on-campus classes. Budget your time carefully and keep an open line of communication with your instructor. If you are having technical problems, problems with your assignments, or other problems that are impeding your progress, let your instructor know as soon as possible. Course Materials Required: Barkan, S.E. (2009). Law and Society: An Introduction (1st Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 9780131946606 Davenport, A.U. (2012). Basic Criminal Law: The Constitution, Procedure and Crimes (3rdEd.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 9780135109465 Wallace, H. & Roberson, C. (2012). Principles of Criminal Law (5th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN-13: 9780135121580. **All non-textbook required readings and materials necessary to complete assignments, discussions, and/or supplemental or required exercises will be provided within the course itself. Please read through each course module carefully. Course Schedule Due Dates The Academic Week at CSU-Global begins on Monday and ends the following Sunday. Discussion Boards: The original post must be completed by Thursday at 12 midnight MT and Peer Responses posted by Sunday 12 midnight MT. Late posts may not be awarded points. Mastery Exercises: Students may access and retake mastery exercises through the last day of class until they achieve the scores they desire. Critical Thinking Activities: Assignments are due Sunday at 12 midnight MT. Week # 1 Readings Chapter 3 in Law and Society Chapter 1 in Principles of Criminal Law Easton, S.D. (2004). My last lecture: Unsolicited advice for future and current lawyers. South Carolina Law Review, 56, 230-273. (This article can be found in the Article Reserve.) Assignments
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chapter 3 and 5 - Principles of Criminal Law Robinson, P.H. & Dubber, M.D. (2007). The American model penal code: A brief overview. New Criminal Law Review, 10(3), 319-341. Retrieved from http://lsr.nellco.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1141&context= upenn_wps (This article can be found in the Article Reserve.) Chapters 6 & 7 in Principles of Criminal Law Roper v. Simmons, 543 US 551 (2005) located at the following website: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-633.zs.html Students are to read the entire decision (majority, concurrence Chapter 6 in Basic Criminal Law Mastery Exercises (20) Chapter 7 in Basic Criminal Law Diamond, J.L. (1996). The myth of morality and fault in criminal law. American Criminal Law Review, 34(1), 111. (This article can be found in the Article Reserve.) Nel, S.L. (2005). Victims of human trafficking: Are they adequately protected in the United States? Journal of international and comparative law, 5(3), 1-32. (This article can be found in the Article Reserve.) Chapters 11 & 12 in Basic Criminal Law Lee, K.M. (2004). Reinventing Gideon v. Wainwright: Holistic defenders, indigent defendants, and the right to counsel. American Journal of Criminal Law, 31(3), 369-432. (This article can be found in the Article Reserve.) Chapter 13 in Basic Criminal Law The entire decision (opinion, concurrences and dissents) in Batson v. Kentucky, which can be located at this website: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/ussc_cr_047 6_0079_ZS.html The Syllabus (one page summary of the Court s decision) in Powers v. Ohio, which can be located at this website: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/89-5011.zs.html The Syllabus (one page summary of the Court s decision) in Georgia v. McCollum, which can be located at this website: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/91-372.zs.html Critical Thinking (175) Critical Thinking (175) Chapter 5 in Law and Society: An Introduction Mastery Exercises (20) Portfolio Assignment (350) Assignment Details This course includes the following assignments/projects:
Week 2 Portfolio Milestone: What Is Justice? (50 of 350 Portfolio points) In preparation for the final Portfolio Project, you should begin to consider what justice means to you. You are encouraged to do library-based, academic research when crafting your definition. Please submit an essay of approximately 500 words summarizing what justice means from both an objective and subjective point of view. Be sure to cite your sources and use CSU-Global APA citation format within the body of your work and in the references page. This particular assignment is worth 50 points toward the overall 350 points of the portfolio project. Your work done here will be incorporated into the final project. Week 3 Critical Thinking: Essay (175 points) Please write an essay of approximately 500-750 words examine how either self-defense or defense of others attacks the elements of the crime of second degree murder. From a defense attorney s point of view, indicate what kind of information would be important to establish the defense. From a prosecutor s point of view, indicate what kind of information would be important to refute the defense s information. Week 4 Portfolio Milestone: Richard s Crime (50 of 350 Portfolio points) In preparation for the final Portfolio Project, based on what you ve learned so far about Richard, if you were the prosecutor, with what crime, if any would you charge Richard? Additionally, if you were his defense attorney, what defense, if any would you pursue and why? Please submit an essay of approximately 500 words detailing your choice for a criminal charge and an affirmative defense. You are encouraged to do library-based, academic research to supplement your work and understanding. You are encouraged to exam the homicide-related statutes in your state and this website http://www.law.cornell.edu - which is particularly helpful and easy to use when searching your state s criminal code. Be sure to cite your sources and use CSU-Global APA citation format within the body of your work and in the references page. This particular assignment is worth 50 points toward the overall 350 points of the portfolio project. Your work done here will be incorporated into the final project. Week 5 Critical thinking: Victimless Crimes (175 points) Often drug offenses are considered victimless crimes. Please watch this segment on drug use. Afterward, please write an essay of approximately 500-750 examining whether crimes can truly be victimless. If so, how? If not, why not? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02s4dfq7f&continuous=1
Week 6 Portfolio Milestone: Evaluate Richard s Statements (50 of 350 Portfolio points) In preparation for the final Portfolio Project, based on what you ve learned this week, evaluate Richard s statements regarding his knowledge and understanding of the crime committed and his expectations regarding punishment. Please submit an essay of approximately 500 words re-evaluating the decision(s) you made regarding the charge(s) and defense(s) you submitted previously and what you have learned about child development from Roper v. Simmons. This particular assignment is worth 50 points toward the overall 350 points of the portfolioo project. Your work done here will be incorporated into the final project. Week 7 Portfolio Milestone: Richard s Plea (50 of 350 Portfolio points) In preparation for the final Portfolio Project, based on what you ve learned this week, evaluate whether Richard would have been better off going to trial. Please submit an essay of approximately 500 words evaluating whether Richard should have rejected the plea off and instead had his cased decided by jury. This particular assignment is worth 50 points toward the overall 350 points of the portfolioo project. Your work done here will be incorporated into the final project. You are encouraged to do library-based, academic research to supplement your work and understanding. You are also encouraged to examine the homicide-related statutes in your state and this website - http://www.law.cornell.edu/ - is particularly helpful and easy to use when searching your state s criminal code. Week 8 Portfolio Assignment (350 points) In light of everything you ve read, studied, researched, and watched regarding Richard s case, you will need to synthesize that material as you answer this question: Was justice done in Richard s case? Please submit an essay of approximately 1,000-1,500 words (that s 5-6 pages using double-spaced, Times Roman 12 font with 1 margins not including cover page and references) detailing your response to this question. Please include a separate cover page and a page for references. The final essay is worth 150 points toward the overall 350 points of the portfolio. For project details, see the Portfolio Project Description, which can be accessed from the Week 8 Assignments page. Course Policies Course Grading 20% Discussion Participation 10% Mastery Exercises 35% Critical Thinking Activities 35% Final Portfolio Paper Grading Scale and Policies A 95.0 100 A- 90.0 94.9 B+ 86.7 89.9
B 83.3 86.6 B- 80.0 83.2 C+ 75.0 79.9 C 70.0 74.9 D 60.0 69.9 F 59.9 or below In-Classroom Policies For information on late work and Incomplete grade policies, please refer to our In-Classroom Student Policies and Guidelines or the Academic Catalog for comprehensive documentation of CSU-Global institutional policies. Academic Integrity Students must assume responsibility for maintaining honesty in all work submitted for credit and in any other work designated by the instructor of the course. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, plagiarism, reusing /re-purposing your own work (see CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements for percentage of repurposed work that can be used in an assignment), unauthorized possession of academic materials, and unauthorized collaboration. The CSU-Global Library provides information on how students can avoid plagiarism by understanding what it is and how to use the Library and Internet resources. Citing Sources with APA Style All students are expected to follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements when citing in APA (based on the APA Style Manual, 6th edition) for all assignments. For details on CSU-Global APA style, please review the APA resources within the CSU-Global Library under the APA Guide & Resources link. A link to this document should also be provided within most assignment descriptions on your course s Assignments page. Netiquette Respect the diversity of opinions among the instructor and classmates and engage with them in a courteous, respectful, and professional manner. All posts and classroom communication must be conducted in accordance with the student code of conduct. Think before you push the Send button. Did you say just what you meant? How will the person on the other end read the words? Maintain an environment free of harassment, stalking, threats, abuse, insults or humiliation toward the instructor and classmates. This includes, but is not limited to, demeaning written or oral comments of an ethnic, religious, age, disability, sexist (or sexual orientation), or racist nature; and the unwanted sexual advances or intimidations by email, or on discussion boards and other postings within or connected to the online classroom. If you have concerns about something that has been said, please let your instructor know.