Law Studies
Description
Laws affect the lives of American adults and teenagers differently. In this course, students examine laws and court decisions that apply to all citizens, as well as those that specifically outline the rights of teenagers. Students gain a greater understanding of the foundations of the United States government and legal system as they review the principles outlined in the founding documents. In addition to studying criminal and civil law, students also explore life events covered under family law and the legal protections given to consumers. Students are challenged to investigate Supreme Court rulings and apply them to situations faced by teenagers. The course offers students the chance to express and support their opinions about changing public policies and current legal issues. The focus is on understanding legal concepts and how to find answers about legal questions, rather than memorizing case information and technical details; the ultimate goal is to provide students an opportunity to earn an elective credit through interaction with engaging content.
Major Topics and Concepts
· Ethics and ethical dilemmas
· Ethical decision making processes (Utilitarian, Rights, Fairness and Justice, Common Good, Virtue)
· Relationship between ethics and law
· Evolution of Law in the United States
· English Common Law
· Founding Documents (Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Federalist Papers, Constitution, Bill of Rights)
· 3 Branches of Government
· Political Principles (rule of law, separation of power, republicanism, federalism)
· Separation of powers (concurrent, reserved, expressed, implied)
· Supremacy Clause
· “Elastic” Clause
· Free Speech cases (Tinker v. Des Moines, Bethel v. Fraser, J.S. v. Bethlehem Area School District, Morse v. Frederick)
· Levels of government (local, state, federal)
· Branches of government (legislative, judicial, executive)
· Qualifications for federal positions (representative, senator, president, Supreme Court justice)
· How a bill becomes a law
· Judicial review (stare decisis, case law)
· Court structure (state v. federal courts)
· Political participation
· Civic engagement
· Responsibilities of citizenship (mandatory, voluntary)
· Bill of Rights
· Protection of human rights
· Expansion of rights (13th, 14th 15th Amendments)
· Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws
· Plessy v Ferguson
· Brown v Board of Education (Brown II)
· Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965
· Fourth Amendment cases (Vernonia School District v. Acton, New Jersey v. T.L.O.)
· Criminology
· Causes of crime (biological, psychological, social, economic)
· Defining crime
· People involved in crimes (principals, accessories, complicity)
· Classifications of crimes (felonies, misdemeanors, violations)
· Liability (actus reus, mens rea, causation, harm, concurrence, strict liability)
· Inchoate crimes
· Laws of omission (Good Samaritan laws, bystander effect)
· Criminal court cases (investigation, arrest, warrant, pre-trial diversion, initial hearing, arraignment, plea bargaining, trial, appeals, corrections)
· People in a criminal trial (police, defendant, defense attorney, prosecuting attorney/district attorney, witness, judge, jury)
· Juvenile Court
· Schenck v United States (clear and present danger test)
· Sentencing
· Primary and secondary sources
· Researching legal issues (finding good sources, source reputation, relevance, peer review/editing, author expertise, references, reliability, bias, validity, authenticity)
· Additional areas of study (history, geography)
· Eighth Amendment cases (Kent v. United States, Roper v. Simmons)
· Torts (Liebeck v. McDonalds Restaurants, Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, wrongful acts, injury, liability)
· Steps in civil cases (initial pleadings, pre-trial practices, trial, post-trial)
· Types of torts (intentional, negligent, and strict liability)
· Negligent torts (duty, breach, causation, damages, calculus of negligence, Hand test, B<PL)
· Standard of care torts (Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California)
· Strict liability (product liability)
· Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy, difference between criminal and civil cases)
· Consumer law (economy, consumers, assets)
· Consumer rights and responsibilities
· Consumer protection and consumer fraud (Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Bureau of Competition, Bureau of Economics)
· Contracts (express, implied)
· Warranties (express, implied, lifetime, extended)
· Credit cards (user’s rights, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Credit CARD Act, contract)
· Technology and law (forensic scientists, forensic accountants, Internet law)
· Fourteenth Amendment cases (University of California v. Bakke, United States v. Virginia, Grutter v. Bollinger)
· Family law
· Marital law (bigamy, polygamy, common law marriage, cohabitation, divorce, prenuptial agreement, stalking, domestic abuse)
· Estate law (will, inheritance, estate, guardianship agreement)
· Evolution of law to meet changes in society
· Public policy
· Stages of policy development (agenda, formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation, termination)
· Persuasive political techniques (bandwagon, association, fear, weasel words, either/or, loaded language, card stacking, charisma)
· Political communication (analyzing for bias, political technique)
· Role of special groups, individuals, and media in influencing public policy
· Citizenship (jus soli, jus sanguinis, naturalization)
· Steps to naturalization
· Immigration (policy, laws, DREAM Act, court cases, Arizona v. United States)
· in re Gault
· Researching and writing a legal opinion