Introduction to American Law and Legal Reasoning – 3000

Law pervades all areas of modern life. Yet it remains mysterious to those without legal training. Do you really know what that fine print says? Or what your constitutional rights actually are? This course will equip you to better answer such questions by exploring the tools that lawyers use to interpret and apply the law. The course introduces basic components of legal reasoning and examines law as a discipline for analyzing problems. Students will learn to think like lawyers through a series of contemporary case studies that require understanding and applying legal rules. Topics may include contracts, constitutional law, business law, criminal law, civil rights, environmental law, sports and entertainment law, education law, privacy, law and religion, and regulation of the internet.