CRJU 4510, Advanced Criminal Law Dr. Dennis Murphy

Spring Semester, 2001 UH 218; 921-5680

Syllabus

 Description: Criminal Law as social control within ordered liberty. Emphasizes economic and moral components of undergirding public policy.

Purpose of Course: The purpose of this course is development of understanding of the criminal law’s role in society. Understanding of the definitions of individual crimes is secondary to under-standing of why government posited those definitions, the consequences (both intended and unin-tended) of the definitions, and the interplay of criminal law definition with criminal law enforce-ment.

Learning Objectives: The successful student in this course will understand and be able to explain the interrelationships of criminal law, social control, government and society and the public policy elements of economics and morality that inform the entire subject.

Text: Moenssens, Bacigal, Ashdown & Inbau, Criminal Law: Cases and Comments (6^th Ed.)

Opportunities for Evaluation of Student Learning: There will be a midterm examination and a final examination in this course, each weighted 50% toward the final course grade. Both tests will be objective and based on both the text and the instructor’s additional material/perspectives. No make-up tests are to be given, so students are responsible for taking the test on the date previously announced in class.

Anticipated Sequence of Events: The class will proceed through the text in the following order:

Chapters 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 5, 8 & 6

In the unlikely event that all these chapters are covered before the end of the semester, one of the omitted chapters will be pursued, as announced in class. Much reading is required, obviously, and all students are responsible for being at each class meeting fully prepared to discuss the materials assigned for that class day.