Skip Navigation

LAW 0975: Death Penalty
Fall 2024 • Section 21 • CRN 38973

Course offerings for are still tentative. The information below is subject to change.

Course Description

This course will explore the death penalty law and policy in the United States. The class will explore a different issue each week, including the principles affecting the constitutionality/unconstitutionality of capital punishment and its application; the political and practical realities that influence enforcement of constitutional protections; who is (or is not) "eligible" for the death penalty (and why); the racial history of the U.S. death penalty and how race continues to affect capital punishment today; "outlier" jurisdictions, arbitrariness, and the geography of the death penalty; issues involving judges and juries — who decides who lives or dies (and why); the role of the prosecutor — prosecutorial discretion, prosecutorial misconduct, the use of the death penalty as a bargaining tool, and reform prosecutors; the role of defense counsel — access (or denial of access) to quality representation, resources, and experts, litigating ineffective representation, waivers of representation; "heightened procedural protections" and limited appellate review; the use of the death penalty against vulnerable defendants, including juvenile and adolescent offenders and those with mental illness, intellectual disability, brain damage, or histories of chronic trauma.


Schedule

Day/Time Location
M 4:00-5:50 PM Klein 6A

Course Details

Instructor
  • Rob Dunham
Credit Hours

3 Credits

Seats/Capacity

18

Course Type
  • Writing
Course Modality

Classroom

Fulfills J.D. Requirement
  • Writing Research
Programs

None

Registration Info

Pre-Requisites

You must have completed the following courses before enrolling in this course:

  • LAW 0410 (Criminal Law I)
  • LAW 0532 (Criminal Procedure I)

Book List/Materials