Courses

College of Law

Evidence

Course Number: 6410
Professor: Lauren McLane
Credit Hours & Type of Credit: 3
Semester Offered: Fall
Required: Yes
Prerequisites: Students must have completed their first year of law school.
Recommended Courses: None

Course Overview: This course examines the law of proof and focuses on the Federal Rules of Evidence. The language, purpose, and policies underlying the evidence rules are stressed throughout in order to make the rules meaningful, predictable, and functional. In addition to covering the substantive rules of evidence, this course will explore the use of the rules of evidence as a tactical device to develop the narrative of a case and to disrupt the opponent’s narrative. Accordingly, the theme of this course is pragmatic, with a problem-based emphasis. The rules of evidence will be examined from an advocate’s perspective in order to develop students’ knowledge of what facts matter and how those facts can be proven.

Course Materials: See the current Book List located under Scheduling.
Course Format: Socratic dialogue, lecture, class participation, and possibly quizzes and class assignments.
Written Assignments: Possibly quizzes. The instructor reserves the possibility of adding other written assignments.
Type of Exam: Three hour open book final exam.
Basis for Grading Student Performance: Final Exam, with the possibility of some consideration of class participation, quizzes, and other assignments during the semester. Completion of all assigned Computer Aided Legal Instruction (CALI) exercises.
Other Comments: