2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

POL 335 - Famous Political Trials


An examination of the famous political trials in American and European history (from Ancient times through the 20th C.). In addition to looking at the history, politics, and legal issues surrounding these trials, the class also considers questions such as: What are the fundamental elements of political trials? How have scholars sought to distinguish between various types of political trials? What role did the trial play in public discourse at the time as well as later? How did the trial crystallize certain political and social issues of its time? How did/does the trial operate in terms of spectacle and drama? How does legal reasoning and literary narrative or storytelling interact in these trials? What conflicts emerge in the trials between individuals and the state, the church and the state, and actors in public and private arenas? How do the trials contribute or detract from public discourse? And what lessons can be learned from these trials?
Lecture
3 Credits