Criminal Justice in The Wire (Bibas)
Faculty
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| Stephanos Bibas Senior Fellow sbibas@law.upenn.edu |
Additional Information
Skills Training
Oral Presentations
Expository Writing
Grading
20% Participation,
80% Paper
With Permission of Instructor
Class meets in person.
Course Continuity
Students are encouraged to stay home if you are ill or experience flu-like symptoms. If you miss a class for any reason, it is still your responsibility to make up the work missed.
I offer the following to students who miss class due to illness:
- If you are absent, due to illness or some other unavoidable circumstance, email me and I can ask for volunteers among your classmates to share their notes with you.
- When you are better, please make an appointment to meet with me and I will review/answer questions about what you missed.
Meeting Times/Location
T 2:20PM - 4:20PM
Gittis Hall 1
Category
Seminar
Credits
3.0
This class will survey criminal justice through all five seasons of the TV show The Wire, addressing not only criminal procedure doctrines (like stops and searches, wiretapping, drug laws, and imprisonment) but also institutions (police, prosecutors, defense lawyers) and broader social institutions and concerns (ranging from race to drug policy to politics and schools). Students will have to (re-)watch all five seasons of The Wire over the summer and fall and write four reflection essays, unless they arrange to write a longer research paper with permission of the instructor. Active class participation is essential and will be a component of the final grade.
Courts and the Judicial System Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of both substantive and procedural issues in the operation of our legal system; Perform legal analysis in the context of procedural issues and the judicial process; Communicate effectively on topics related to procedure and the judicial process; Demonstrate an understanding of how procedural issues and the judicial process affect all other area of our legal system.
Criminal Law and Procedure Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of criminal law and procedure; Perform legal analysis in the context of criminal law and procedure; Communicate effectively on topics related to criminal law and procedure; Demonstrate an understanding of the role criminal law and procedure play in society and their impact on other areas of law and society.
Textbooks
"The Wire: Crime, Law, and Policy" by Adam M. Gershowitz |