Evidence (Mayson)
Faculty
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| Sandra Gabriel Mayson Professor of Law sgmayson@law.upenn.edu |
Additional Information
Grading
100% Exam
Exam
Multiple Choice,
Essay,
In Class,
Partial Open Book (Students may bring the Federal Rules of Evidence and an outline.)
No
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:
- Class sessions are regularly recorded. I will make these recordings routinely available on the course site to everyone in the class.
Meeting Times/Location
MW 3:00PM - 4:59PM
Gittis Hall 214
Category
Upper-Level
Credits
4.0
Trials are conducted with evidence. But which evidence is admissible, and why? This course will focus on the answers to those questions provided by the Federal Rules of Evidence and related case law. We will cover the central issues of relevance and hearsay; character, prior bad acts, and habit; scientific and other expert evidence; privileges; authentication; and conceptual and trial practice issues. Class will be mostly problem-based. Grades will be determined by the end-of-semester exam and by class participation.
[A note on the textbook: The required textbook is Merritt & Simmons' "Learning Evidence: From the Federal Rules to the Courtoom" (Fifth Edition). You may use a hard copy of the book, new or used, or the digital e-book. You must also procure access to the digital "Learning Library," which comes with any new copy of the book (either hard copy or digital), or can be purchased separately for $50 on the West Academic website.]
Skills Learning outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of the individual course skill; Demonstrate the ability to receive and implement feedback; Demonstrate an understanding of how and when the individual course skill is employed in practice.
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.
Textbooks
"Learning Evidence: From the Federal Rules to the Courtroom" by Deborah Jones Merritt and Ric Simmons |