Course Description and Objectives
Course Description
Previously, the project renaissance courses have been designed to teach
pluralism, humanity and other various topics loosely relating to law. This class
offers a drastic change from this historical trend. While arguably more work,
this course, contrary to the name "renaissance" will focus on one hot topic in
American Politics: The Death Penalty. This class will discuss a myriad of
directly related issues from morality to methods. The course schedule is diverse
and offers everything from philosophical and historical texts, to legal cases
and scholarly journal articles and even a movie. While the generality of
previous Project Renaissance classes will be absent, the teaching style is not.
This is a fully interactive course. Every student is expected to participate and
add to the class. It is our hope that you leave this class as nearly expert
critical thinkers and resident experts on the subject matter.
Course
Objectives
The course objectives are threefold:
1. To provide each student with enough relevant information to argue both
the realist and liberal perspectives on the death penalty.
2. To assure that any personal beliefs regarding Capital Punishment are not
based on ignorance.
3. To ensure that each student leaves the class with an understanding of how
to absorb dense material, namely philosophical texts and legal cases, and how to
coherently formulate an effective argument.
