POLS2020-A Criminal Law and Evidence (Spring 2025)
Course Details
Section will be taught totally online with no scheduled class meetings. Students must arrange for daily access to a computer and the Internet prior to the start of classes. Robert Morris labs are to be used only as a backup in special situations and may not be relied upon for extended periods of time. In addition to the Internet link, online classes have a large emphasis on email. All messages from the instructor and other information regarding online classes, including user ids, passwords, and login instructions will be sent to your Robert Morris University email account. Visit http://rmu.blackboard.com/ for more information.
Session, Dates: 2 (01/18/2025 - 03/14/2025)
Days: ONLINE
Time: -
Location: Internet/Online
Room:
Seats Available: No Seats 5 Waiting
Credits: 3
Course Description
This course is a basic introduction to the judicial process, with specific emphasis on federal criminal procedure. Students will learn the methods that the government uses to detect, investigate, apprehend, prosecute, convict, and punish criminals. It will cover the most common crimes prosecuted in American courts, including homicide, sexual assault, and theft, and common defenses, including insanity and self-defense. The course will first give an overview of criminal law and the American court system, and will then proceed to go through the constitutional provisions of criminal procedure chronologically as they occur in real life. The criminal justice system depends on the successful handling of evidence, and the last part of the course will emphasize the rules for the admissibility of evidence and the safeguards the Constitution provides for criminal defendants.
3 Credits
Course Materials
About the Instructor(s)
Justin P. DePlato, Ph.D.
deplato@rmu.edu
412-397-5912 phone
412-397-6044 fax
Wheatley Center 226
Profile
Associate Professor of Political Science
Social Sciences
deplato@rmu.edu
412-397-5912 phone
412-397-6044 fax
Wheatley Center 226
Profile