Exam Type: In Class

This course considers the basic themes and doctrines of substantive criminal law, including criminal responsibility, the significance of act, intent, causation and result, justification and excuse, and the rationales of punishment. The course includes the study of illustrative crimes including homicide, rape, and conspiracy. The course also considers some important issues in the administration of the criminal legal system, such as the scope of discretion. However, the focus is not on criminal procedure, but rather on the criteria according to which culpability and punishment are determined in the contemporary American criminal legal system. The course also introduces basic tools of statutory interpretation.