Fall, 1996
Roster
of International Students - Fall, 1996
Picture
- Class of Fall, 1996
Pictures
- Class Visit to the US Supreme Court - Fall, 1996
1996
Syllabus
Other Choices
Student
Essays
Selected
Legal Writing Materials on the Internet
Selected
Legal Research Guides on the Internet
link to UNC
Law Weekly
link to Mere
Dictum, the law school newspaper
I. Concept and Purpose:
This course
provides an introduction to the American legal system for foreign exchange
law students. The course will bridge the gap between the students’
understanding of their home countries’ legal systems and unique aspects
of the United States legal system; and provide a general framework designed
to aid in the students’ grasp of the law school curriculum.
II. Goals for the Course:
Familiarize students with the structure and working of the legal system of the United States.
Provide experience in the research and writing skills necessary for effective legal analysis and clear oral and written communication, including hands-on experience using the law library and electronic resources.
Introduce students
to the procedural aspects of civil and criminal law in the United States
and to the principal bodies of substantive law in the United
States.
Provide opportunities
through field trips to observe the workings of various legal institutions
and to talk with persons employed in the legal profession .
III.
Required Texts:
Burnham, William,
Introduction to the Law and Legal System of the United States, 1995.
Lewis, Alfred,
Using American Law Books, 4th ed., 1995.
Supplementary
materials will be distributed in class.
Optional Texts:
Cohen and Olson,
Legal Research in a Nutshell, 6th ed., 1996 (on reserve in library).
A Uniform
System of Citation, 16th ed., 1996 (on reserve in library).
IV. Format for the Course:
Class sessions consist of lectures, student discussions, guest speakers and laboratory sessions. Students are expected to participate in discussions based on the readings.
Students will
be assigned a variety of writing and research exercises including
a legal memorandum.
V. Student Responsibilities:
You are expected to read the assigned material before each class and be prepared to discuss what you have read. Reading assignments in the Burnham text are long, but you are reading for content and not minutiae.
Complete all written assignments in a timely manner.
Class attendance
is essential; this is a small class and your participation in the course
is an important and valued component of the course.
VI. Reading Assignments:
Please remember
that we have a number of guest speakers and that we are somewhat dependent
on their schedules. Please do not read far in advance of the assigned
readings for the next week.
VII. Grades:
There is no
final exam. The course grade will be based on the research and writing
exercises, quizzes, the legal memorandum and class participation.
40%
final memorandum
20%
short writing assignments
20%
research exercises
10%
in-class quizzes on assigned readings
10%
discretionary for class participation
VIII: The Honor Code:
The Honor Code is in effect for all assignments related to this course. You may work cooperatively on library assignments, but do not allow anyone to do your work for you, nor should you do anyone’s work for them.
Remember that it is an Honor Code violation to take words or concepts out of any resource (including cases, statutes and secondary materials) without proper use of quotation marks and proper acknowledgment of your source. If you have questions about the Code, please check with me.
| Day | Time |
| Tuesday | 3:00-4:00 |
| Wednesday | 3:00-4:00 |
| Thursday | 3:00-4:00 |
week
1:
August 19 - Introduction to One Another and to the Course
no reading assignment
August 20 - Overview of American Law and Some Comparisons with
Other Countries
no reading assignment
August 21- Legal Education in the United States
read Burnham, pp. 134 - 147
week
2:
August 26 - History and Governmental Structure
read Burnham, pp. 1 - 36
Constitution
of the United States of America
Constitution
of North Carolina
August 27 - Structure of a Law Suit and Briefing a Case
no reading assignment
August 28 - Case Law
read Lewis, pp. 9 - 39
turn in - assignment - Legal Education essay
LIBRARY TOUR, Wednesday, 8/27 - 4 - 5 pm. 
week
3
September 2 - Statutes and Legislative History
read: Lewis, pp.55 - 98
turn in: library exercise - Using the Library
Catalog
turn in: assignment - case brief
United States Code
at Cornell Legal Information Institute
Federal
Legislative History Guide at University of Minnesota Law Library
"How Our Laws Are Made" a narrative description of the legislative
process
September 3 - Guest: Professor
Lissa Broome - Interpreting Statutes
read Burnham, pp. 48 - 64
Be prepared to discuss "Working with Statutes" materials with Professor
Broome.
September 4 - Guest: Professor
Walter Bennett - The Legal Profession
read Burnham, pp. 141 (admission to the bar) - 174.
Professor Bennett's Oral
History Project
Legal directories
via UNC Law Library's homepage
week
4
September 9 - The Judicial System
read Burnham, pp. 175 - 186
"Structure
of the Federal Courts"
Glossary
of terms about the courts
Diagram
of United States Court system
Map of federal
judicial circuits
Diagram of North
Carolina court system
September 10 - Legal Methodology
read Burnham, pp. 64 - 75
September 11 - Legal Methodology - continued
read Burnham, pp. 196 - 205
week
5
September 16 Tour of North
Carolina Supreme Court with Justice Harry Martin
Meet in Law School Lobby at 3 p.m.; return to Chapel Hill by 6 p.m.
Photos and biographies of North Carolina Supreme
Court Justices . 
Students' essays
about the North Carolina court visit.
September 17 - Guest: Professor
Tom French - Administrative Law
read: Burnham, pp. 206 - 234
read: Lewis, pp. 99 - 113
United States Code
of Federal Regulations
A Guide to Federal
Regulations and the CFR by Scott Childs
September 18 - Methodology (continued)
no reading assignment
turn in: Finding and Researching Case Law
turn in: Researching State Legislation
week
6
September 23 - Commentaries on the Law / Shepard's Citators
read: Lewis, pp. 123 - 147
read: Lewis, pp. pp. 41 - 47
turn in: Statutory Interpretation exercise
How to Shepardize:
Online Tutorial
What happens
when you don't Shepardize? Excerpt from State
of California v. OJ Simpson
September 24 - Guest:
Professor Ken Braun - Civil Procedure
read: Handout from Professor Braun
read: Burnham, pp. 235 - 274
read: Lewis, pp. 115 - 117
Federal Rules
of Civil Procedure (Cornell Legal Information )
Diagram of typical civil
case in federal court
September 25 - Guest speaker: Professor
Brian Bromberger - The Adversary
System
read: Burnham. pp. 82 - 131
turn in: research exercise - Federal Statutes and Regulations
IMPORTANT
DATES - MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Thursday,
October 2 - Computer training - please note the hour you are scheduled! 
Wednesday, October 29 class time change. Class will be from 4 - 5 p.m.
Saturday, November
1 - Monday, November 3 - trip to Washington, DC
week
7
September 30 - Methodology: Comparing Cases
class discussion: Comparing Cases handout
class discussion: Relationships of Courts handout
turn in: research exercise - Legal Periodicals
October 1 - Automated Legal Research
read: Lewis, pp. 151 - 160, 165 - 168.
October 2 - Lexis Training
Classes are scheduled at 2 and 3 in the Library’s Electronic Resources
Learning Center
week
8
October 7 - Internet Research 
read: handouts distributed in class
turn in: writing exercise - Case Comparison
Kathrine R. Everett Law Library home
page
Student selected Internet resources
October 8 - Guest: Professor
Joe Kalo - Property Law
read: Burnham, pp. 432 - 457
read: handout from Professor Kalo
Lucas
v. South Carolina Coastal Council, 505 U.S. 1003 (1992)
October 9 - Guest: Carl Fox - Criminal Procedure
Mr. Fox is the Orange County, North Carolina District Attorney
read: Burnham, pp. 275 - 314
Diagram of typical criminal
case in federal court
week
9
October 14 - Guest: Professor
Mike Corrado - Criminal Law
read: handout from Professor Corrado
read: Burnham, pp. 488 - 509
October 15 - Fall Break
October 16 - Fall Break
week
10
October 21 - Guest:
Professor Jerry Markham - Business Law
read: Burnham, pp. 510 - 556
October 22 - Guest: Professor Ruth Walden - Media Law and the First
Amendment
Professor Walden teaches in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication
read: handouts from Professor Walden
New
York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964) (written
opinion of the case)
Oral
argument from the OYEZ site at Northwestern University
October 23 - Writing a Legal Memorandum / Citation Style
read: class handouts
Selected Legal Writing Materials on the
Internet
week
11
October 28 - Preparations for U.S. Supreme
Court Visit
read: Case Summary - Fidelity
Financial Services v. Fink, 96-1370 and 11USC 547
read: Supreme Court Decision Making handout
read: Bankruptcy handout
Biographies
and photograph of the Justices
of the US Supreme Court
Virtual tour of
the Court from the OYEZ project at Northwestern University
A guide to the Court from the Washington
Post - gossip, history and more.
October 29 - Guest:
Professor Rich Rosen - Capital Punishment
read: to be announced
Cornell Law School Death
Penalty Project
October 30 - Guest:
Professor Caroline Brown - Contract Law
read: Burnham, pp. 379 - 400
week
12
November 3 - Visit to Washington D. C.
Leave Saturday am, November 1; return to Chapel Hill Monday evening, November
3.
Information about Washington
Map of the Washington
Mall and links to area attractions
Metro map
November 4 - Guest: Professor
Jack Boger - Constitutional Law
Class discussion will focus on yesterday's visit to the Court
read: Burnham, pp. 315 - 355; 370 - 378
If the court calendar permits, we will observe a trial court proceeding in Hillsborough, NC Wednesday, November 5. We will leave Chapel Hill at 3 pm and return around 5:30. We may need to move this visit to the following Wednesday (November 12); please keep your time flexible.
November 5 - Trial Court Observation
November 6 - No class - work on memorandum assignment
week
13
November 11 - Guest: Professor
John Calmore - Torts Law
read: Burnham, pp. 401 - 431
November 12 - to be announced
November 13 - Final class of the semester
read: no reading assignment
turn in: legal memorandum
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