Main Content
Syllabus
PL SC 472: The American Legal Process (3): Analysis of the roles, procedures, and policies characterizing the American legal system. Prerequisite: PL SC 001
Overview
Welcome to the World Campus and to PLSC 472, The American Legal Process. This should be an interesting course! There is very little that is as engaging as a trial - especially that moment when the jury comes back with the verdict! But the pursuit of justice is more about dogged preparation and a thorough understanding of legal principles and process, than it is about Hollywood drama. Still, the law affects real lives in significant ways. Most people will be involved in the legal system in some manner during their lives, even if it is just to draft a will. This course can teach you much about the society you live in, and could prove very helpful to you at some point in your personal future.
In the first part of the course, we will examine the law; why society requires and enforces laws and the purposes the law is expected to achieve. We will review the foundational principles of the judicial system, such as precedent and jurisdiction. We will examine the structure of the legal system, the hierarchy of the federal and state court systems, and the powers that these courts possess. This will take us naturally to a study of the appeals process and the impact of the appellate courts on society.
Then, the second half, we will look at the players in the judicial system and at all their different roles: the attorneys, judges, plaintiffs, and defendants. Then, we will begin our study of legal process. We will examine the differences between the two major divisions of the law: criminal and civil. We will look at the types of actions that can be brought as civil charges, and examine the steps in civil litigation and in a civil trial. Then, we will look at various crimes and the process of criminal prosecution.
Course Objectives
PLSC 472, American Legal Process, will help students to:
- Understand the nature of law and the purposes it serves in society.<
- Learn about the historical roots of the legal system, the development of federalism, state sovereign power, and the effect of separation of powers on the legal system.
- Examine the various sources of law.
- Learn about the role the U.S. Constitution plays as the foundational document of the American legal system, and related concepts such as due process, search and seizure, and other constitutional rights.
- Understand principles that are basic to the workings of the legal system, such as precedent and jurisdiction.
- Compare the structure of the federal court system and state court system, and understand the idea of preemption—that is, how federal and state law interacts.
- Learn about the appellate courts and examine the steps of appellate procedure.
- Look at the individuals who are involved in making the legal system work, particularly the attorneys and the judges.
- Learn the differences between the two major areas of the law, criminal and civil, and examine the substantive law and procedural law associated with each.
- Examine the steps of the civil litigation process, including a civil trial.
- Examine the steps of criminal prosecution.
Required Course Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
Technical Requirements
For this course we recommend the minimum World Campus technical requirements listed below:
| Operating System | Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8*; Mac OS X 10.5 or higher *Windows 8 support excludes the tablet only RT version |
|---|---|
| Processor | 2 GHz or higher |
| Memory | 1 GB of RAM |
| Hard Drive Space | 20 GB free disk space |
| Browser | We recommend the latest ANGEL-supported version of Firefox or
Internet Explorer. To determine if your browser fits this criterion,
and for advice on downloading a supported version,
please refer to the following ITS knowledge base article: Supported Browsers and Recommended Computers.
Note: Cookies, Java, and JavaScript must be enabled. Pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. Due to nonstandard handling of CSS, JavaScript and caching, older versions of Internet Explorer (such as IE 6 or earlier) do not work with our courses. |
| Plug-ins | Adobe Reader [Download from Adobe]
Flash Player (v7.0 or later) [Download from Adobe] |
| Additional Software | Microsoft Office (2007 or later) |
| Internet Connection | Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required |
| Printer | Access to graphics-capable printer |
| DVD-ROM | Required |
| Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers | Required |
| Monitor | Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Course Schedule
| Activity | |
|---|---|
|
01: Getting Started |
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| 02: What is Law? Part 1 |
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| 03: What is Law? Part 2 |
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| 04: Court Organization |
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| 05: The Process of Appeal |
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| 06: Appellate Courts: Policy and Impact |
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| 07: Exam 1 |
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08: Attorneys and the Legal Profession |
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| 09: Judges and Judicial Selection |
Due at the end of Lesson/Week 10 |
| 10: Contrasting Criminal and Civil Law |
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| 11: The Process of Civil Litigation, Part 1 |
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| 12: The Process of Civil Litigation, Part 2 |
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13: Criminal Law, Part 1 |
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| 14: Criminal Law, Part 2 |
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| 15: Exam 2 |
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Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please refer to Graduation at the Chaiken Center for Student Success.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Grading
| Points |
Description
|
|---|---|
| 100 | Lesson Quizzes |
| 100 | Paper |
| 50 | Exam 1 |
| 50 | Exam 2 |
| 300 | TOTAL POINTS |
There are 300 total points possible in this course.
The World Campus follows the same grading system as the Penn State resident program. The grades of A, B, C, D, and F indicate the following qualities of academic performance:
A = (Excellent) Indicates exceptional achievement
B = (Good) Indicates extensive achievement
C = (Satisfactory) Indicates acceptable achievement
D = (Poor) Indicates only minimal achievement
F = (Failure) Indicates inadequate achievement necessitating a repetition of the course in order to secure credit
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Academic Integrity
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity , an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.
Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity ). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and
personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and
property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all
can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment
of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and
others, as well as a civil community.
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to inform the student of the allegation. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If that committee recommends an administrative sanction (Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, Expulsion), the claim will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page .
return to top of pageUniversity Policies
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities, including World Campus. The Disabilities and Accommodations section of the Chaiken Center for Student Success website provides World Campus students with information regarding how to request accommodations, documentation guidelines and eligibility, and appeals and complaints. For additional information, please visit the University's Student Disability Resources website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.