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Academic Lectures / Courses
Need a HASS 400 for the fall? Consider Science on Trial!
Department / Organization: HASS
HASS 498 B: Science on Trial, which uses film and literature to explore the legal dimensions of scientific controversies.
Science on Trial examines the intersection of law and science through the lens of the courtroom drama. When science is put on trial, what issues are raised about scientific progress, about the expertise of scientists, and about our legal system? How have scientists and the scientific endeavor been treated in tribunals over time, and what does that tell us about the role of science in shaping law and culture? How much authority should we grant to scientific expertise in legal disputes? How has science shaped some of the major U.S. laws, and how has our legal system impeded or supported scientific progress? And what legal issues are raised by cutting-edge science?
Science on Trial considers these questions and more as portrayed in classic and contemporary literature, literary non-fiction, and films depicting courtroom dramas and other conflicts with legal dimensions. A trial -- an adversarial legal proceeding -- is at its core a very high-stakes form of storytelling, with an inherently dramatic structure that lends itself readily to literary accounts, as evidenced by the many books, films, and popular television shows that center around lawsuits, lawyers, and courtrooms. This course examines how these narratives can help us to better understand important developments in the law of science and in the use of science in law.