POL 210: Controversies in Law and Politics

Course Description

This course will focus on the interplay between big legal issues and the political system. The course covers the issues that are at the center of both law and politics, such as the death penalty, gun control, school prayer, and censorship. (3 credits)

Prerequisite

None

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Review the major premises and arguments of both sides of the issues that we discuss.
Engage in an in-depth review of one of these issues.
Articulate reasons for and against large political issues.
Defend their positions based on reasons and acquired knowledge.
Develop arguments, based on readings and their own thoughts, to support their positions.
Construct one in-depth argument exploring all facets of one of these issues.

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Weight
Discussions (Weeks 1-8)	60%
Reaction Papers (Weeks 3, 4, 6 & 7)	20%
Research Paper (Week 8)	20%
Total	100%

Required Text

There are no required texts for this course.

Additional Resources

The following are suggested credible websites for research on the issues in class:

http://www.balancedpolitics.org/ - This website covers every issue in our class.

http://www.procon.org/ - This website does not cover every issue in our class.

Death Penalty:

http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/

http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment

Affirmative Action:

http://www.debatingracialpreference.org/

http://www.nationalcenter.org/

Legalization of Drugs (Marijuana):

http://norml.org/

http://www.justice.gov/dea/demand/speakout/index.html

Gun control:

http://www.bradycampaign.org/

http://home.nra.org/classic.aspx

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1	Topic: Introduction Readings: Review course lectures, understand format of course	Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material and suggested websites
2	2	Topic: Death Penalty	Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material and suggested websites
3	2,3	Topics: Death Penalty (cont...) and Affirmative Action	Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material and suggested websites Submit Reaction Paper 1
4	3	Topic: Affirmative Action (cont...)	Participate in the Discussions Submit Reaction Paper 2
5	4	Topic: Legalization of Drugs	Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material and suggested websites
6	4,5	Topics: Legalization of Drugs (cont...) and Gun Control	Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material and suggested websites] Submit Reaction Paper 3
7	5	Topic: Gun Control (cont...)	Participate in the Discussions Submit Reaction Paper 4
8	5,6	Topics: Miscellaneous Issues and Conclusion	Participate in the Discussions Submit the Research Paper Complete the Course Evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.