Topics in Scientific Evidence (637-1)

Instructors

Anna Zaret

Meeting Info

McCormick 381 - Cutting Hall: Wed 2:35PM - 4:25PM

Overview of class

This is a research writing (RW) course. The majority of our class time will be devoted to reading and discussing contemporary legal scholarship that engages with scientific evidence across diverse fields, including medicine, forensics, epidemiology, neuroscience, environmental sciences, and the social sciences. Through these readings, we will examine how scientific and medical evidence functions not only in litigation but also as a site of political and institutional struggle, exploring how legal institutions legitimate certain forms of expertise over others and how evolving scientific knowledge challenges existing legal frameworks.

Students will produce a substantial research paper on a topic of their choosing related to scientific evidence in law. Paper topics may address issues in any scientific field—from clinical medicine to climate science, from forensic techniques to behavioral economics—or engage with cases and policy debates involving public health, environmental regulation, medical research, emerging technologies, or any other area where scientific evidence plays a significant role in legal decision-making. The breadth of potential topics reflects the pervasive role of scientific evidence across contemporary legal practice.

Learning Objectives

Through engagement with sophisticated legal scholarship and development of your own research project, you will develop skills in: evaluating the reliability of scientific evidence; analyzing how scientific uncertainty is managed in legal contexts; identifying when scientific claims obscure political or normative judgments; understanding how procedural rules and institutional structures shape what counts as persuasive evidence; and producing rigorous legal scholarship at the intersection of law and science.

Class Attributes

Satisfies Research Writing degree req
Criminal Law and Procedure Practice Area
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: MSL and Tax Students are not eligible to enroll.