J400:  P-HIST-J 300
ABOVE CLASS OPEN TO MAJORS ONLY
ABOVE CLASS OPEN TO UNDERGRADUATES ONLY

From the Salem Witchcraft Trials of the late seventeenth century to
the Enron Trials of the early twenty-first century, highly
publicized court cases have captured the imagination and excited the
passion of countless Americans.  They have exposed the critical
social issues, cultural conflicts, and political questions of
particular periods in the American past. This seminar will try and
figure out why.  It will study popular trials as legal events that
illuminate the character of the American legal system and the larger
culture at a particular moment in time and over time.  Trials will
be examined in several ways.  Students will work with primary
historical documents and draw upon perspectives provided by the work
of historians, legal scholars, novelists, film makers, and other
analysts to gain an understanding of how trials illuminate the
past.  They will share their ideas about the meaning of particular
trials in class discussions.  Students will also be asked to write a
research paper about one particular trial of their choice. Through
reading, viewing, discussing, and writing about trials, the seminar
is also designed to enhance each student’s understanding of
historical methods and to sharpen his or her skills in historical
analysis.