FRS 002D — Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 52923 — W 4:10 – 6:00 pm — 263 Olson
Famous Trials: History, Law and the Dramatic Arts

Instructor: Ben Rich, Department of Bioethics, School of Medicine

Description: This seminar will consider three notable trials from the perspective of history, law, and the dramatic arts. The three trials are that of Sir Thomas More for treason in 1535, that of John Scopes for teaching evolution in the public high school of Dayton, Tennessee in 1925 ("The Scopes Monkey Trial"), and the trial of the judges of the Third Reich (the "Justice Trial" of 1947). These particular trials are the focus of the seminar for several important reasons. First, each one illustrates how moral and political issues can influence, and in turn be influenced by, law and litigation. Second, for each trial there is not only a detailed account of the legal proceedings, as well as excellent historical analyses, but also an Academy Award winning dramatization — A Man for All Seasons, Inherit the Wind, and Judgment at Nuremberg — which, though they are theatre rather than documentaries, nevertheless bear certain striking similarities to the actual proceedings. The objective of the seminar will be to explore how each of these three disciplines - law, history, and the dramatic arts - inform our understanding of the events, the characters, and the moral, social, and political issues. In addition, each student will do independent research on another famous trial and present it to the class.

Format: The seminar will meet for two hours each week. Readings for the course will include selections from the trial proceedings, historical analyses of the trials and the events leading up to them, and commentaries on the trials and their social and legal implications. Selected portions of each of the 3 films will be screened and discussed in class along with the historical and legal accounts of the trials. Each student will select another famous trial (in consultation with the instructor), prepare a 5-7 page research paper on it, and make a 10-15 minute oral presentation to the class on that trial. Grading: 70% of the student's final grade will be based upon the research paper, 20% on their oral presentation, 10% on their contribution to class discussion.

About the Instructor: Professor Rich studied history as an undergraduate at DePauw University and the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Following graduation from Washington University School of Law, he practiced law for nearly 20 years, acquiring substantial civil litigation experience. He then returned to school and earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After teaching law and ethics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, he joined the faculty of the University of California, Davis School of Medicine in 2000 as Associate Professor of Bioethics. He is also Visiting Professor at UC-Davis School of Law.