3.00 Credits
After a brief overview of the sources of criminal law and the purposes of criminal punishment, this course will consider the constituent parts of criminal conduct, including act (or omission), culpable mental state, result, and causation. These general principles then will be brought to bear on two specific areas of the criminal law: homicide and sexual assault. The course also will consider common defenses to criminal charges, including self-defense, necessity, duress, insanity, and intoxication. Finally, the course will consider liability for attempted crimes and for crimes committed by others. Throughout the course, students will be required to consider the constitutional limits of the criminal law and the relationship of substantive principles to practice.