Jennifer Ana Hilton

This introductory course is designed for students coming from a broad range of disciplines, to make them able to effectively locate, understand, and apply legal research materials. Three are the main components: understanding English legal terminology; writing in a persuasive and effective way; and a special focus on the term-specific IUC courses. The main lecture course meets once a week for 2 hours. In addition, supplementary themed classes will be offered, as needed.

The course is graded on a pass/fail scale, and students are expected to participate during the lecture, finish assignments on time, and collaborate with other students on editing and group work.  Office hours will be held regularly and students are welcome to come and visit outside of class with individual questions or discussion. The last three weeks of course will focus on research projects and papers that students are working on for other courses.

Schedule of Classes

I. Introduction
Class introductions. What is legal writing and research? Briefing a case. Civil Law versus Common Law. At home assignment: brief 3 cases.
II. Understanding Legal Research Sources (2 classes)
Case law. Codified law. Law review articles. Understanding authorities. Primary sources versus Secondary sources. At home assignment: research and writing exercise.
III. Turin Library Tour
Walking tour of the three main libraries that students will have at their disposal for access to research materials.
IV. Computer-based Research Systems (ongoing)
Lexis Nexis and Westlaw (ongoing tutorial). Web-based research. Utilizing law school library sites. At home assignment: research and writing exercise
V. Drafting a Research Paper (3 classes)
Deciding on a topic. Knowing your audience and defining the scope of your paper. Drafting a paper proposal. Drafting an outline. Writing and editing your first draft. The importance of peer editing. At home assignment: example edit; paper proposal, paper outline, first draft.

Jennifer Ana Hilton - Student Dean