POL SCI 145E
Public Law and Judicial Process: Constitutional Law -- Rights of Accused
Description: Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Requisite: course 40. Designed for juniors/seniors. Constitutional rights of persons suspected, accused, and convicted of crimes, with attention to how protections have changed through history. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - I entered the class excited and passionate about constitutional law and walked away feeling discouraged, frustrated, and confused. I acknowledge that Dr. Orren is an immensely passionate and knowledgeable educator who has rightfully earned her title as a distinguished professor. First off, lectures were interesting but lacked clear organization. Professor Orren would read off Wikipedia, Oyez, or ChatGPT notes and add insight. However, her insight was disjointed in both presentation and occasionally material. When discussing complicated constitutional matters pertaining to the dense 75 pages of weekly reading, a clear presentation of what is essential and takeaways would've been very useful. Often, Professor Orren would begin a thought or statement and not finish it. This happened numerous times, with additional cases we were expected to know about for the midterm and finals. This made studying for either of the exams a nightmare. While we were encouraged to ask questions in class, the answer often left more questions rather than understanding. To make things even worse, we weren't allowed to ask questions about the class material in discussion sections- only about the cases. As for exams, the lack of organization and clear teaching becomes glaringly apparent. We were given no study guide, no complete list of cases we were expected to know from the 20 cases discussed, or any clear insight about test structure/expectations. After we completed the exam, we were graded on things we were explicitly told we wouldn't be tested on. Initially, we were told that this wasn't a law class- that we wouldn't be held to know every dissent, fact, or obscure standard within the assigned (and unassigned) cases. That was from the truth. We were penalized for not 'writing enough,' having explicit enough facts, referencing specific standards/additional cases, or knowing the dissents. This would be understandable if it were not made clear from the beginning that this wasn't a law class that required the rote memorization of 50+ cases. Candidly, if I had known, I probably would've dropped this class for that expectation. As for the final, I expect it will be as grueling and unclear as the midterm, and I can confirm that studying for it has been nightmarish. I admire Dr. Orren for her knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of constitutional law. I was excited to learn from someone who is considered to be integral in their field. This class instead made me question my interest in law school or law in general. It essentially killed the passion in me, something I know Professor Orren did not set out to do, but it happened anyway. I read every case she assigned and reviewed my notes before and after classes to make sense of the patterns. When answering questions in class, I was talked over and stopped midway. I did well in the class, but regardless of my final grade, I would not recommend this class to anyone.
Winter 2024 - I entered the class excited and passionate about constitutional law and walked away feeling discouraged, frustrated, and confused. I acknowledge that Dr. Orren is an immensely passionate and knowledgeable educator who has rightfully earned her title as a distinguished professor. First off, lectures were interesting but lacked clear organization. Professor Orren would read off Wikipedia, Oyez, or ChatGPT notes and add insight. However, her insight was disjointed in both presentation and occasionally material. When discussing complicated constitutional matters pertaining to the dense 75 pages of weekly reading, a clear presentation of what is essential and takeaways would've been very useful. Often, Professor Orren would begin a thought or statement and not finish it. This happened numerous times, with additional cases we were expected to know about for the midterm and finals. This made studying for either of the exams a nightmare. While we were encouraged to ask questions in class, the answer often left more questions rather than understanding. To make things even worse, we weren't allowed to ask questions about the class material in discussion sections- only about the cases. As for exams, the lack of organization and clear teaching becomes glaringly apparent. We were given no study guide, no complete list of cases we were expected to know from the 20 cases discussed, or any clear insight about test structure/expectations. After we completed the exam, we were graded on things we were explicitly told we wouldn't be tested on. Initially, we were told that this wasn't a law class- that we wouldn't be held to know every dissent, fact, or obscure standard within the assigned (and unassigned) cases. That was from the truth. We were penalized for not 'writing enough,' having explicit enough facts, referencing specific standards/additional cases, or knowing the dissents. This would be understandable if it were not made clear from the beginning that this wasn't a law class that required the rote memorization of 50+ cases. Candidly, if I had known, I probably would've dropped this class for that expectation. As for the final, I expect it will be as grueling and unclear as the midterm, and I can confirm that studying for it has been nightmarish. I admire Dr. Orren for her knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of constitutional law. I was excited to learn from someone who is considered to be integral in their field. This class instead made me question my interest in law school or law in general. It essentially killed the passion in me, something I know Professor Orren did not set out to do, but it happened anyway. I read every case she assigned and reviewed my notes before and after classes to make sense of the patterns. When answering questions in class, I was talked over and stopped midway. I did well in the class, but regardless of my final grade, I would not recommend this class to anyone.
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