Peter Smith
Author
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
"Dip below the ocean's surface and you are soon confronted by forms of life that could not seem more foreign to our own: sea sponges, soft corals, and serpulid worms, whose rooted bodies, intricate geometry, and flower-like appendages are more reminiscent of plant life or even architecture than anything recognizably animal. Yet these creatures are our cousins. As fellow members of the animal kingdom--the Metazoa--they can teach us much about the evolutionary...
Author
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
"Peter Godfrey-Smith is a leading philosopher of science. He is also a scuba diver whose underwater videos of warring octopuses have attracted wide notice. In this book, he brings his parallel careers together to tell a bold new story of how nature became aware of itself. Mammals and birds are widely seen as the smartest creatures on earth. But one other branch of the tree of life has also sprouted surprising intelligence: the cephalopods, consisting...
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Get the same foundational knowledge as lawyers - without law school. In the 48 lectures of Law School for Everyone, four exceptional law professors recreate key parts of the first-year law student experience, introducing you to the areas of law most every beginning student studies: litigation and legal practice, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, and torts.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
According to the Fifth Amendment, "no person...shall be compelled to be a witness against himself." Examine the history of this core aspect of the Bill of Rights. Learn how the amendment works in and out of court, how the privilege has become subject to compromises over time, and what "pleading the fifth" actually requires.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
In the first look at the Fourth Amendment, go inside the fascinating history behind the topic of government searches and privacy rights. You'll consider the scope of the Fourth Amendment, learn what defines "search" and "seizure," and ponder the role of modern technology in affecting how the Fourth Amendment works.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Professor Smith discusses jurisdiction: the power of the courts to hear a case and to render a judgment. As you'll discover, there are really two different types of jurisdiction, one of which is subject matter jurisdiction, which refers to the court's authority to hear cases concerning a particular subject matter.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
How does one tell whether a particular rule of state law is procedural or, instead, substantive? Which law applies - and when? Here, a famous case between two taxicab transfer companies offers an extreme and fascinating illustration of the procedural problems that can arise between federal and state courts.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
While we're morally obligated to help others, we're not necessarily legally obligated to help, regardless of what religious and ethical authorities may advise. Welcome to the concept of affirmative duty. Here, learn why this rule exists, examine legislative efforts to change it, and consider some well-established exceptions to the rule.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
When people criticize the United States as an overly litigious society, they're often referring to its system of appellate review. How, exactly, do appellate courts operate? How do lawyers file appellate briefs or make oral arguments for an appeal? Professor Shadel helps you make sense of the appellate process.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Direct examination has been popularized by countless TV crime dramas. But how does it work in a real courtroom? Learn how lawyers figure out whom to put on the witness stand, what questions they should ask, and how to prepare witnesses for their day in court.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Why are innocent people sometimes convicted of crimes they didn't commit? Often, it's because a jury is persuaded by problematic evidence. How do lawyers navigate these troubled legal waters? Investigate three of the most important kinds of flawed evidence: false confessions, mistaken eyewitness identification, and flawed "expert" evidence.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Pore over the "cruel and unusual punishments" clause of the Eighth Amendment in search of why the Supreme Court has had so much trouble applying this provision to real-world criminal cases. By the end, you'll realize why the Eighth Amendment is considered by some legal experts to be a constitutional enigma.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Tort law isn't fixed in stone but instead evolves to meet a changing society. Case in point: the development of modern products liability law. In the first a two-part look at the subject, walk through some elegant cases in torts to determine why products liability has promoted litigation on a massive scale.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The U.S. federal government might be the most powerful government in the world - but it's power to prohibit and punish crimes is relatively constrained. Professor Hoffmann reveals the important distinctions in scope, meaning, and effect between state criminal law and federal criminal law in the United States.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Homicides, according to Professor Hoffmann, are unique among crimes. Examine the pyramid of homicidal crimes, including involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder, and first-degree murder. Also, consider several real-world examples that highlight the issue of culpability in homicide, including the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian's assisted suicides.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Of all the doctrines in tort law, factual causation appears to be the most scientific and value-neutral. The truth, however, may surprise you. Learn why determinations about causation aren't simple, but do matter - a lot. Also, consider whether the causation question is more philosophical than scientific.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
All lawyers have responsibilities to their clients and to the integrity of the justice system. But what are the bounds of a lawyer's responsibility in representing a client? What's confidential and what's not? For answers to these and other questions, consider challenges arising in the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
The focus here is on negligence or other culpable conduct on the part of the plaintiff. What does tort law say about what happens when a plaintiff is at fault? Just how much of a two-way street is an issue like safety? For some answers, look to seat belts.