1 STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY CANTON, NEW YORK COURSE OUTLINE LEST 310 LEGAL RESEARCH LAST REVISED BY: Jondavid S. DeLong SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LIBERAL ARTS APRIL 20122 LEST 310 - LEGAL RESEARCH A. TITLE: Legal Research B. COURSE NUMBER/SHORT TITLE: LEST 310/Legal Research C. CREDIT HOURS: 3 D. WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE (OPTIONAL): No E. COURSE LENGTH: 15 weeks F. SEMESTER(S) OFFERED: Spring G. HOURS OF LECTURE, LABORATORY, RECITATION, TUTORIAL, ACTIVITY: Lecture 3 hours per week. H. CATALOG DESCRIPTION: An overview of the sources of law in the American system and specific instruction in finding and analyzing the sources needed to answer legal questions, including case law, statutes, administrative law, and secondary sources. I. PRE-REQUISITES/CO-COURSES: Successful completion of ENGL 101 Expository Writing or ENGL 102 Oral & Written Expression and CITA 110 Introduction to Information Technology or its equivalent, or permission of the instructor. J. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will be able to: Course Objective Institutional SLO a. Identify and explain understanding of sources of federal and state law, including state and federal constitutions, statutes, and administrative law. 1. Communication 2. Crit. Thinking 3. Prof. Competence b. Explain the concepts of mandatory and persuasive law and primary and secondary authority. 1. Communication 2. Crit. Thinking 3. Prof. Competence c. Identify print and electronic resources for legal research. 2. Crit. Thinking 3. Prof. Competence d. Cite legal materials properly. 3. Prof. Competence e. Formulate appropriate and efficient research strategies. 2. Crit. Thinking 3. Prof. Competence f. Find relevant cases, statutes, and secondary sources, using such methods as Boolean search, topic search, and known authority. 2. Crit. Thinking 3. Prof. Competence3 g. Explain the importance of updating legal authority and will be able to update all sources used. 1. Communication 2. Crit. Thinking 3. Prof. Competence h. Analyze and summarize relevant legal authority. 1. Communication 2. Crit. Thinking 3. Prof. Competence K. POSSIBLE TEXT: Foundations of Legal Research and Writing (4th Edition), Carol Bast_ and Margie Hawkins, Delmar/Cengage, Albany, NY (2009) L. REFERENCES: Legal Research in a Nutshell, (10th Edition), Morris Cohen and Kent Olson, Thomson/West, Eagan, MN (2010) The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. (19th Edition), Harvard Law Review Association, Cambridge, MA. (2010) Articles and other resources placed on online course site. M. EQUIPMENT: Internet Access/Technology Enhanced Classroom N. GRADING METHOD(P/F,A-F, etc.): A-F O. MEASUREMENT CRITERIA: Attendance/participation, research projects, in-class exercises, assignments, quizzes, and examinations, as determined by instructor P. DETAILED TOPICAL OUTLINE: See attached.4 DETAILED OUTLINE LEST 310 - LEGAL RESEARCH TOPICS I. Sources of Law A. Statutory 1. Hierarchy of statutes 2. Place within the legal system B. Case law 1. Precedent a. Mandatory authority b. Persuasive authority 2. Place within the legal system C. Primary vs. secondary sources of law II. Case law A. Generally 1. Reporters a. Official b. Unofficial c. State d. Federal e. Specialized 2. Citing cases a. Elements of a citation b. Parallel citations 3. Reading a case a. Heading b. Synopsis c. Body 1) Majority opinion 2) Concurrence(s) 3) Dissents 4) Facts 5) Issues 6) Holding d. Analyzing and briefing cases B. Finding case law 1. From known authority 2. From digests a. Descriptive word b. Topic search c. Keyword search 3. Via keyword search5 C. Updating case law 1. Importance 2. Via print sources 3. Electronically III. Statutes A. Generally 1. Sources 2. Federal 3. State B. Finding statutes 1. Federal a. By citation b. By popular name c. By keyword 2. State a. By citation b. By keyword 3. Possible sources a. Annotated codes 1) Definition 2) Uses b. Unannotated codes 1) Definition 2) Uses C. Updating statutes 1. Print methods 2. Electronic methods D. Citing statutes 1. Elements 2. Parallel citations E. Administrative law 1. Definition 2. Importance F. Finding regulations 1. Federal a. CFR b. LSA c. Federal Register Index 2. State G. Updating administrative law 1. Print methods 2. Electronic methods H. Citing administrative law IV. Secondary authorities6 A. Importance and uses 1. To find a case or statute 2. Overview of the law in an area 3. Persuasive authority B. Legal Encyclopedias 1. CJS a. General description b. Use c. Updating d.