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Foundations of American Law

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign via Coursera Specialization

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Overview

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This specialization is intended to familiarize students with the history and development of the American legal system and provide an overview of some of the major topics within the American legal system. Topics covered include the development of American law from English common law, key institutions in the American legal system, the legal relationships between the three branches of government, various aspects of civil rights, exploration of different types of crimes such as personal injuries, property crime, and white collar crime, tort law, intellectual property law, real property law, trusts and wills, estate law, contracts, family law, and trial procedures.

Syllabus

Course 1: Foundations of American Law: History and Constitution
Course 2: Rights, Liberties, & Criminal Law
Course 3: Regulation and Private Law: Torts, Property, Contracts
Course 4: Legal Processes: Family Law, Procedure, and Evidence

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This course introduces the historical roots and constitutional structure of the American legal system. You will learn how competing views of the law's purpose shaped American legal thought, how the system evolved from early legal codes and English common law, and how the U.S. Constitution established separated powers, federalism, and the Bill of Rights. You will also explore the roles of legislatures, courts, and executives, including judicial review, congressional power, presidential authority, and the administrative state. Finally, you will apply concepts such as ex ante and ex post reasoning and rent-seeking to understand how law and elections shape markets, business, and public policy.