JOUR 320 - Covering Crime and Justice: A Practicum

Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring

This course exposes students to how the news media cover the three branches of government as they act separately and in concert in dealing with crime and justice. Through the creation of a Washington and Lee “courts bureau” in Washington, students spend five days covering “real” cases in “real” time in the D.C. District Court, arguably one of the nation’s most important federal trial courts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, which is widely considered second in importance only to the U.S. Supreme Court. Students learn how courts are structured, how they work, and how the press covers the Judiciary as it interacts with the other two branches of government in the administration of justice.Locy.