Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Courts (Online)

POLS 3120-SW2

Course: POLS 3120-SW2
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSCJ
CRN: 32960

Course Description

 "Working within the framework of law and politics" the course will focus on the structure of the federal and similar state judicial systems. Issues such as jurisdiction, standing, and criminal and civil procedure will be reviewed in an attempt to give students a feel for how the judicial systems operate. At the completion of the course, students should have a better understanding of courts as political and legal institutions and the role they play in our society.

 Can also be counted as Criminal Justice credit. 

Required Texts

Course Materials

The textbook for this course is Judicial Process: Law, Courts and Politics by Neubauer and Meinhold, 7th Edition, Cengage Learning, ISBN: 978-1-305-50652-7. Students may use any edition of the book they can obtain; chapter headings may be different.

Learning Outcomes

Course Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
  • Identify and research issues concerning the federal and, in some cases, state court systems provided to you in the fact situations for written assignments.
  • Develop comprehension of analytical methods and theories of politics within court systems dealing with the judicial process through research, discussion, and written assessments.
  • Discuss issues in the court systems providing support for your positions when exposed to alternate perspectives on political affairs.
  • Explain how issues within the court systems interact with each other to develop mastery of critical thinking skills.
  • Civic Engagement: Students demonstrate that they possess the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make a difference in the civic life of their community and to promote the enhancement of the quality of life in a community through both political and non-political processes.
  • Ethical Reasoning: Students describe and analyze positions on ethical issues, apply reasoning about right and wrong human conduct, demonstrate ethical decision-making skills, and demonstrate an evolving ethical self-identity.
  • Critical Thinking: Students demonstrate disciplined processes of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

Course Requirements


Instructor's Response Time & Feedback
Students should view reading and writing assignments as preparation for discussions. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor if they have questions about the material or any other part of the course. Email is the preferred method for contact; the instructor will respond within one business day. Feedback and grades will be provided as quickly as possible.
Student Responsibilities
Participation in discussions, completing readings, and writing assignments are essential. Academic integrity is expected; cheating undermines the learning experience.

Grade Range
Grade | Range
A | 100% to 94.0%
A- | <94.0% to 90.0%
B+ | <90.0% to 87.0%
B | <87.0% to 84.0%
B- | <84.0% to 80.0%
C+ | <80.0% to 77.0%
C | <77.0% to 74.0%
C- | <74.0% to 70.0%
D+ | <70.0% to 67.0%
D | <67.0% to 64.0%
D- | <64.0% to 61.0%
F | <61.0% to 0.0%

Course Outline


 Week 1 Introduction to Courts
Week 2 Jurisdiction 
Week 3 Civil Procedure 
Week 4 Criminal Procedure 
Week 5 Midterm 
Week 6 Supreme Court Practice and Procedure 
Week 7 Final
 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

  • Late submissions of assignments will not be accepted without prior agreement.
  • All assignments will be due at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Late submissions will not be accepted.
  • Please do not use ChatGpt or similar software to write your essays; submissions clearly produced by such software will not be accepted.

Attendance Policy

This is an online course.

Course Fees

There are no fees required for this course.

Custom


Institutional Policies & Procedures
Campus Resources and Services
SUU offers resources and services to support students. For Canvas help, contact the IT Service Desk at 435-865-8200 or support@suu.edu; Canvas support at 435-865-8555 or canvas@suu.edu. For financial wellness, visit the Sharwan Smith Center room 201C or contact Ashleigh Zimmerman at (435) 865-8436 or text 435-708-1952.
Disclaimer: Information in this syllabus, other than grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.