About U.S. Criminal Law

This course is ideal for students who would like to assess their aptitude for legal studies or for those interested in criminal justice or paralegal studies. It also provides an excellent introduction for anyone who wants to learn the basics of the U.S. legal system, the Constitution, and the elements of most crimes and criminal defenses. Course content includes an exploration of criminal defenses, including self-defense, consent, and insanity. Most of the coursework is an analysis of criminal offenses, including inchoate offenses such as attempt, conspiracy, and solicitation; crimes against the person like criminal homicide, sex offenses, kidnapping, assault, and battery; crimes against property, including theft, burglary, and arson; crimes against the public such as crimes involving criminal gangs, drug crimes, and prostitution; and crimes against the government like treason, sedition, espionage, sabotage, terrorism, perjury, bribery, and obstruction of justice. The textbook, Criminal Law v.1.0, will enhance the student's learning experience as it provides full explanations of each topic and many examples and exercises. The textbook is an Affordable Educational Resource (prices start at $19.95) and can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/ReU8R6 Students who complete this course (participation in quizzes and discussions and a passing grade on the final) will receive a certificate of completion from the instructor.