About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

28 Vt. L. Rev. 895 (2003-2004)
Using Non-Fiction Films as Visual Texts in the First-Year Criminal Law Course

handle is hein.journals/vlr28 and id is 905 raw text is: USING NON-FICTION FILMS AS VISUAL TEXTS IN THE FIRST-YEAR CRIMINAL LAW COURSE Philip N. Meyer* with Stephen L. Cusick** INTRODUCTION More law professors are going to the movies these days, searching for appropriate visual texts to supplement the written appellate opinions excerpted in the casebooks that are at the pedagogical core of their doctrinal courses. There are many good, and some not so good, reasons for this practice. First, our law students are increasingly visually literate. They are visual and aural learners as well, and films often provide excellent illustrations of many of the doctrinal concepts, especially in criminal law. Thus, for example, teaching the nature of mens rea, and many related core issues in criminal law can be facilitated through the careful selection and use of visual hypotheticals or clips taken from brief excerpts of popular movies. Legally sophisticated concepts such as distinguishing between specific and general intent crimes, or understanding the various levels of culpability categorized by the terminology of the Model Penal Code- purposely, knowingly, recklessly, negligently'---can often be readily visualized and discussed using illustrations drawn from filmic clips displayed in the classroom. Second, many students find the constant diet of appellate opinions served up in the first year, the density and impenetrability of many opinions, and the decontextualized nature of these fragments severed from the full text of the opinion, often unsatisfying and unfulfilling. The legal texts raise questions that cannot possibly be fully anticipated and answered by the supplemental materials in the casebook. Students, especially in the criminal law course, have difficulty imagining and speculating upon what they cannot literally see for themselves. This includes many of the best and most sophisticated students, who become frustrated with the perpetual drill of dissecting appellate cases, teasing rules from cases, and understanding * Professor of Law at Vermont Law School. I am, of course, deeply grateful to my former Criminal Law student Steve Cusick for his collaboration in writing this paper. Steve took my Criminal Law class in the spring semester of the 2001-2002 academic year. ** Third-year law student at Vermont Law School. I. MODEL PENAL CODE § 2.02 (2)(a)-(d) General Requirements of Culpability (Proposed Official Draft 1962).

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most