Course: Introduction to Legal Reasoning

Instructor: Sikander Shah (Office Hours: Monday 9.30AM - 11AM)

Room No: Law School 1-15
Teaching Assistants: Momal Malik (21090055@lums.edu.pk), Iqra Saeed
(19110032@lums.edu.pk)

Aim

This course aims to develop the cognitive, critical reasoning, analytical and legal discourse
skills of students by utilizing the Socratic mode of dialogue. The students will acquire the
following skills: gathering the relevant facts, issue spotting, the application of the law to the
facts and advocacy. The case law method of teaching, with a focus on adversarial process,
will transform the students to think like lawyers. In addition, the course will familiarize the
students to certain landmark cases.

Grading

Class participation and attendance will account for 20 percent of the total grade. There will be
two unannounced quizzes of 10 percent each. 10 percent of the grade will be based on an
interactive group project (comprising 8 individuals); the presentation will be critiqued by the
whole section for its substantive content and analysis. The final exam accounts for 50 percent
of the grade.

Required Text

Course Pack “CP”

Reading Assignments

Supplemental reading material will be handed out during the course of the semester. All notes
and questions presented after the discussion of the case law in the course pack “CP” must be
read.
Constitutional Law

Session 1

i) Fundamental Non Economic Rights: Roe v. Wade

Session 2 and 3

ii) Scrutinizing Racial Classifications

The Separate But Equal Doctrine:

a) Plessy v. Ferguson
b) Brown v. Board of Education

Session 4
iii) Affirmative Action; Racial Classifications for Admission into Educational
Institution: Grutter v. Bollinger

Session 5

iv) Minorities and Freedom of Religion: Zaheer-ud Din v. State

Session 6

v) Scrutiny of Gender Classification at Public Institutions by the Judiciary: United

States v. Virginia
Session 7 and 8

vi) The Jurisdictional Limitations of the Court’s Authority: Marbury v. Madison

Session 9 and 10

vii) Federalism-Related Limits on National Power: McCulloch v. Maryland

Property Law

Session 11

i) Acquisition of Property by Discovery: Johnson v. M’Intosh

Session 12

ii) Acquisition of Property by Capture: Pierson v. Post

Contract Law

Session 13
 i) What Fulfills the Requirements of “Consideration” for the Creation of a
“Contract”: Hamer v. Sidway

Tort Law

Session 14

i) Formalistic Approach to the Theory of Negligence: United States v. Caroll

Towing Co.
Session 15

ii) Fiduciary Obligation Owed to the Third Parties: Tarasoff v. Regents of the Univ.
of California
Session 16

iii) Right to Life and the Environment: Shehla Zia v. WAPDA

Criminal Law

Session 18

i) The Right not to be Compelled to Incriminate Oneself; The Right to Remain

Silent When in Custody: Ernesto Miranda v. Arizona

International Law

Session 19

i) Territorial Sovereignty and War Criminals: Attorney General of the Government

of Israel v. Eichmann

Session 20+

Group Presentations