Welcome Students!!

This course explores how we view our courts and judicial system, often based on, or
affected by popular culture. Here, our focus will be on film or movies as a medium of
popular culture. In other words, we will discuss specific judicial and legal concepts through
the prism of movies in popular culture. We will challenge our beliefs and gain an
appreciation for how judges act and react in their effort to ensure due process and a fair
administration of justice. And as a judicial officer I hope to bring you some unique insight
into the courts and the judicial process...

General information: Your instructor is The Honorable Judge Brad A. Weinreb, San
Diego Superior Court. My Office hours are by appointment. You may reach me via email
at bweinreb@ucsd.edu. You may also call my courtroom department D22 and leave a
message with my courtroom clerk, at 760-201-8022. I will try to respond to your emails as
quickly as I can but keep in mind I may be presiding (on the bench) so it may not be until
that evening. Also, students sometimes send me messages via Canvas, but I don't see them
until I log in. To ensure I see the email promptly, send it directly to my email address.

The assigned book is Asimow & Mader, Law and Popular Culture—A Course
Book (second edition 2013) (“LPC”). It is available in the bookstore before school begins.

Grading structure: The course is all remote and is split into a hybrid mode. There will be
asynchronous requirements (on your own time but before our scheduled class) and then a
REMOTE live synchronous class where we will discuss what you did in your
assignment. The course does not have a mid-term; instead, there are weekly
graded assignments as well as a final paper. The basic structure is as follows:

• Pre-class Assignment (20%): Each week you will have a pre-class

assignment. Generally, that means asynchronously (on your own time but before
class) you will watch a power-point or a pre-recorded lecture, and then answer
questions posted to Canvas about our assigned weekly content. You will then
submit your pre-class response via our Canvas course site. This is due no later than
6 pm the day before our live class meeting. These submissions are worth 20% of
your final grade. NOTE: I do not accept late submissions - your responses shape and
guide class discussion. If you want credit, submit responses the day before our class.
• Post-class (40%): After our live (but remote) synchronous class, I will post
discussion board questions to Canvas. Your responses are due by Saturday at
11:59pm. That gives you the entire week to prepare responses but I suggest you do
them immediately after class while material is fresh and so you don't conflict with
the pre-class assignment for the next upcoming class. NOTE: Because this grade is
based on the class discussion I hope you will join us each week. If you are unable to
do so the class will be recorded for your later viewing. But to receive complete credit
you will need to watch the recorded class then submit a one-page (500 word max)
summary of our class discussion along with your post-class discussion posting. If
you don't submit this additional essay, you don't get full credit.
• Final Paper (40%): Due at the end of term. It is worth 40% of your final grade.
Assigned content. Generally, this means each week and before each class you will read
selected portions of LPC, watch an assigned movie and/or a power-point presentation and
then submit your pre-class responses on Canvas. After class you will submit responses to
the discussion board questions. Because our class includes asynchronous pre-class films
and/or power-points, I take that into account for our total class time. In other words, part
of your class time includes any assigned pre-class asynchronous course work.

If there is a power-point presentation, it will be pre-loaded into the weekly module on

Canvas. Your assigned movies are linked directly into the weekly module on Canvas for
viewing, but regardless are all available on UCSD digital reserve in the Library. To access
via the UCSD library reserves, go to https://reserves.ucsd.edu/ares/ (Links to an external
site.). Log in with your Active directory username and password. You will see a list of all
the films and will select “View Item.” It should take you directly to the film. Issues can
happen if you are not connected to the VPN. You must be logged into VPN AnyConnect
(Client) 2-Step Secured – allthruucsd to view library materials. For additional information
about VPN, contact the digital reserves library or see details
at https://library.ucsd.edu/computing-and-technology/connect-from-off-
campus/index.html (Links to an external site.).

These movies are available for free through UCSD, but you may find it easier to watch
them on your own through streaming or on-demand services (like Netflix, Amazon Prime
etc). To find the sources to contact to stream particular movies,
try www.JustWatch.com (Links to an external site.).

Preparation. There is little preparation needed - as we all have probably watched TV or

films on or about the legal system! But you may find it helpful to start watching some TV
shows about the law and lawyers. Catch an episode or two of television series such as How
to Get Away with Murder, The Good Fight, Suits, or Better Call Saul, or mini-series
like Billions or Goliath. Or watch some law-related movies (just not those in our syllabus
yet) such as the comedic Legally Blonde and My Cousin Vinny or the legal thriller Dark
Waters. Some newer films you might enjoy are Just Mercy, Denial, Woman in Gold, The
Accused, Devil’s Advocate, North Country, A Few Good Men, Roman J. Israel, or Michael
Clayton. Consider older movies for comparison of treatment such as Inherit the Wind,
Breaker Morant, or Witness for the Prosecution. There are many others.

Grading. As noted above, grades will be based on pre-class responses (20%), class
discussion and post-class discussion board responses (40%), and your final paper (40%).

Final paper. The final paper is a maximum 1500 words (6-page) essay on any subject of
your choosing relating to both law (broadly defined) and popular culture (broadly defined
and not limited to movies or TV). You need to start thinking about the subject of the paper
now. Additional requirements: Page-limit excludes cover page/title and bibliography in
either MLA or APA format. The essay should be double-spaced with Times New Roman
font size 12. The margins should be 1-inch.
Potential Issues discussed in Paper. You can use one or more subject/issue of your choice
related to our course content. Perhaps you’ll focus on one TV show or movie, or a series or
several for comparison or contrast. Below are issues you might also consider as a topic.
Many issues will also be addressed in our seminar and could be of interest to you.

1. Law and popular culture. What does this particular work teach us about law, lawyers,
the legal system, ethics, or justice? What does it teach the general public? How accurate
and fair is the show or film's account in reflecting the reality of law and lawyers?

2. Public policy and legal theory. What specific issues of legal or ethical policy emerge from
the show or film? Many films dwell on the difference between "justice" and "law." Do you
see a gulf between the two? If so, how did you come up with your version of
"justice?" And what's wrong with "law" if it didn't produce "justice?"

3. Messages from the writer/director? What can we learn about cultural or political issues
and attitudes at the time the show or film was made (as distinguished from the time in
which the story is set)? In other words, what kind of message are the writer and director
trying to send to viewers beyond just entertaining them? Do you accept that message or
disagree with it?

4. Learning about lawyers. Treating the show or film as an account of what lawyers or
judges do and believe, what can we learn about such questions as: How do lawyers interact
with other lawyers or judges or with non-lawyers such as clients, staff, friends or family
members? What is the impact of judges’ or lawyers' work on their personal lives and
relationships? What professional roles do lawyers play other than in litigation and how
well do they play these roles? What can we learn about how lawyers feel about what they
do and how these feelings influence their public actions and their private lives? Do these
representations align with what real lawyers do and believe?

5. Law genre. There is a genre of law films and television shows, meaning a set of audience
expectations or stock stories, in the same sense that there is a western or detective or
horror film genre. Can we identify patterns of the genre? Does this movie or television
show conform to the limitations of the genre or does it transcend them?

6. Signifiers. As explained in Chapter 1 of LPC, all human communication is made up of

"signs," consisting of the "signifier" and the "signified." Identify an important signifier in
the film or TV show and explain the meaning it conveys to you. Modern reader-response
theory holds that there is no single correct interpretation of a text such as a film; I’ll often
ask for your personal interpretation of a particular scene or character.

7. Personal reaction. Treat the show or film as a form of experiential learning as if you
were a participant in the events depicted in the film. How did you react to the film? What
emotions did it stir? How would you like to have been one of the lawyers, law students,
clients, jurors, or the judge involved in this film? Would you have acted differently than
they did? Do you see the judges and lawyers involved as role models or just the opposite?
Tentative class schedule. This is a tentative organization of the sessions with assigned
readings. Please check Canvas assignments and discussion links for specific information.

*Class 1. Introduction to law and popular culture. We will also conduct an overview on
courts and the judicial system. Assignment: Read LPC Preface (pp. xxi – xxiv) & Chapter 1
& pp. 124-127. Submit pre-class response. There is no post-class discussion board.

*Class 2. Overview of the adversary system and the trial genre. Assignment:
Watch Anatomy of a Murder. Read LPC Chapter 2. Watch Power-point: Criminal
Process. Submit pre-class assignment response. Post-class discussion board.

*Class 3. Good Lawyers/Bad Lawyers. Assignment: Watch To Kill a Mockingbird and The
Verdict. Read LPC: Chapter 4 and LPC ¶3.08.1. Submit pre-class assignment response.
Post-class discussion board.

*Class 4. Criminal justice system. Assignment: Watch Lincoln Lawyer. Read LPC chapter
8 (but not pp. 153-58) and ¶¶7.01and 7.02 (pp. 124-132). Watch Criminal Trial Power-
point, Plea Bargain Power-point. Submit pre-class response. Post-class discussion board.

*Class 5. Judicial ethics, unique courtroom issues and addressing bias. Assignment: Watch
Courtroom Ethics Power-point, Elder Abuse Power-point. Implicit Bias Video. Submit
pre-class assignment response. Post-class discussion board.

*Class 6. The Jury. Assignment: Watch 12 Angry Men. Read LPC ch 9. Watch The Jury
power-point. Submit pre-class response. Post-class discussion board.

*Class 7. The Civil Justice system. Assignment: Watch A Civil Action. Read LPC ch. 12
(but not pp. 241-49). Watch Civil Procedure Power-point. Submit pre-class
response. Post-class discussion board.

*Class 8. Civil Rights. Assignment. Watch Philadelphia. Read LPC ch. 13 and
¶10.06. Watch Civil Rights Power-point. Submit pre-class response. Post-class discussion
board.

*Class 9. Family Law. Assignment: Watch Kramer vs. Kramer. Read LPC
ch.14. Watch Child Custody and DVPA Power-points. Submit pre-class response. Post-
class discussion board.

*Class 10. Final Class Wrap-up. Final Papers support class. Submit pre-class response. No
post-class discussion board.

*Final Papers due by 11:59pm on June 7th. Submit on Canvas. Turnitin.com academic
integrity software will be used.