Fall 2025 - POL 151 D100
Justice and Law (3)
Class Number: 2826
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Thu, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Clare McGovern
cmcgover@sfu.ca
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
The development of laws and their application to the citizen and social groups. Special consideration will be given to civil liberties.
COURSE DETAILS:
Course Description:
Why does Canada have a medically assisted death program? Why did the courts have a role in deciding whether the Trans-Mountain Pipeline (which crosses the SFU campus) would be expanded? This course answers these questions by introducing you to the Canadian constitutional system and discussing the influence of the courts over government policy.
We will start by learning the hierarchy of the courts system, and how judges decide cases. In the second part of the course, we will focus on how politicians interact with the courts. On the one hand, Parliament and the Cabinet oversee the criminal justice system, for example pressing courts to reduce trial delays during the COVID pandemic. On the other hand, the courts enforce limits on what politicians can do. We will see how judges act as umpires in disputes between the federal and provincial governments. We will also learn about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, asking how effectively courts protect individuals’ rights against the state. Throughout the course, we will focus on recent legal cases, concerning COVID regulations, medically assisted death and environmental policy.
Course Organization:
There will be an in-person 2-hour lecture plus an in-person tutorial, once a week. Please note that you are expected to submit written assignments to Turnitin, and to participate in oral discussion in tutorial.
Grading
- See the table below in Notes. 100%
NOTES:
Course Evaluation:
|
Objective |
Evaluation |
% of course grade |
|
Understanding and participating in debates about the Canadian legal system. |
Written Assignment 1: essay
Final exam. |
20%
30% |
|
Oral communication skills: explaining current legal and political events.
|
Tutorial participation.
Group presentation in tutorial: news analysis |
10%
10% |
|
Reading and analysing legal cases |
Group activities in tutorial: assignment preparation Written Assignment 2: case analysis plus analysis of AI use Closed-book written task: follow-up to Written Assignment 2 (in tutorial) |
5%
20%
5%
|
Note: subject to change in the event of unavoidable interruptions to class or tutorial schedules
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Morton, F.L. and Dave Snow (eds). (2024). Law Politics and the Judicial Process in Canada, 5th ed. University of Calgary Press. ISBN: 978-1-77385-518-9 (paperback) or 978-1-77385-520-2 (e-pub). Copies available through the SFU Bookstore. Please make sure you get the most recent edition: the 5th edition, published in 2024.
Legal cases and articles will also be assigned. These will be available on Canvas or online.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.