CJUS 369 Court and Expert Witness Testimony

This course is a legal, practical, and experiential study of court testimony.  It provides the background for understanding courtroom presentations and the practical exercises that incorporate effective witness presentations.

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After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

The purpose of the annotated bibliography assignments is to identify and summarize appropriate discipline-specific sources of peer-reviewed literature. There will be five (5) annotated bibliography assignments. They will be worth 25 points each, and an example and rubric will be provided. Each annotated bibliography must be between 150-250 words and use current APA format. The student will select peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to his/her topic area and submit to Canvas.

The purpose of the journal article evaluation is to identify and evaluate appropriate discipline-specific sources of peer-reviewed literature. There will be five (5) journal article evaluation assignments. They will be worth 50 points each, and an example and rubric will be provided. Each journal evaluation must use current APA format. The student will select peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to his/her topic area and submit to Canvas.

A case brief is a written document which outlines and condenses a legal case, or a legal opinion. This legal opinion is written by a judge of panel of judges such as the Supreme Court of the United States. There will be five (5) case brief assignments. They will be worth 25 points each, and an example and rubric will be provided. Each case brief must be at least 1000 words and use current APA format. The student will select peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to his/her topic area and submit to Canvas.

Testimony monitoring is a quality assurance measure by which agencies can ensure that results of analyses or investigation are reliable and appropriately communicated in testimony. Its purpose is to provide expert witnesses with ongoing assessments of their testimonial presentations and to highlight opportunities for continual improvement. The court testimony forms will be provided and executed by the student. This exercise is worth 50 points, and a grading rubric will be provided. 

The ethical essay is designed to research and synthesize ethical issues in court testimony and integrate a Christian worldview into the essay. This essay is worth 50 points, and a grading rubric will be provided. The essay must be at least 500 words and incorporate 5 relevant references in current APA format.

A mock trial is a simulated trial-level proceeding conducted by the student to understand trial rules and processes. There will be four (4) mock trial assignments. Mock Trial: Qualifications Assignment will include the creation of a curriculum vitae and testimony presentation. Each presentation will be worth 100 points, and a grading rubric will be provided.