Analyzing Historical Claims

Course Description:

Legal education teaches that every fact must be examined, but often the real facts are not revealed. What methods of practical inquiry and research can be used to see if history is being honestly represented? Is it possible to discover what lies underneath the surface of mere claims? What if people's claims are really true? How can anyone know the difference between a false claim and a true one? In this course, students will be taught to analyze claims in the light of reliable history.

Guiding Questions:

What kinds of facts are legally significant?
What Supreme Court cases illustrate that "history" sometimes overlays the "facts" with other interests?
How can workers in the legal field and judicial branch of government learn to think in terms of facts, not claims?
How does the Old Testament show the truthfulness of the biblical writers' descriptions of Israel's history?