Scribner Seminar Titles
Course Description
The Killing State: Capital Punishment in America
Beau Breslin, Associate Professor of Government
Supporters of capital punishment often justify the practice by appealing not only
to ancient custom and historical tradition, but also to the social benefit that accompanies
killing our most dangerous offenders. Opponents of capital punishment, in contrast,
suggest that the practice is outdated and effective. They insist, with similar passion,
that imposing a death sentence is so rare and so unsettling that its place in the
criminal justice system is, at best, tenuous. Of course, both of these positions beg
a number of important questions: Is capital punishment morally justified or barbaric?
Why is it that America continues its tradition of executing when the rest of the western
world has condemned the custom as evil? The primary purpose of the seminar is to explore
the many contradictions that inform America鈥檚 system of capital punishment. As part
of the seminar, students will work on an actual death penalty defense. Students will
be responsible for conducting primary research with the aim of providing the most
effective defense possible for a specific death row inmate.
Course Offered