LAW 883: Treatment of Scientific Evidence
This course analyzes how judges and juries treat scientific evidence. The course demonstrates how the interaction of legal tests and juror behavior affects decisions in a wide range of cases. Examples include environmental damages cases and major mass torts such as Bendectin, cigarettes, and environmental tobacco smoke. The course considers how jurors process probabilistic evidence in tort liability cases and how jurors respond to risk analyses conducted by corporations in such cases. In addition to analyzing legal cases, the course considers how the media presents scientific evidence and how the general public interprets scientific evidence. Examples include risks of climate change and autism risks from vaccinations. [3]