The Study of Law: A Critical Thinking Approach, Third Edition (Aspen College)

The Study of Law is a sweeping, intelligent overview of all the key concepts covered in a typical introduction to law course. A critical thinking approach encourages students to interact with the materials through hypotheticals, examples, and well-designed questions. The text is divided into two parts, reflecting the order of topics addressed in a typical course. The first part, Introduction to the Legal System, presents the sources and classification of law, the structure of the court system, and an overview of litigation. The second part, Basic Legal Concepts, covers the fundamental analysis and interpretation of the law as well as substantive law. The chapters on substantive law use carefully edited cases to teach students how to read and analyze the law. The Study of Law teaches students the basic skills necessary to understand statutes and court cases, and effective pedagogy reinforces the accessible and well-organized text. Appendices address the U.S. Constitution, Fundamentals of Good Writing, and NetNotes.

The Third Edition features updated cases and incorporates new developments in the law. Legal reasoning exercises similarly reflect new cases, and Web exercises accompany this revised edition.

Hallmark features of Study of Law:

• comprehensive, intelligent overview of all key concepts covered in a typical introduction to law course
• critical thinking approach
• introduces students to the study of law
• encourages interaction with the materials through hypotheticals, examples, and well-designed questions
• two part structure mirrors course outline
• Introduction to the Legal System
• sources and classification of law
• the structure of the court system
• an overview of litigation
• Basic Legal Concepts
• the basics of analysis and interpretation of the law
• chapters on substantive law
• Teaches the basic skills necessary to understand statutes and court cases
• Strong pedagogy
• reinforces well-written text
• presented in an accessible, well-organized format
• substantive law chapters use edited cases to show students how to read and analyze the law
• helpful Appendices
• U.S. Constitution
• Fundamentals of Good Writing
• NetNotes

The revised Third Edition presents:

• updated cases and new developments in the law
• refreshed Legal reasoning exercises that reflect new cases
• Web exercises