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“SciCourt is a good idea because people need to practice and develop a norm of sitting down with a heavy-duty controversy, looking at the evidence and putting their brains together to figure out how to make the best decision.”     -Susan Macphearson, Litigation Consultant. 

Finding the right jury for any case can be a daunting task, and SciCourt students will be soon be looking for a jury to tackle our case. That’s why Susan Macpherson, a litigation consultant, came to give us tips and advice about how to select a heterogenous jury. She revealed the difference between verdict-driven and evidence-driven jurors:

Recently we got a little help from Scott Gillespie, the editor of the Opinion pages for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  He took a break to come talk to us during one of the busiest times of the year for the Editorial Board as the newspaper is in the middle of interviewing all of the candidates running for office. Soon the Editorial Board will need to make their endorsements for the 2018 primaries. Some of the tidbits we learned from Scott are: 

Today is the day we finally pick the very first SciCourt case!

Listen to Episode 3 of our Podcast "See who wins!" by Luke Diamond: 

The finalists from last week are 1) drug price regulation and, 2) one-to-one technology for K-12 students  in school. They are being put to the test by their teams today. Let’s see how they stack up.

Each team was given 20 minutes to present their case and a 10 minute discussion period. Unlike the last week’s presentations, the purpose of the presentations this week was not to prove that your case is superior, but to explain to the class whether or not the case would be a good fit for SciCourt.  Remember, there are several key elements that make a good case for SciCourt.

Science Court has officially begun! The students have been split into groups of two and each team has come up with a potential case to be tried in SciCourt.  

Listen to Episode 2 of our Podcast "Case Pitches!" by Luke Diamond:

Case topics include: 

• privatized prisons
• immigration laws
• mandatory recycling 
• online behavioral targeting
• direct to consumer advertising of pharmaceutical drugs
• ceasing subsidies for nonrenewable resources
• sanctuary cities
• regulation of drug prices 
• technology in K-12 schools

In total there were nine potential case ideas, but only two will make it to the final round! 

Science Court is more than just a class, it’s a tool for social change. Listen to Episode 1 of our Podcast "What is SciCourt" by Luke Diamond:

We live in a time filled with polarization and distrust. SciCourt is a new honors course offered at the University of Minnesota attempting to create a place where debate on controversial issues is based on facts and where a decision on the issue is guaranteed. To achieve this goal, SciCourt takes on the form of a mock trial with a few key changes.

Science Court (HSEM 3511H) is an Honors Seminar offered through the University of Minnesota Honors Program. Meet the students through the short videos below on why they're taking the class.