In this course, students will understand:
- The fundamental principles and concepts of criminal law, and how they relate to the International courts, including critical areas such as burdens of proof, punishment theory, actus reus, and mens rea.
- Statutory methods in criminal law, including the role of judges in interpreting statutes when applying them to individual cases.
- Definitions of selected crimes and defenses, including criminal homicide, sex crimes, inchoate crimes, justification defenses, and excuses.
This course will be taught by Professor Brooks Holland, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
Brooks Holland, Professor of Law
Director, Gonzaga Law in Florence
Brooks Holland is a Professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Gonzaga University School of Law, where he has directed the Gonzaga Law in Florence program since 2016 following previous stints as a teacher in the program. Passionate about the transformative opportunities that global study experiences can offer to students and faculty alike, Professor Holland has worked hard with his colleagues at Gonzaga to maximize these opportunities in the Gonzaga Law in Florence program. “Our new international mediation competition with the University of Florence and our annual human rights conference at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Italia are experiences that truly distinguish this program,” Professor Holland explains. “And not for nothing,” Holland adds. “The program’s location in historic Florence, Italy cannot be beat for a cultural experience that extends to several other accessible countries in the region.” In 2018, Professor Holland will teach Comparative Criminal Law in Florence while serving as the program director. In addition to immersing himself again in Florentine culture, Professor Holland looks forward to extending his journeys in Italy to Calabria and Sicilia.