Todd Lochner

Todd Lochner teaches undergraduate courses in Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, Introduction to American Politics, and Law, Lawyers and Society.

Teaching

Spring 2024 Courses:

POLS 103: Into to American Politics 
MWF 10:20AM - 11:20AM

The politics of the founding period; interactions within and among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; the federal division of institutionalized powers; public opinion, interest groups, and political parties; the policy process in areas such as defense, welfare, civil rights and liberties, and international affairs.

Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: None

POLS 255: Law, Lawyers, and Society 
MWF 01:50PM - 02:50PM

The role of law and legal institutions in the American political system. Examination of institutional actors such as lawyers, judges, and juries, as well as an examination of discrete case
studies such as “mass torts” and the criminal justice system. What features define the American legal system; how does this system compare to those of other countries; what are its respective advantages and disadvantages?

Prerequisites: POLS 103
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required

POLS 305: American Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties 
MW 03:00PM - 04:30PM

Focus on the First Amendment, particularly free speech (including areas of national security, incitement to lawless action, individual and group defamation, indecency, and obscenity), as well as criminal defendants’ rights (including Fourth Amendment search and seizure law, Fifth Amendment
rights against self-incrimination, and Eighth Amendment prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment in the context of the death penalty). Discussions of actual Supreme Court rulings, majority opinions, and dissenting arguments, as well as the political and historical context of those decisions in an effort to understand how and why the Supreme Court has played such an influential role in American politics and political thought.

Prerequisites: POLS 103
Restrictions: Sophomore standing required