Discuss the major SCOTUS decisions signaling changes in criminal law

Discuss major U.S Supreme Court cases regarding the right to counsel for indigent criminal defendants

Explain the right to self-representation by criminal defendants and the problems that arise when this right is claimed by some defendants with mental disabilities

Critique the 8th amendment by discussing the SCOTUS decisions related to the death penalty, particularly how these decisions restrict the use of the death penalty on certain populations (i.e., juveniles and defendants with mental retardation) and how political and social climate affected these decisions as well as the future implications.

Discuss the warrant, the reasonableness, and special needs approach that have been used by the U.S Supreme Court to interpret the Fourth Amendment as well as describe specific Supreme Court cases that illustrate the application of each interpretation of the Fourth Amendment.