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Social Psychology and Law

If you’ve seen a TV courtroom drama, you’re probably familiar with the famous, usually emphatically-delivered attorney line: “I object!” But how do courtroom proceedings actually work? Learn about how psychology and the law intersect. Psychology studies human behavior, and law is a forceful instrument used to control human behavior.  

Explore topics such as the reliability of eyewitness testimony. Many factors affect jury decision-making and interrogation, and confessions. Learn to identify myths associated with psychological profiling and the realities of racial inequities in the criminal justice system. Discover some of the methods social scientists use to study the legal system. In collaboration with your peers, research and apply one of these methods to a topic of interest to you and present your findings. 

 

How to Apply

Duke Pre-College uses a 2-step enrollment process: 

  1. First, students apply to the Pre-College program, indicating their course(s) of interest. 
     
  2. After they receive notification of their acceptance into Duke Pre-College, they enroll in the course(s) indicated in their Pre-College Application. 

Learn more on our How to Apply page.