Criminal Law Notes (Fall 2025)

Course Objectives

  • Understand formal discourses of criminal law in Canada

  • Master core concepts: Actus Reus and Mens Rea

  • Gain familiarity with defences to criminal charges

  • Appreciate postcolonial, historical, and social contexts

  • Critically analyze approaches to addressing criminal offending

  • Analyze popular culture and legal texts on criminal behaviour

Course Deliverables

  • Final Examination – 35%35\% (December 2025)

  • Essay Assignment – Blog Post – 40%40\% (Due Nov 15, 2025)

    • Persuasive essay written in an online posting format

    • Selected blogs may be published nationally

  • Participation – 25%25\% (Self-assessment due Dec 1, 2025)

    • Attendance

    • In-class participation

    • Reflective self-assessment

Important Note

  • There will be no trigger warnings

  • Criminal law is inherently upsetting

  • Expect the content to be difficult

What is Criminal Law?

  • A body of public law that defines conduct prohibited by the state

  • Establishes punishments for prohibited acts

  • Aims to maintain order, protect individuals, and uphold justice

  • Enforced by the state through police, courts, and correctional systems (deprivations of liberty possible)

Criminal Law in Context

  • Focuses on criminal liability: Actus Reus (action) and Mens Rea (mental state)

  • Considers justifications, excuses, and defences

  • Guided by the Canadian Criminal Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

  • Federal law

  • Has potential penal consequences

  • Embedded within historical, social, and cultural contexts in Canada

Contact

  • Email: REBECCA.BROMWICH@CARLETON.CA