Saks co-teaches a course at Harvard

Professor Michael Saks taught a course at Harvard Law School on Tuesday, Nov. 6, with Professor of Practice Nancy Gertner, a former judge of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.

The course, titled “Science, Junk Science, and CSI,” explored the current debates about the relationship between "real" science and forensic science.

Gertner created the seven-week course, which began in October, as a way to help law students understand how scientific evidence can contribute or detract from the truth-seeking function of courts, and to answer the question, “What is the CSI effect?”

Saks is the ASU Regents' Professor of Law and Psychology and a Faculty Fellow for the Center for Law, Science & Innovation at the College of Law. His research focuses on empirical studies of the legal system, especially decision making; the behavior of the litigation system; and the law’s use of science. Saks is the fourth most-cited law-and-social-science scholar in the U.S., and has authored approximately 200 articles and books. Courses he has taught include criminal law, evidence, law and science, property and torts.