In this course students will examine the fundamental principles governing the adducing of evidence within the adversarial framework of the common law. Students will gain a critical appreciation of the burden of proof in criminal and civil cases, the rules governing the admissibility of evidence, the roles of the judge and the parties, and the course of the trial. Students will be able to place the rules of evidence within their wider historical, social, and psychological contexts, using case studies to exemplify particular issues in evidence. The course will help students enhance their problem-solving, legal research, and writing skills. Topics include: relevance and admissibility; presumptions and the burden of proof; competence and compellability of witnesses; prior inconsistent statements; character; expert witnesses; confessions; unlawfully-obtained evidence; and identification evidence.