Chevron Left
Back to An Introduction to American Law

Learner Reviews & Feedback for An Introduction to American Law by University of Pennsylvania

4.8
stars
4,718 ratings

About the Course

This course will give you a glimpse into six different areas of American law: Tort Law, Contract Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Civil Procedure. You will gain insight into the complexities and dilemmas that arise from the application of law in different settings, and what is distinctive about American approaches....

Top reviews

AA

Sep 16, 2018

I enjoyed this course and it helped me to understand the basic parts of American Law. My only suggestion is to provide even more cases as examples to demonstrate the doctrines and statutes. Thank you.

AT

Apr 9, 2020

A great first step on understanding the basic principles of American Law, providing an insight into impact on the systems we encounter on a daily basis and how these systems have developed over time.

Filter by:

26 - 50 of 1,102 Reviews for An Introduction to American Law

By marcio a c v

•

May 30, 2021

Ótimo curso. Para os profissionais da área do Direito de outros países, dá uma ideia geral do funcionamento do sistema jurídico americano. Auxilia no estudo do direito comparado e também na reflexão dos rumos dos sistemas de cada país, dentre outros objetivos relevantes, não estando restrito à aquisição do conhecimento individual. Muito grato pela difusão gratuita do conhecimento pela plataforma.

Great course. For law enforcement professionals from other countries, it gives a general idea of how the American legal system works. It assists in the study of comparative law and also in the reflection of the direction of the systems of each country, among other relevant objectives, not being restricted to the acquisition of individual knowledge. Very grateful for the free dissemination of knowledge on the platform.

By Alexandra V

•

Oct 31, 2020

As a high school student, I wanted to explore the options Coursera offered. This course specifically is a beginner's course, so I thought it would be best to start off with this one as I wanted to see how it would go. Everything about this course was perfect. The professors and their explanations, the varying videos and optional readings, as well as the helpful quizzes, which I was able to retake. If you're a high school student or just anyone who has a passion for the different aspects of law, this course is for you! You don't need any background knowledge, and everything is broken down into perfectly structured explanations that made the course so much more enjoyable to go through. Definitely recommend!! I learned a lot from such a short amount of time.

By Martin A

•

Jan 26, 2021

I enrolled in this introductory course to give myself a fundamental understanding of American Law. I work in software and I'm 50; I am not looking to quit my job and go to law school. I'm just interested. Considerably more interested after completing this course. I didn't know what to expect from this course. This is my first time learning this way. So I was hesitant at first. I shouldn't have been. The videos are easy to follow and the supplemental reading is substantial. There is a lot of material to consume if you're hungry for it. I found the pace to be manageable. It's 7 weeks, but I completed it in about 2. I am ready for more. I already have more independent studies lined up. Great course.

By Victoria M

•

Aug 4, 2020

Excellent because each instructor taught the course by first giving an historical introduction to ground the lessons on concrete facts. Then these professors took us step by step to the current state of our laws. In some subjects evolutionary faults within a particular type of law were mentioned. I found it very helpful to be made aware of the many problems that currently exist in our legal system, how we have gotten to this point, what the original intent of a body of law was to the history of those laws and what the framers of our constitution had in mind in drafting it.

By Najma M

•

Nov 6, 2020

I really enjoyed this course and the professors who taught them. I will go to law school with a better understanding of the American Legal System as a whole. The 6 courses that were taught are definitely taught first year of law school which was wonderful because now, when I start my legal education I won't feel lost of some of the key terminology being used because I have already learned from Coursera and Penn Law. I will definitely recommend people who are interested in any area of the law to take this course to get an exposure of the legal system in general.

By LIDIA S M C

•

Oct 3, 2020

As a continental (Spanish) lawyer, I've always been very interested on trying to learn more about the Common Law system, especially about the American law, which, even though it's a very young legal system, in comparison with the European one, has influenced so much the way we work in Europe, especially when it comes to work with contracts, Considering the difficulty of summarizing such a broad subject, the teachers of the course succeed by going straight to the main points and on structuring the syllabus on a very appropriate way. Congratulations

By Aaron F V

•

Jun 8, 2020

For a foreign law student, this course is in essence what it´s supposed to be: a basic introduction to the pillars of the American legal system. The professors chosen give sufficient information on each of the topic sections for us to have a basic view of the distinct areas, and we are provided with additional readings to further enhance our knowledge. I would recommend this course for anyone that, like myself, has interests in learning a bit more about this particular topic.

By julio e c g

•

Mar 23, 2020

Respetados Profesores. Y prestigiosa Universidad de Pennsylvania. Aprecio sus valiosas enseñanzas lo cual incluye los foros. Coursera es una plataforma muy pedagógica. Muy querido en conocer sobre el Americano. Pienso en muchas personas y amigos, como haces con el mismo acerca de la importancia de este curso. Tiene una plataforma muy amigable y muy buenos profesores con gran sentido pragmático y sabiduría. Muchas Gracias- Mi admiración. Julio Ernesto Cepeda

By Max C

•

Apr 30, 2017

Great introductory material given by six fantastic professors at the University of Pennsylvania. Good amount of information and delivered at the right pace to keep the flow interesting. Facts and examples used all kept the interest levels high. Easy to follow. And for the record, this is from an Engineer with only limited previous knowledge and dealings in contract law. This was taken in the journey to expand my commercial knowledge. Good job, thanks.

By Beatriz O B

•

Apr 15, 2017

The present course was a unique opportunity to learn the basis of American Law for those who study this field. I find the material was excellent and easy to understand to a student who has english as her second language. Moreover, the professors couldn't be better qualified to the lectures. This course broad my horizons in a way that I could not only compare Brazilian Law to American law, but understand the importance to study different Law Systems.

By Arturo Q R

•

Jul 4, 2021

This is a well designed course for anyone who wants to get a reliable insight into the American legal system, the classes are break into easy to digest lectures follow by quizzes so you can be sure you understand the material. Lastly, the professors are well-spoken, succint, and knoledgeable I like to thank them all for giving their time to make this course, and thanks to Pennsylvania University for offering this course here on Coursera.

By Corinne S

•

Mar 27, 2016

This is a great way to run a MOOC. Each module has an instructor specialized in that area of law. They all explain things clearly and with many examples. I was completely unfamiliar with the different types of law that are used in the civil and criminal court system before this case. Now I feel like I have a grasp on the basics and am looking forward to talking more law classes. Great class to take! Highly recommended

By A K W

•

Apr 3, 2020

Doing this course was time well spent. I enjoyed each module and all the quizzes and even the final exam. All the educators were knowledgeable and great at explaining things. Amidst all this corona virus induced craziness your course was a retreat. I also hope I will understand American Law better now. Thank you very much for this opportunity to experience high quality teaching and access to great materials.

By edlira h

•

Feb 5, 2020

This was the best course I have ever taken. When you learn you don't feel tired at all because it is very entertaining and interactive. The professors are very clear whey they explain and having them explained with case laws is more comprehensive. The videos are very interesting, you can listen them whenever you want. It is just perfect. You really reach to get the first knowledge of American Law.

By Melpo K

•

May 15, 2020

I very much enjoyed the course as a whole. Being a high school student myself I thought that it would be very difficult for me to complete. Nevertheless, by dedicating a couple of hours every day I managed to complete it successfully. The professors provided very interesting lectures and the course overall provided me with great knowledge and indeed a thorough introduction to American Law.

By Avv.abubker g a

•

May 26, 2020

it is amazing course, and the contents of the course is fit for the its name, I learned allot through this course, so I would like to thanks the team of coursera and University of Pennsylvania, specially professors delivering this course, thanks for all of you.

I will be one of the costumers of coursera, and courses delivered by Penn University.

your sincerely

Abubakar Ahmed Ali

By Bhumi G

•

Dec 31, 2017

I learned that there are different laws and actions for different situations. I thought there was one law for everything. I found this very intriguing. The tort law though was the one I found the most interesting. The teacher was extremely engaging, everything in the content was interesting, valuable and informative. I wasn't confused a bit. The criminal law was very compulsive as well.

By Clay S

•

Jan 23, 2016

I am a first year law student. This course is great as an introduction, as its title advertises. My only complaint is that the introduction is so shallow. Each professor gave about one hour of lecture, split into shorter videos. Even doubling the amount of material to two hours per subject would be phenomenally helpful and not require a great, extra effort on the part of the profs.

By Amisha S

•

Dec 16, 2018

Thank you for making this course available online. The fact that I am learning from such a prestigious college and amazing teachers makes me feel really happy. That you for coming online and making hundreds educated. It's my dream to study in America and study American Law. This is the first step to my dream ladder. So, thank you so much. You are making someone's dream come true.

By Emily T

•

Jun 11, 2017

I quite enjoyed everything about this course. Having mini-quizzes during each section of the lecture really helped refocus and emphasize the important points of each video, and the professors, with the exception of one, were interesting an did a great job at making the introductory lessons interesting. I would recommend this course to anyone thinking about going to law school.

By Vivian O

•

Dec 19, 2018

With no knowledge in law, this course has provided me with an excellent foundation I needed to understand American law and to pursue a legal career path in the future. The course layout/delivery, testing system, adept professors and mentor all gave me a profound and an insightful online learning experience. Looking forward to more amazing learning experience with UPenn.

By Thomas C

•

Jun 21, 2017

This course is a wonderful overview of the curriculum that first year law students study across the country. I highly recommend it to anybody interested in law school. The teachers are knowledgeable and easy to understand and they make great use of the online format on Coursera. UPenn also has a standalone course on Constitutional Law that you should check out.

By Pedro D

•

Aug 29, 2020

Great opportunity for international undergraduates to start understading how is American Law diverse and singular in its institutions. It consists of an essential starting point for young students to provoke an invite them to learn about such an interest country's set of principles and rules guided by their tradition of common law and historic justifications.

By MARIA H

•

Feb 24, 2021

This course motivated me to complete it because the lectures were in bite size chunks. It helped me digest the information more than an hour long lecture would have because I could repeat a 15 minute lecture and still have time for other work I need to do. The lecturers spoke in a good pace and alternated with slides that highlighted important information.

By Tommy H

•

Aug 7, 2023

This course was honestly everything you need to know for a beginner learning law, and it is also a great refresher for anybody who want to review common concepts!