The first year course in criminal law focuses on the elements of criminal responsibility in the context of common-law crimes (e.g., homicide, rape) that tend to be prosecuted on a state level. For lawyers in large firms, however, the challenge of substantive criminal law is white collar crime, organized crime, and political corruption of a kind that tends to be prosecuted on a federal level. The seminar will focus on (1) the limited — but growing — jurisdiction of the federal government to prosecute crime, (2) federal mail fraud, (3) political corruption (e.g., Hobbs Act), (4) organizational crime (e.g., RICO), (5) drug offenses and money laundering, (6) federal civil rights prosecutions (e.g., Rodney King), (7) federal false statement prosecution, and (8) the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Students will write short ungraded reaction papers each week, in addition to a research paper on a topic of their choice.