With Fall 2006 registration beginning this week, students have an opportunity to enroll in a new course offered by the department of justice studies.

Advanced criminal and legal issues, an upper-division seminar course, is designed for students who hope to attend law school or graduate school. Paul Mastriacovo, who also writes a monthly column for The Repository in Canton, will teach the class scheduled to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m.

“I thought it would be fun to teach a course where I don’t give my opinion but rather have students learn by giving their opinions,” Mastriacovo said. “Rather than stand up and lecture, we’ll be reading the majority, concurring and dissenting opinions of the Supreme Court. Students have a chance to explore what their own opinion is.”

Since the recent appointments of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, recognizing the new Court’s opinions is important to understanding the issues, Mastriacovo said. He suspects Justice John Stevens, 86, will retire when the Bush presidency ends in 2008, possibly creating another shift in the Court’s alignment.

Mastriacovo said he hopes to attract political science, history, philosophy and English majors to promote a diversity of opinions that he hopes will make the class “more interesting and enlightening.”

“It will be interesting to learn how young inquiring minds look at the various issues,” he said. “A lot of these cases I’ve lived through.”

Mastriacovo has been teaching part-time at Kent State since 1982 and full-time since 2004. His experience in law comes from working for six years as a criminal defense lawyer and spending more than 19 years as assistant prosecutor in Stark County. He also maintains his own law practice.

Stephanie Wolfe, senior justice studies major, said she enjoys attending Mastriacovo’s classes. Currently, she is a student in his criminal procedures and evidence course.

“He tells a lot of funny stories that make his classes interesting” Wolfe said. “You have to do the readings, or you will not do well.”

According to the course proposal, the prerequisites for the three-credit-hour class are introduction to justice studies or its equivalent, a minimum of sophomore standing or permission from the department.

Contact safety reporter Michael Lewis at [email protected].