FAU law students discuss law through media
This series
Series 2 consists of 4 episodes and was published in April 2023.
Episode 1
I wanted to be Elle Woods. Am I dissapointed?
Vanessa Arens
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Sophie Langa
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Category
- Law in film
- Duration
- 14:56
- Keywords
- studying law, lawyers, university
In the first episode of series 2, Vanessa and Sophie talk about some of the expectations future law students may have if they watch American movies and TV series. They reflect on their own experiences studying law and discuss topics such as internships and competitiveness among law students.
Looking at various aspects of two works – the film Legally Blonde and the TV crime series How to Get Away with Murder – the differences between the lives of German law students and those of fictional law students at US universities become very clear.
Episode 2
Media perception of prejudice in the US justice system
Dalia Andegiorgis
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Shachigaa Srirangan
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Category
- Crime and courtroom dramas
- Duration
- 16:48
- Keywords
- racial prejudice, US justice system
Many TV show producers have taken it upon themselves to highlight the prevalence of prejudice in the US justice system, particularly with regards to race. While some have succeeded in their efforts of raising awareness on this issue, others have failed to capture the reality of it.
In this episode, Dalia and Shachigaa examine two shows - Monster (about Jeffrey Dahmer), and When They See Us (about the Central Park Five) – that aim to address the racial prejudice in those cases, and they explore the differences in their approaches. Spoiler alert: only one of these shows actually got it right.
Episode 3
Effects of news reporting on law enforcement and how the media shapes public opinion
Johann Bauer
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Pascal Kraus
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Category
- Law and news journalism
- Duration
- 15:17
- Keywords
- police, law enforcement, service weapons, reasonable force
Police forces all around the world face claims of using excessive force. In the USA, this mainly concerns the use of guns, which is causing a lot of unnecessary deaths, whereas the police in Germany are often criticised for their handling of protests.
In this episode, Johann and Pascal investigate the different approaches taken in the USA, the UK, and Germany when it comes to the use of guns. They look at how the media is shaping public opinion, and what effect this has had on the police both in Germany and the USA.
Episode 4
Standing in the pillory in the 21st century: court reporting today
Luna Eckstein
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Clara Simon
Law student, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Category
- Law and news journalism
- Duration
- 22:51
- Keywords
- crime reporting, news reports
As Germans we are not used to seeing that much news relating to crimes committed in our area, but that is not the case in all countries, for example the UK has quite a different practice when it comes to reporting on crimes.
In this episode, Luna and Clara highlight the differences between Germany and the United Kingdom when it comes to the practices in crime reporting and give some insights into why these differences might exist.