One Credit Spring Break 2026 Intersession Course – Applications due Thursday, November 13, 2025
As you consider your spring semester courses, please note that the Law School will again offer Advanced Criminal Prosecution as a one-credit, upper-level capstone course offered over Spring Break week (March 9-13, 2026). The five-day immersion course will be offered in conjunction with the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference’s (TNDAG) Trial Advocacy Course, which is held annually at the Law School. Advanced Criminal Prosecution is intended to offer a select number of students (maximum of six) interested in criminal trial advocacy intensive training in and exposure to prosecutorial litigation skills and strategy.
In a “master class” approach to learning, experienced prosecutors from across the state of Tennessee will present instruction on all aspects of criminal trial practice, including jury selection, pretrial motions, opening statements, direct and cross examinations, evidentiary objections, and closing argument. Devoted sessions will focus on interviewing and preparing witnesses, selecting juries, case analysis, charging decisions, discovery, prosecutorial ethics, and professionalism. In those sections requiring student performance (of examinations, opening statement, and closing argument), students will receive critique, including individual reviews of their performances.
Title: Advanced Criminal Prosecution
Credits: 1
Graded: Pass/Fail (ungraded)
Prerequisites: Trial Advocacy, Professional Responsibility, Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence
Class Size: No more than 6 students
**This course satisfies the Experiential Learning graduation requirement.
Please contact Professor Katy Ramsey Mason with any questions about the Advanced Criminal Prosecution intersession course. If you have satisfied the above prerequisites, you may apply for a seat in the course by submitting a cover letter to Professor Ramsey Mason explaining why you want to enroll in the course, how your classwork and professional/legal experience to this point speak to your interest in the course, criminal prosecution, and criminal practice generally, and how the course would benefit your learning experience and professional aspirations. A current resume should be submitted with the cover letter.
Please submit your application materials by Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. You will learn about whether you have been accepted to the course by Friday, November 14, 2025.
