This course serves as an introduction to the fundamental principles, context, and dynamics of Canadian criminal law. As an entryway into diverse upper-year offerings that explore the Canadian criminal legal system, this course focuses on the basic concepts of substantive criminal law (including actus reus, mens rea, and common exculpatory defences), as well as certain central principles that shape the criminal law (including the presumption of innocence and burden of proof), and the sources of Canadian criminal law (including the Criminal Code, the Constitution, and the common law). Attention is given to elements of the criminal process (and may include the pre-trial phase, trial procedure, police powers, and sentencing) and, as part of understanding the broader history, context, and tensions in the field of criminal law, the course engages with ongoing justice issues in the criminal legal system, such as colonialism and Indigenous peoples, anti-Black racism, gender, poverty, and the treatment of persons with disabilities. Throughout this course, students develop skills in case analysis, statutory interpretation, and political and theoretical reflection on the criminal law.