Profile

James A. Beckman served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Legal Studies from 2011-2016 at the University of Central Florida, and he holds the rank of Professor of Legal Studies.  Additionally, before arrival at UCF, he previously served as a political science and law professor at the University of Tampa from 2000-2011. Beckman holds degrees from The University of Tampa, The Ohio State University & Georgetown University. Prior to entering academia, Beckman was an active-duty military lawyer (Army), serving on the Staff & Faculty (Office of the Staff Judge Advocate) at the United States Military Academy at West Point, as well as an active-duty assignment at Fort Meade, Maryland. He also served as a litigation attorney for the United States Department of the Treasury, after leaving active-duty military service.

• International Law
• Comparative Law
• Constitutional Law

• B.A., The University of Tampa
• J.D., The Ohio State University College of Law
• LL.M. (Comparative and International Law), Georgetown University Law Center

Professor Beckman's scholarship and publications include being the author and/or editor of numerous books and a variety of articles which have appeared in various academic journals, magazines, encyclopedias, and newspapers. Professor Beckman has also published law review articles on diverse topical areas, as wide ranging as aviation and space law, to treason laws to several articles in the law & literature genre (including law review articles analyzing legal themes in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment).  Professor Beckman also enjoys researching and writing on famous trials of history, including such trials involving notable individuals such as John Brown, Jefferson Davis, Aaron Burr, Alger Hiss, the Rosenbergs, and others, and has published articles on that research.

Professor Beckman has chaired and led numerous faculty committees since joining UCF in 2011 and served a term on the Faculty Senate. Professor Beckman has also been actively involved with the United States Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, previously serving as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the Harpers Ferry Park Association (HFPA), including serving for several years (2019-2022) as the President of the Board of Directors for the HFPA. 

• PLA 3014: Introduction to Law and Legal System
• PLA 4830: World Legal Systems
• PLA 4935: Capstone
• PLA 4956: Legal Studies Law Journal
• PLA 3306: Criminal Law