POL2145: American Constitutional Law

Abstract

Course Goal: To gain a deep understanding and appreciation for the Supreme Court’s role in creating, defining, interpreting, expanding and limiting civil rights in the United States by carefully reading and analyzing Supreme Court decisions and the U.S. Constitution. Through our analysis of majority opinions, concurrences and dissents we will identify, explore and discuss the various methods of constitutional interpretation -- such as Textualism, Original Meaning, Judicial Precedent, Pragmatism, Moral Reasoning, among others – and question the utility, fairness, limitations and risks of each approach.