POSC 3209: Constitutional Law

The course introduces students to the U.S. Supreme Court and its case law concerning Articles I, II, & III of the Constitution.  Topics include judicial review, constitutional interpretation, and case selection, as well as major rulings on presidential power, the commerce clause, the taxing and spending clause, the Tenth Amendment, and voting rights.  No prior knowledge of the Supreme Court, or prior experience with case law, is required.

POSC 3231: Judicial Politics

This course provides an introduction to the study of law and courts as political institutions and judges as political actors. Topics include judicial behavior and policymaking, the politics of selecting judges, the role of public opinion in shaping judicial doctrine, and the impact of courts on society. The primary institutional focus is the U.S. Supreme Court, but we also study other courts, including the state supreme courts and lower federal courts. Because this is an American Pluralism course, a major objective is to increase knowledge of how reform groups have used the courts to combat discrimination based on race, sex, and sexual orientation. As a Methods-Intensive course, it is also designed to familiarize you with methods of conducting research about the courts.

POSC 3210: Civil Rights & Liberties

The course is an intensive survey of the Supreme Court’s doctrine in the areas of civil rights and civil liberties.  Topics include substantive due process, the equal protection clause, free speech, the establishment of religion and the free exercise thereof, and the rights of the accused.  No prior knowledge of the Supreme Court is required.

POSC 4220: Religion and the Law (EP4)

What does it mean to live a religious life in a country that takes seriously the separation of church and state? What is the proper role of religion in public discourse? This course examines the status of religious expression in the law, examining such issues as school prayer, vouchers for religious education, and the teaching of intelligent design, as well as the role religion has played in the decisionmaking of the nation’s leaders.