POSC 339
Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties
Catalog Entry
POSC 339. Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties. (AG)
Three hours lecture (3).
Prerequisites: POSC 120
Theoretical bases, popular support, judicial interpretation and role of civil liberties in the United States.
Note: Students may not receive credit for both POSC 439 and POSC 339
Detailed Description of Content of Course
Major areas of constitutional law and judicial decisions to be covered in this course may include:
I. The Bill of Rights and the States
A. The Pre-Civil War Situation
B. The Meaning of "Due Process"
II. The Rise, Decline & Revival of Substantive Due Process
A. Economic Regulation
B. Judicial Intervention
C. Non-Economic Regulation
D. The Meaning of Liberty and Property
III. The Meaning of "Equal Protection"
A. Economic and Social Regulation
B. Suspect Classifications
C. Other Classifications
D. Fundamental Rights and Interests
IV. Post-Civil War Civil Rights Amendments
A. The Problem of State Action
B. Congressional Power to Interfere
C. Remedial and Substantive Power
V. Freedom of Expression
A. Political Speech
B. Regulation of Speech in the Public Forum
VI. Methods of Constitutional Adjudication
A. Advisory Opinions
B. "Standing" and Litigation
C. Anticipating Relief
D. Discretion to Decline
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
A combined lecture/dialectical approach will be used, possibly with students responsible for initial presentation of particular judicial decisions to be analyzed.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
I. To fulfill a requirement in the field of American Government for Political Science
majors.
II. To provide interested upper-division students from all majors with an introduction
to legal reasoning and the principles of constitutional interpretation.
III. To begin to think through the constitutional structures and processes that aim
at the preservation of liberty in the United States.
IV. To gain an understanding of the historical development of the concepts of civil
liberties and judicial power.
V. To see how issues of political power become constitutional controversies over rights
and liberties, and vice versa.
Assessment Measures
Graded assignments may include in-class tests, a final examination, essay or research papers, case briefs and oral presentations of course material.
Other Course Information
N/A
Review and Approval
DATE ACTION REVIEWED BY
April 1998 Reviewed M. J. Franck, Dept. Chair