Civil Liberties in America

3 Units

"Civil Liberties in America" centers on the Supreme Court's interpretation of the First Amendment. Our approach will therefore be case-specific, but, by contrast to a law school course, emphasis will be given to the historical and political context in which constitutional law is shaped, as well as to the philosophical dimension of landmark cases. We will follow the text of the Amendment, focusing first on liberty of religion with its establishment and free exercise clauses, and then move on to explore freedoms of speech and the press, of assembly and association.