Religious Freedom in America

3 units

This interdisciplinary course, co-taught by a law school professor and an American historian, concerns the intersection of religion, liberty, and law in American culture. It introduces students to the major texts and historical issues concerning religious liberty, using legal history and case law, intellectual and social history, and political philosophy. It will address issues of significant contemporary debate-from the role of religious groups on college campuses to bakers and gay weddings--along with the deep historical background, from English settlement of North America and the making of the Constitution, through the Civil War, to the Cold War and the recent political developments.