Comparative First Amendment Law Seminar

3 units

Enrollment limit: 16. Drop deadline: 5:00 pm the day after the first class meeting. In this seminar, we will explore the constitutional protection of speech and religion from a comparative perspective. We will study how these First Amendment freedoms are constructed and protected in relatively homogenous societies versus deeply divided societies. We will also study the interplay between courts, the political branches and civil society (broadly defined to include religious institutions) in shaping constitutional and social norms around these freedoms. In this seminar, the readings will consist primarily of cases. We will read cases not only from constitutionally influential jurisdictions (such as the United States, United Kingdom and Germany), but also from plurinational and divided societies (such as Canada, South Africa, Israel and India). The course discussions will be structured around these readings. This seminar is designed to help you hone your writing skills, your critical reasoning skills, and your ability to construct and support arguments. As a result, you will be required to write four, 5-page papers in the course of the semester. The papers will respond to a series of questions I pose related to the course material and class discussion. (These are not research papers.) I will provide feedback on the papers during the semester so that students have the opportunity to improve their writing and critical reasoning skills during the course. Please note that this course will meet regularly.