American Constitutional Development

3 units

The development of American understandings of the Constitution, from the Framing era to the present. The course focuses on important changes in constitutional meaning and application; the processes by which such change occurs; and the role of constitutional issues in American political argument and political strategy. In doing so, it develops ideas about constitutional intrepretation, constitutional theory, and political argument. This course is intended primarily to supplement the training of graduate students specializing in associated fields such as judicial politics and American political institutions.