POL379H1F L0101
Topics in Comparative Politics III
Civil Liberties in the United States
Themes
This course offers a survey of American constitutional law in the area of civil liberties. Specific topics to be addressed include fundamental rights; freedoms of speech, press, and assembly; freedom of (and freedom from) religion; rights to privacy and autonomy, particularly in the areas of reproductive and sexual liberties; and the guarantees of due process and equal protection of the laws. To make sense of the jurisprudential developments in each of these areas, the course will also take account of broader trends in legal history, social transformation, and constitutional interpretation.
Texts
American Constitutional Law: Liberty, Community, and the Bill of Rights (4th Edition), Donald Kommers, John Finn, Gary Jacobsohn, George Thomas, Justin Dyer
Prerequisites
1.0 credit in POL/ JPA/ JPF/ JPI/ JPR/ JPS/ JRA courses